Overhauling a Kawasaki 500 Mach III - The German way!!! Watch it with the sound turned off until they start the engine.

[p6x]

This video brought back a lot of memories; of course, for those of you that work on four strokes, it is just an easy job.

 

[audiomick]

1 hour ago, p6x said:

This video brought back a lot of memories

For me too. When the lottery win happens, I'll be buying one of them too. Perhaps even before the Countach.

[Lucky Phil]

A mate of mine bought one about 5 years ago in mint condition from Tassie. He also has a Rickman Kawasaki he's owned from new. Why he'd want a Mk111 Kawasaki I'll never know. Why anyone would want one I'll never know. I also know someone that raced one at Bathurst in a proddy race back in mid 70"s.

There are some teenage memories I don't feel the need to re visit or repeat.

Phil

Edited January 12 by Lucky Phil

[gstallons]

Weren't they advertised to go 0-60 mph in 2.2sec. ? 

[p6x]

11 hours ago, gstallons said:

Weren't they advertised to go 0-60 mph in 2.2sec. ? 

In my neck of the woods, the specs were usually 400 m from stop.

The very first 500 Kawasaki, the Mach III was a dragster, unlike the later 500 H1 models. Unfortunately, the chassis not very rigid, and there were no brakes to speak of.

At the time, it was just unreal and many riders got injured because they let the speed take over prudence. The front drum brake would only give you one slowdown. Thereafter, you had to use your boots...

[audiomick]

21 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

... Why anyone would want one I'll never know....

Because those three-cylinder two-stroke motors, all of them, where just mad. Brilliant. Exciting. Sounded great. Sounded mad. And they were from Kawasaki. 'Nuff said.

 

No arguments to the contrary will be taken into consideration.

[gstallons]

They were manufactured to do one thing . Accelerate . 

[Lucky Phil]

Up to probably the mid 80's when the KawasakiGPZ900 and the First GSXR750 Suzuki were released the Japanese were almost 100% focused on the US market and what was the US market focused on? Straight line acceleration. I remember those days where people would ditch their near new bike for a model that came out that was .1 seconds faster down the quarter and all every Japanese big bike owner could talk about was 1/4 mile times. Us European owners were like leapers there for a decade and a half or so, lol. Thankfully time have changed and now I'm surrounded by 25 year old wannabees in full racing leathers logoed up identical to their racing hero's on $80,000 sports bikes with one inch chicken strips on the tyres telling you how great the handling is. Oh hang on, can I go back to the mid 80's please.

Phil      

[docc]

Regarding the rather blood-curdling sound of these Kawi triples, I am reminded of a year at the Barber Vintage Festival watching their chief mechanic and head technical person (I'm sorry to have misplaced his name) roll various bikes out front of the building and start them, giving them a proper series of blips on the throttle to warm the motor and please the crowd.

Out he rolls a Kawasaki 2-stroke that some clever fellow had Siamese'd a pair together for a transverse six. What a ripping hoot! Talk about crowd pleaser! 

[gstallons]

One inch chicken strip. A new term for me !

[gstallons]

1 hour ago, docc said:

Regarding the rather blood-curdling sound of these Kawi triples, I am reminded of a year at the Barber Vintage Festival watching their chief mechanic and head technical person (I'm sorry to have misplaced his name) roll various bikes out front of the building and start them, giving them a proper series of blips on the throttle to warm the motor and please the crowd.

Out he rolls a Kawasaki 2-stroke that some clever fellow had Siamese'd a pair together for a transverse six. What a ripping hoot! Talk about crowd pleaser! 

I've read about and saw videos where he mates all kinds of engines together . Impressive , but what are you gonna do with it ?

[docc]

36 minutes ago, gstallons said:

I've read about and saw videos where he mates all kinds of engines together . Impressive , but what are you gonna do with it ?

Donate it to Barber's!

[pete roper]

3 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Up to probably the mid 80's when the KawasakiGPZ900 and the First GSXR750 Suzuki were released the Japanese were almost 100% focused on the US market and what was the US market focused on? Straight line acceleration. I remember those days where people would ditch their near new bike for a model that came out that was .1 seconds faster down the quarter and all every Japanese big bike owner could talk about was 1/4 mile times. Us European owners were like leapers there for a decade and a half or so, lol. Thankfully time have changed and now I'm surrounded by 25 year old wannabees in full racing leathers logoed up identical to their racing hero's on $80,000 sports bikes with one inch chicken strips on the tyres telling you how great the handling is. Oh hang on, can I go back to the mid 80's please.

Phil      

One thing I often get is some wild eyed idiot telling me that his shitty, poorly maintained, Cali 1100 can out handle my CARC bikes. Even better I’ve had people saying their early LeMans is faster! I’ve even had these people challenge me to a ‘Race’ to prove their point!

What sort of lunatic is going to respond to a challenge like that FFS? I’m knocking on the door of seventy! These toothless imbeciles are usually older than me! And they expect me to engage in a ‘Race’ with them? On a public road? With all of the associated imbeciles and road furniture mixed in?

Nah, they’re right of course. I’m just too pusillanimous to engage their visceral manliness and their wheezing bags of shit are just too good for my crappy ‘Modern’ motorbike with its plastic tank that has been strangled by government legislation and overreach!

Give me f*cking strength……..

[Lucky Phil]

1 hour ago, gstallons said:

One inch chicken strip. A new term for me !

The inch of virgin rubber on the edges of the tyres on bikes that are supposed to be ridden around corners fast.

Phil

[audiomick]

On 1/14/2025 at 11:16 PM, docc said:

...a Kawasaki 2-stroke that some clever fellow had Siamese'd a pair together for a transverse six. ...

might have been this bloke. He apparently makes a habit of welding smaller motors together to make bigger ones, and does a lot of the work with a hacksaw and a file.

https://www.youtube.com/@AllenMillyard