The weight of the two was almost the same,
the Kawasaki at 186.36kg dry, and the Suzuki
187.27kg. To achieve the performance that
the Kawasaki delivered, certain concessions
were made. The handling and braking came
in for fierce criticism. The general consensus
was that the engine was too powerful for
the frame, suspension and brakes. Kawasaki
listened to the criticism. On later models
a single front disc replaced the drum, and
in addition to the standard friction type
steering damper, a piston type damping
unit was placed underneath the lower triple
clamp. The basic chassis, however, remained
the same. In 1974 an improved frame was
introduced.
The electronic ignition on the first model
had proved to be unreliable and a points
ignition replaced it. The second generation
electronic ignition was introduced in 1972. It
was one of the first of its kind and a decade
later would be standard on almost all new
motorcycles.
By 1976 the consumer market was awash
with four-stroke Superbikes, and pressure
was mounting in some countries to ban two-
stroke motors. Honda’s CB750 had changed
the motorcycle scene for ever, and Kawasaki’s
Z1 wasn’t far behind.
Kawasaki released the final version of
the 500, known as the KH500 in 1976.
The Kawasaki H2 Mach 1V 750 triple was
Ginger Molloy in Singapore 1973 Graeme Crosby at Bathurst 1979
Ginger Molloy leading Bill Horsman 1972 400 KH 1976
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