Kawasaki H1 Mach III

The Kawasaki H1 Mach III was a 500 cc two-stroke three-cylinder sport bike that Kawasaki built from 1969 through 1975. By the mid-1960s the United States was the biggest motorcycle market and riders wanted power and speed, so Kawasaki began the secret N100 Plan in 1967 to build a 500 that could manage a thirteen-second quarter mile. Kawasaki claimed it was the fastest accelerating road machine ever produced, while Cycle World's 1969 test measured 119 mph and 13.2 seconds. Its 499 cc engine used Mikuni carburettors and capacitor discharge ignition. It was hugely popular in the US, and Motorcyclist praised its power to weight ratio, though critics found the handling marginal and the brakes weak, earning it the nickname the triple with the ripple. The racing derivative H1R took second in the 1970 500 cc world championship, and a stock H1 won the 1974 Isle of Man TT Production class. The Z500 and Z550 four-cylinder bikes effectively succeeded it in 1979.