02-22-2017, 01:55 PM
(02-22-2017, 02:05 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: I was selling Suzukis and Kawasakis at a shop in the early 70s, and the life expectancy of the H2 750 triple (not the rider, just the bike) was about 3 weeks before the rider either flipped them over backwards from an uncontrolled wheelie, or ran them off the road in a curve.
The H1 500s were not as bad.
In 1972, two friends and I sold our British motorcycles and bought Kawasaki H2 Mach IVs, AKA the widow maker. We had to learn to ride all over again.
Not me or my Mach IV.
Unlike our British motorcycles, the Kaws did not like to be roughly tossed about in the corners. So we had to smooth out our riding style, and learn to use the brakes instead of the 2-stoke engine. Fortunately the Gatineau Parkway, the perfect testing ground to learn our new skills, was not far away.
These 2-stroke jets earned their reputation. Exuberant twisting of the throttle could get you in trouble in a hurry. No problem lifting the front wheel, whether you intended to or not.
Just another year in the "Decade of Decadence", as we called our twenties. It's a wonder we all survived unharmed.