Tagged: 2 stroke

Kawasaki

6k Mile 1975 Kawasaki H1

Here’s a largely original and complete, unrestored Kawasaki H1! There’s some patina but nothing too serious to enjoy this bike just like it is and restore it later. The best part is the reserve is already met with a current bid of $6,500. Just about 3 days remain and I’ll be curious to see where it sells.

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1975 Kawasaki H1 for sale on eBay

from the seller:

INTRODUCTION:::

You are looking at a 1975 Kawasaki H1-F 500cc triple cylinder. This is an frame and engine matching all original unrestored example with only 6065miles on the speedometer. The motorcycle is in good running condition, cosmetically the bike is not perfect but it is complete and in nice shape for its age. But please feel free to read more about the specifics of this bike and look at the pictures for verifications, and feel free to ask any questions. International bidders are welcome to bid on this motorcycle but have to arrange shipping themselves…

MECHANICAL:::

The bike runs very well and fires up nicely even when cold; transmission sifts nice and smooth through all gears. We recently did a full service tune up on the bike, this included ultra sonically cleaning the carburetors and properly jetting them to stock factory specifications; all fluids were drained, brake fluid, two stroke oil, and transmission oil was all replaced, new drive chain, brake pads, spark plugs, cable adjustments and any other mechanical parts that needed to be replaced were changed so the bike is ready to ride reliably.

BODY:::

All of the body work is all original with the exception of the right side cover, which looks to be repainted. The tank is nice and clean on the inside, however the tank does has a dent on the right side near the back which can be seen in the pictures, but other than that all of the body parts are nice and straight with no major dents. All of the chrome parts do show some age but overall the chrome is in good shape with no major rust anywhere. For its age this bike is in good looking condition and is ready to ride.

Kawasaki

1975 Kawasaki H1

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In the early 1990’s when the music scene in the North West started to hit the rest of the country, one of the factors in the sound was the weather. Everyone outside of the NW thought that it rained 365 days a year and all the musicians in the area had nothing to do but write and perform music inside. I think that misconception could transfer to the builder of this 1975 Kawasaki H1, as it is being offered about as North and West as you can get in Washington State without being in the Sound. They have spend a lot of time in the garage putting this rider together.

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Stream of conscience from the seller

hello.for auction today is a fabulous running kawaski H1 500 2 stroke racer….cafe custom that i built about 5 years ago…….if you know anything about h1’s you will know that they were one of the most adrenaline pumping bikes ever made……..ok engine top rebuilt less than 3500 miles ago………burns super clean .nice brown color on all plugs…..the frame has a clear wa state title and it is from the year 1975……….the engine is a 1971 H1 motor…………if you are looking for a garage queen this may not be the bike for you although it does look very very nice………….this bike is a rider………..totally reliable and from stone cold a 1 to 2 kick start bike………some features…….jim lomas hand made expansion chambers(the right outside pipe as you can see has a small dent this was from the kick starter hitting it when  i first built the bike and i did not include enuf clearance………….bronze swingarm bushings and taper head bearings make this bike handle beautifully even at HIGH speeds……..dont believe the old stories that h1 were bad handlers…with the bronze bearings and head taper bearings this bike track true as an arrow………power dynamo electronic ignition..the absolute best in my opinion…….aluminum clip ons………custom pvc oil tank……hand made seat.(made by me)….all paint done by myself………..ok the tank is an old fiberglass unit that i sealed with caswell expoxy….i sealed it 3 times so as to insure no leakage and vapor damage to the paint……this tank had a flat bottom with no tunnel consequently i remove the section of the frame to accomodate fitting it…..i will include the piece i removed in case the new owner wishes to change the tank…it is an easy reweld……..evrything works as it should a bonafide 110 plus mile an hour bike………clear w state title in my name and collector tabbed…….as it is a used bike no warranties………..will assist where possible with shipping..thks good luck …………

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The builder of this 1975 Kawasaki H1 has told us a lot about the bike, really quickly. It looks like they were aware of the reputation of poor handling and addressed that. They spent energy to make sure that there is a good spark as well. The styling of the bike is something that stands out, and the seller hits some high points in their description. But because it is a unique build, the buyer will have to spend time looking, to see if it is something that satisfies their taste. BB

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Kawasaki

1970 Kawasaki H1 500

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There is something special about 2-stoke engines. The fact that they started small, and grew slowly bigger. How they took over the starting grid and then the podium at the Grand Prix level. Then they just disappeared. A flash in the pan that is motorcycling. This 1970 Kawasaki H1 500cc is an early example of that rise to glory, and it may have sat because of some of the inherent dangers that a 2-stokes present.

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From the seller

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. An all original 1970 Kawasaki H1 with only 2112 miles. I bought this Kawasaki from the original owner. He had stopped riding it in 1974 and it just sat in his garage covered until I bought it in 1995. I completely went over the entire motorcycle. When I had the pipes off for cleaning I inspected the cylinders and they were like new. I also had the side case off to free the clutch plates and the inside looked great with no sludge. I cleaned and rebuilt the carbs, changed all the fluids and spark plugs, rebuilt the petcock, cleaned the fuel tank, and installed a battery. I rode it for about 40 miles to make sure everything worked properly and then removed the battery and completely drained the fuel, including the carbs, and it has been in my collection ever since.

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More from the seller

This H1 is in excellent condition with very nice paint, beautiful chrome and a perfect seat. Nothing on this bike has been touched up or painted. There are some scratches on the tank, and one small ding on the right side that is hard to see, also a small area of discoloration on one pipe from an acid stain. The tires are the original Dunlop Gold Seal K77 on the front and Dunlop Gold Seal K87 on the rear with NO checking or cracks. I have the original title, the Temporary Registration Certificate from when it was purchased on 6/25/70, the plastic Kawasaki Service Kard, the original license plate with the 1974 registration sticker on it, and the Sales Tax Certificate.

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This Kawasaki has the original matching engine and frame, and the numbers are correct.

Frame# KAF18153

Engine# KAE16865

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Can someone explain Kawasaki numbering to me? I know that some manufactures number different parts of the bike differently, and there is a magic ratio, or specific gap between engine and frame, but this seems random.

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Went the whole article without saying “Widowmaker”, so now you can own this 1970 Kawasaki H1 and try not to mention that moniker to your significant others. BB

Yamaha

1972 Yamaha TR3

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Since the 1960’s Yamaha has been offering private racers over the counter race bikes based on production bikes. This 1972 Yamaha TR3 is based on the R5 that was offered since 1970. These small displacement 2-stoke trace their history back to the YR1 Grand Prix bikes.  If this auction was a baseball card we would flip it over and see these stats.

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1972 Yamaha TR3
Engine: 350cc air-cooled 2-stroke twin, five piston ports per cylinder, 64mm x 54mm bore and stroke
Claimed Power: 54hp @ 9,500rpm
Top speed: 140mph-plus

Weight (dry): 220lb (100kg)

Fuel capacity: 6gal (23ltr)

 

From the seller

This TR3 was a two year build, utilizing the best components that could be sourced. The result is a reliable safe bike that can be raced competitively without concern, just add fuel. Every nut /bolt seal, gasket and bearing has been replaced with factory or race quality specification components. In the bikes current form, it competed under both AHRMA and WERA sanction at Daytona and Loudon NH. Per AHRMA specification, bike has required belly pan and absorbent material. This bike is fully sorted, jetted and race ready.

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From the factory, the TR3 came with 34mm Mikuni carbs, a 6 speed transmission, and a HUGE four leading shoe front brake. One of the draw backs of a 2 stroke engine, is there is zero engine compression breaking, so prior to disk brakes, you needed as much brake shoe material as possible.

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More from the seller

Frame is completely stock, unmolested with no known cracks or repairs and has a very rare Don Vesco period alloy swing arm. Front forks and clamps are stock 74-75 TZ with adjustable spring pre load adjusters and aftermarket clip-on’s with adjustable lever assemblies. Forks have been fully serviced of course, with stock rate springs installed along with adjustable hydraulic steering damper. The front brake is stock TR3 with Vintage Brake linings professionally arced to match drum diameter, complete with stock cable splitter. Tires are new Avons mounted on custom built wheels with stainless spokes from Buchanan Spoke and Rim.

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 Motor has two races on build with proper factory pistons rods and bearings, all factory Yamaha parts. Transmission shifts without issues. Carburetors are late model Sudco Mikuni, Ignition is a PVL high output system which has provided a hot reliable ignition system with no issues. Pipes are Swarbrick’s, hand welded with extra reinforcements for mounting and re-packable silencers.

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This bike looks ready to go racing this weekend. Check your local racing calander, calculate transport time, and get your leathers ready. This 1972 Yamaha TR3 is ready for you, now all the seller needs is your money. BB

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Bultaco

1968 Bultaco TSS 125cc

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125cc is really small, but this 1968 Bultaco TSS 125cc racer will ride a little bit bigger I would imagine. A factory bike given to a Factory rider? Mollory campaigned a 125cc, 250cc and 350cc Bultaco in 1968. When you look Ginger Molloy up in Wikipedia you do see he rode a Bultaco to 3rd place in 1968. And that is with only three finishes. With the 250cc and 350cc he recorded 6 finishes for a 5th place and 3 finishes for a 5th place respectively.

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 From the seller

This motorcycle has been restore by Ginger Molloy. Frame, petrol and faring have been repainted to 

Original owner.  Ginger was placed third on this motorcycle in the 125cc FIM World Championships. Purchaser would also receive the FIM medal won by Ginger.
This bike is a factory prepared works Bultaco that has been in my possession since 1968.
Shipping and payment:  Ginger will arrange crating and shipping through Jenner Cargo, or other shipping firm selected by purchaser.

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So this 1968 Bultaco TSS 125cc bike spent time in New Zealand were you would have to ship it from. But also traveled to Spain, the Netherlands’ and Ireland. It doesn’t appear to have made it to the Isle of Man, as no results for Molloy in the 125, 250, or 350 classes. I have been seeing a lot of racing Bultaco’s coming up for Auction. This 1968 Bultaco TSS 125cc is the only one I remember to have a rider and results attached to it. Bultaco was in at the beginning of the 2-stroke evolution in Grand Prix racing. They did not dominate, but they did show up on the Podium, and now is your chance to throw a leg over one of those podium finishers. When will you be able to do that again? BB 

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Yamaha

1964 Yamaha TD1b production racer

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The old saying that the first motorcycle race started when the second motorcycle was made, tells you a lot about people who ride motorcycles. Yamaha offered the TD1 to give anyone the best possible racing motorcycle over the counter. There were still going to be Factory bikes, the manufacture will always hold a little back, but this 1964 Yamaha TD1b production racer was offered up to anyone who had the cash to put on the Yamaha dealers counter.

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From the seller

Yamaha TD1b production Race Bike frame Number T1-408 Engine Number D6-408. I purchased this bike as a project a few years ago and now have another project that I will need to fund so I am offering it for sale. Frame has been stripped checked and painted. Wheels have been cleaned polished and re-spoked. I have not dismantled or run the motor, but appears to be in good condition. Bike comes with spares that I have collected for the restoration. A pair of unused Niksal bores, a pair of production race heads, set of pistons, 4 sets of rings, set of pins, fairing with screen and correct mounting brackets (not pictured), and all spares pictured on the table. This bike has been lightly assembled in order to reconcile all parts and will require further restoration/finishing . Please study photos as the form part of this description. I will endeavor to answer all your questions and will supply more photos if required, so don’t hesitate if you are interested. These bikes are rapidly becoming scarce and would make an excellent parade bike and solid collectible investment.

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The TD1 did not come out of the factory as the fastest and most reliable motorcycle. There were some growing pains and the TD1a and TD1b both had issues that were continually addressed by both Yamaha and their owner and tuners. The predecessor came out in 1959 as the YDS-1 twin cylinder 2-stroke. It was offered in both scrambler and road going models, and with the success of the privateer, Yamaha had found a market for a racing 2-stroke.

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The b model list of improvements included a larger crankshaft, changes to the cylinder bores to increase life, and port improvements. These were not all the improvements that were needed for the design. The frame was still lacking stiffness, the ignition timing tended to wander, and carburetion was hindered by the decision to mount the remote floats to the engine crank case. As these points were address, the TD1 became the TD2, but that’s a different story.

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This 1964 TD1b up for offer is what it is. The mid point in the development by Yamaha for an over the counter racer. If you take ownership, you may not be the fastest Vintage 2-Stroke on the track, but you will be representing a long line of people who went to Yamaha and wanted the best that they offered at the time. BB

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Bultaco

1966 Bultaco Mercurio 175

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There seems to be a trend with listings, were the seller leaves it all up to the buyer to figure out exactly what you are bidding on. This 1966 Bultaco Mercurio is given just a brief description, and left at that. There are those out there that know what a Mercurio is, and what it means as a Bultaco, but I would guess that 8 out of 10 of you have no idea what this is. And it doesn’t help with the BMW gas tank on it.

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From the seller

hello, selling my 1966 bultaco mercurio 175. it as a cool gas tank user on vintage bmw and seat they are fiberglass. trick wheels and hubs, 4 speed trans, runs good, there is no title. built this bike 5 years ago

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What I was able to find out about the Mercurio is not much of anything. There appears to be some information on Spanish sites, but for English speakers there is very little information. It appears to be a 2-stroke, 175cc with a single cylinder and carburetor. Other then that, I am going to leave it to you the reader, and the buyers who do deeper research on this 1966 Bultaco Mercurio. On a side note, I am sure there would be BMW owners who would line up to purchase the tank currently on this Bultaco if you wanted to go for a different look. BB

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Uncategorized

Book Steeling Speed by Mat Oxley

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With my last post on the Suzuki Factory Racer, I dropped a little bit about Ernst Degner and his move to Suzuki from East German. A couple people commented on the fact he “stole” technology from designer Walter Kaaden. This is true, but there is also so much more. Steeling Speed by Mat Oxley is a great book tells the story of Walter Kaaden, his work on the V1 and V2 rockets during the World War and how he used those lessons and went Grand Prix Racing. Ernst Degner was a rider for Walter, and and engineer in his own right. But he was also a family man, and some one who sought fame and fortune. Degner stole the speed developed by Kaaden and took it with him to Suzuki.

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During WWII, the German Army was firing some of the first rockets at England, and some of the engineers working on those rockets had motorcycle back grounds. One of those was Walter Kaaden who had worked for DKW, the worlds larges motorcycle manufacture at the time. Kaaden’s work on rockets during the war transferred to 2-stroke engine development after the war.

Sideburn_walterkaaden

DKW was taken over by the government of East Germany, re-names MZ, but still had a racing department headed by Walter Kaaden and employed engineer/rider Ernst Degner. Walter Kaaden returned to the new East Germany, and right back into the the new MZ race department. With lessons learned during the war, the first development was the expansion chamber, then the rotary valve, and finally the boost port. These three developments behind the Iron Curtin first started showing up at the race track in the late 1950’s, and by 1960 MZ was starting to show its stuff to the rest of the world on the Grand Prix results list.

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Then in 1961 Earnst filled his suitcase with engine parts, and had a friend put his wife and child in the trunk of a car, and by different routes the family made it to Suzuki in Japan and the course of motorcycle history was changed. It didn’t end well for Ernst with a firery crash and its aftermath effecting him for his final years.

Ernst_Degner_750

Mat Oxley rides a thrilling spy novel, one that is real. John le Carré meets Kevin Cameron. We highlight some great motorcycles here on CSBFS, ones that you can oogle at, but Steeling Speed is something that will help you understand how many of these motorcycles came to be. BB

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Bultaco / Uncategorized

1965 Bultaco TSS water cooled

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If you missed out on this 1963 Bultaco TSS road racer we had highlighted early, you now have a chance at another TTS. This 1965 Bultaco TSS 250cc water cooled racer is now for sale from Japan.

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From the seller

1965 Bultaco TSS 250 Watercool. Bike was in museume past 15years. Frame and engine no. does match. I do not have any doccument but I heard EX-owner was Jim Redman. Bike has compression and sift thru all gear.　Will help worldwide shiping. Shipping will be $1500(crate, fright, doc fee, export custom) to CarsonCA.

 

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The seller doesn’t really give an idea of how the bike has spend its last years. Just looking at the bike, it may have just been in the back of someones garage after coming off the track. Check out the the Gardner carb.

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As noted with the previous 125cc TSS, these Spanish smokers could put out some horse power. Not to the level that came just a few years later from Japan, but still enough to put it too 4 stroke bike to get to the podium on a International level in both GP and Endurance events.

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So if you really want a TSS, this 1965 Watercooled 250cc model if not the pinnacle of Bultaco’s road racing developement, this its sure close, but you need to be quick. BB

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Yamaha

1967 Yamaha YL-1 TwinJet

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I have not been able to glean a lot of information on this 1967 Yamaha YL-1 from the world wide web. But with a full fairing, and a racing background I wanted to share this little 100cc 2-stroke with everyone.

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From the seller

This YL-1 was bought in 1970 and converted to a racing bike for the 1971 AFM season.  It was raced in 1971 – 1973   The Yamaha GYT Kit barrels, carbs, heads, and pistons were added in 1973.  The bike was restored in 2010, and shown at the July 2010 Classic Japanese Motorcycle Club’s show in Auburn, CA.  The engine starts easily and it has abundant power.  Includes the “Yamaha Service Manual”, the “Genuine Parts Catalog”, and “Official YL1 GYT Modification Information”

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Yamaha has sold this bike in the US as the TwinJet. 100cc twin cylinder 2-stroke. Can’t see why it didn’t take off like the CB750. I did find that these did race, and race with some impressive numbers. 18bhp would take these twins to 93mph top speed. With 2-strokes as with any engine the power is really gained getting the fuel/air in and out of the cylinder. I would wager that the GYT kit does that well.

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I think nation wide the small displacement vintage bikes are getting more attention at the track. Locally the 175cc group have plenty of entrance, running small Honda’s with great success. I would guess that this 1967 Yamaha YL-1 TwinJet would mix it up pretty well with larger four strokes. Are you going to have a go? BB

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