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Old 19-08-19, 01:50 PM   #1
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Default How was your day?

Well, my new (1975) Kawasaki H1F broke down whilst it was stood in the garage overnight. A wire to one coil under the tank decided to disconnect itself and give me a 333cc twin instead of a 500cc triple and it dribbled liquids too from various places. Neil sent another Neil from triplesworkshop to take a look and he found the wire and a pinhole in the oilpump feed.


He also lost a portion of the petrol on the garage floor so my first stop was the petrol station. The H1 has a skinny tank and a wide engine whereas the SV has a wider tank and a skinny engine - I'm 5'6 so when I try to put my usual foot down (my left) in the usual place I found the space was occupied by the gear lever, the prop stand and the centre stand and I couldn't splay my leg out further to find the floor so there was a panicky jiggle to put my right foot down. (I will need to practice that).

The H1 has neutral at the bottom so you really need to keep track of which gear you're in else you're not in any. I lost count plus the rev counter isn't working (a replacement is coming) and there's no engine braking - roundabouts are fun.

I reach the petrol station and fill up, no bother. The H1 leans a lot on the sidestand so when I go to kick the bike I can't get my leg up high enough to reach the kick start (the CCTV video should be hilarious). I tried hand starting - it fired but didn't catch so I had to get on the bike and kick, it worked but I wouldn't call it elegant.


God it vibrates. Bars, footrests - everything is jingling, the mirror is useless and this is with the rubber mounted engine - I suspect the carbs are not sync'd although it does smooth out at 50 a bit (4500 rpm I think).
People stared, dogs barked, mothers grabbed their children - but it didn't sound loud to me when moving - I thought the SV seemed louder (I always wear ear plugs).
I only did 20 miles and it felt like a 100 - it's quite dramatic how much bikes have improved over the last 40 odd years.
I got home, parked it, turned the petrol off (I remembered!), the sun came out and she looked beautiful.
It's like dating a beautiful woman only to find out she's a dominatrix and likes to practice on you. I'm beat (so to speak).

Last edited by Seeker; 19-08-19 at 03:57 PM.
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Old 19-08-19, 05:50 PM   #2
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Default Re: How was your day?

Is it a 120 crank?
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Old 19-08-19, 05:50 PM   #3
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Default Re: How was your day?

Pictures please.
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Old 19-08-19, 06:06 PM   #4
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Default Re: How was your day?

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Originally Posted by Talking Heads View Post
Is it a 120 crank?

yes. The triples do have reputation for vibration and I suspect once I get it run in and use higher revs it will get better plus I'll check the carb sync in a few hundred miles. The H2 (750) never had a rubber mounted engine but there is a mod to use the mounts from a kettle (Suzuki GT750). I rode a friends H1A many years ago and the high frequency vibration was so bad I could no longer feel the handlebars.
I read a recent road test of an H1F where he starts off by saying you should never meet your heroes, I understand what he means . I still find it a beautiful looking bike though ... (I'll live with the pain).


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Pictures please
If you mean the bike, this was from yesterday before she had a tantrum.

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=233915


If you mean the dominatrix, she said no.
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Old 19-08-19, 07:19 PM   #5
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Default Re: How was your day?

Vibes-----Thicker padding is a help. On a Triumph 500 twin thick rubber footrest covers and bar grips were a godsend as can be a well padded seat. Paper thin grips, rock hard seats and metal footrests are a modern thing only suited to smooth vibe free modern bikes. Even then I have my doubts.
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Old 20-08-19, 10:52 AM   #6
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The old rose tinted spectacles are a dangerous item. I have some old bikes, some bikes were nasty when new and they don't heal with age. Brakes are one of the most significant things, we tend to take modern brakes for granted until you ride something which doesn't have any worth mentioning.
It's character forming …………………… apparently!
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Old 20-08-19, 01:21 PM   #7
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The old rose tinted spectacles are a dangerous item. I have some old bikes, some bikes were nasty when new and they don't heal with age. Brakes are one of the most significant things, we tend to take modern brakes for granted until you ride something which doesn't have any worth mentioning.
It's character forming …………………… apparently!
Works the other way round too, back in the day the brakes on my LC350 took some getting used to after riding bikes with front drum brakes.
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Old 20-08-19, 02:47 PM   #8
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Default Re: How was your day?

the fun continues... the petrol tap has started leaking and whilst looking for other leaks (there are a few) I noticed liquid in the battery breather pipe. This is important because the triples had a habit of boiling their batteries. I stuck a meter and fired her up - digital meters and CDI proximity don't play well together but I got my meter far enough away to see frequent excursions beyond 15V. This is why most triple pipes are acid stained. I was a lousy boyscout but I took the "be prepared" to heart and had ordered a super-duper regulator for the H1 made by a triple devotee in the US. After installation the voltage stayed around 13.9V there was an occasional blip but I think that's the CDI - I'll dig out an analog meter and recheck.
Next - I got the feeling that it misfired when the turn signal was on but couldn't duplicate the problem at idle but while the gas fire installers were cutting through my house wiring I found a Kawasaki H1E service bulletin mentioning this issue which is caused by the new (to the H1E onwards) engine rubber mounts. The solution is to ground the engine to the chassis - this had been done but I thought it was too thin a wire so I've beefed it up 5 fold and we'll see what happens. I've done more work on the H1 in 2 days than 3 years on the SV. I still can't see a spark but since the bike runs it must be my eyes - this perplexes me more than any other issue.
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Old 21-08-19, 12:55 PM   #9
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Default Re: How was your day?

... enough is enough. It only started on 2 cylinders again today so I called Neil (Triplesworkshop) and we agreed that he should take the bike back and run it for a few days until it settles down. She's currently sulking in the garage like a recalcitrant teenager, she goes back on Saturday. Hopefully after a few days at a finishing school she will come back better behaved. I'm beginning to think that changing a bikes' colour is like renaming a ship - it causes bad luck.
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Old 21-08-19, 04:51 PM   #10
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Default Re: How was your day?

Bugger, wonder why it's only on 2? Hopefully it is a simple earthing issue. GT380s & 550s can give similar problems as the motors are similarly rubber-mounted. From the factory, they run an earth wire from the Ram-air cover up to the coil mounting.
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