Topic: know anything about triples ?

[donny]

What are the engines worth?   I don't have a clue.  I guess a Kawasaki, what size? ?I stumbled over a frame and engine at a salvage yard while looking for  sohc 750 stuff.  He is going to scrap all his bikes soon.  Hondas and everything,  they are all under 4 ft. of snow but I did spot a triple sticking out and hate to see anything crushed. I could rescue it,  probaly get it cheap, scrap price,  but are they not worth the trouble?

[Stev-o]

Those old Kaws are worth a pretty penny when in good shape.
They aren't as common as the SOHC Hondas, since they didn't make as many.
My buddy had one years ago and it was a screamer, wish I had it now!

-Steve

[BobbyR]

If it is a two stroke, that is a find

[bill440cars]

      Key thing on the two strokes is to have a tight lower end. The crankshaft has seals for each cylinder and if these seals are bad (and they probably are), it can be pretty costly to have them replaced.

       The 2 stroke triples are pretty good runners, but as has been said, the Kawasaki triples fly (especially the 500 and 750).

[donny]

the bike looks to have been mostly stripped, what I could see of it, just a frame and engine.  But he is going to scrap it and I thought I would buy it and part out the engine or sell it whole just to save it from the crusher.

[TommyRocket]

I "rescued" a Kawasaki H1F (500cc 2 stroke triple) from the scrap yard about 8 years ago. Turns out it wasn't worth my time. The engine was so seized I took most of it apart with a sledge hammer and chisels. If it's under 4' of snow, I imagine your bike has also succumb to this fate. I did end up with a good carb and some good body panels, but don't get your hopes up.

On the other hand, if it's cheap, I'd still bring it home. I'm also against the crusher, no matter what the condition.

[HavocTurbo]

      Key thing on the two strokes is to have a tight lower end. The crankshaft has seals for each cylinder and if these seals are bad (and they probably are), it can be pretty costly to have them replaced.

I've built and restored about 10 over the years for a local collector. He goes nuts for these bikes. Dropping thousands into a bike that will NEVER get it back for him in his lifetime.

In that time.... I think all but one of these motors had bad crank/cylinder seals. Very time consuming and very very costly just to get the parts seated in right. If you don't know what you are doing you can ruin about 5 or 6 in an evening.

Are they worth it to ride? Oh hell yes. You better like scary though. They are stupid fast in every engine size and lack the suspension to match. 

[RRRToolSolutions]

You guys kill me with these stories of complexity and expense. The crank shaft can be brought to brand-new specs for $400, heavy duty rods can be had for $235, Wiseco pistons for $230, new Spec II chambers for $550 and the bike will scream! I've done 8 of them, 6 of those for my personal collection. There are more parts in a CB750 Honda cylinderhead than in the entire H1/Mach II or H2/Mach IV engine - it simply does not get any easier than one of these - unless of course you go to a twin or a single cylinder engine. No cams, no valves, no internal chains or tensioners, no valve springs, no keepers, no shims - I mean simple.

As for selling price - I have yet not to get all of my money out of the few I've sold. I will only warn that the correct, good parts won't come cheap - but that works 2 ways - the selling price is 3-4 times what a CB750 would be. Let me add that the price to make 150 horsepower on one of these H2's is a whole lot cheaper than getting a CB750 to make just 100. I've got twice in engine parts and machining on the CB836 than the stupid powered H2. I can only guess that Sparty's build would triple the H2's cost. You can have heart pumping, crazy power on these for $2,000...

Regards Gordon

[bill440cars]

          Yep, Gordon's the man who would KNOW!

[Laminar]

Out of curiosity, is there a good way to test the crank seals? I've heard horror stories about the crank going, and I've got one of these bikes waiting its turn to get fixed up. I'm tempted to get it running well (I've taken it for a ride around the block, but it was sans air filter and only firing on 2 cylinders) and sell it, but I don't want to fark up the engine in the process.

[RRRToolSolutions]

Yep, I have tools made just for that too - one for the H1 and H2. You won't find these in any store, you'll have to have one made. Of course this was taken with no crankshaft in-place (yes, big leak, no vacuum in this test . What you have to determine is whether the primary compression is sealed so that you're not swapping compression between cylinders and/or pulling air into the primary from the atmosphere through a bad seal - this last one will ruin your day because it pulls air through a bad seal (if one exist) and leans the combustable mixture trying to collect below the piston for the next intake charge.

Regards,
Gordon

[ColinMc]

That "tool" looks an awful lot like a certain prop from the Austin Powers movie...used for enlarging things...


But seriously, he's right those triples and two stroke motors in general are a blast to rebuild. SOOOOOO easy. Well relatively speaking. I'll rebuild four of those before one CB750 motor. I used to make a lot of money on the side in high school rebuilding friends 50-250cc two stroke bikes. Have rebuilt two of the kawasaki triples and never had any problems...

[Laminar]

Yep, I have tools made just for that too - one for the H1 and H2. You won't find these in any store, you'll have to have one made. Of course this was taken with no crankshaft in-place (yes, big leak, no vacuum in this test . What you have to determine is whether the primary compression is sealed so that you're not swapping compression between cylinders and/or pulling air into the primary from the atmosphere through a bad seal - this last one will ruin your day because it pulls air through a bad seal (if one exist) and leans the combustable mixture trying to collect below the piston for the next intake charge.

Regards,
Gordon

Awesome. What's the best way to go about getting a crank redone?

Is it a DIY job or should I have it sent out? I posted on the Triples boards when I first got the bike, but they all told me the bike was best left to an expert and I should expect to spent $3000+ getting the engine in running condition.

[RRRToolSolutions]

That is a Burnt Gold 1974 H2B and in decent shape. I had and sold one just like it 2 years ago to pay for a 1976 KZ900 I wanted. It was in good shape, but not mint and brought $7,500 on it's 3rd day on eBay - a friend asked me to end it early so he could buy it. Don't let a little time or money scare you. They will hold their own in value. You can PM me and I'll give you Damon's phone number. You'll be sending him that crank because it has to be pressed apart using tools and a press made specifically for that crank. He'll make it like new with new lab seals and add cage bearings as needed. He's done all of mine.

Regards,
Gordon

Here is the one I restored and sold -

[Laminar]

That is a Burnt Gold 1974 H2B and in decent shape. I had and sold one just like it 2 years ago to pay for a 1976 KZ900 I wanted. It was in good shape, but not mint and brought $7,500 on it's 3rd day on eBay - a friend asked me to end it early so he could buy it. Don't let a little time or money scare you. They will hold their own in value. You can PM me and I'll give you Damon's phone number. You'll be sending him that crank because it has to be pressed apart using tools and a press made specifically for that crank. He'll make it like new with new lab seals and add cage bearings as needed. He's done all of mine.

Regards,
Gordon

They seem to speak very highly of him on the Triples boards - great price, super fast work, great guy apparently. Once I sell one of my Hondas I might stick that money back into the Kawasaki. Anyone want to buy a Nighthawk?