W/NW : Motorcycles

[Taipei-metro]

king of Bike,

Arcadia, Los Angeles County, USA

Img by Taipei-metro

Sony ApsC CCD A200,
Sony Lens 18-70/ a Minolta Lens(?)

 

[Guth]

I just noticed this Kawasaki has pipes/mufflers that look like they came off a Triumph.
I'm curious if it sounded like a Triumph. I've always wanted to put that kind of muffler on a contemporary machine to see if it would sound like a Triumph.

That exhaust is actually made by Kawasaki, as found on their W series bikes such as the modified example shown in your image (likely a W650). Many people aren't aware that the Kawasaki W bikes date back to the 60's, such as the example shown in the image posted earlier by @Yokosuka_Mike — a very rare bike these days. I've never seen one in person.

More recently Kawasaki released the W650 back in 2000, but it only lasted a couple of years. The W650 was eventually followed by the W800, which is still being sold today. Ironically, the Kawasaki W800 provides a better representation of the old Triumph's than the current Triumph retro bikes do as unlike today's Triumph's, the Kawasaki still features an air-cooled, parallel-twin engine sporting a 360 degree crank shaft angle just as the old Triumph's did — this was the key to the sound of the old British bikes. And as you can see, the Kawasaki exhaust looks incredibly similar to the straight "pea-shooters" found on the old Triumph's. Regardless, today's exhaust systems are considerably more quiet than those of yesteryear as regulations are much more restrictive. So while they might look much the same, unless a modern exhaust is modified by its owner, the sound coming out of the bike is not going to be nearly as dramatic (or irritating to some) as in the past.

 

[Guth]

That's pretty rare ... I've only ever seen one of those in the flesh. 🙂

That's one more than I've seen!

 

[Keith]

That's one more than I've seen!

I actually fitted a rear tyre to it. I had a motorcycle tyre business in the eighties and saw all sorts of weird and wonderful machines. Even a Hesketh of all things!

 

[Keith]

An old pic I found in a box recently ... taken back in the early eighties with a Pentax SP500.

 

[Moto-Uno]

^ Now there's a muffler to raise the dead ! Peter

 

[Keith]

^ Now there's a muffler to raise the dead ! Peter

You're not wrong. That bike was very fast ... from memory it was timed at 120mph on the straight at the track that pic was taken at.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I'm afraid my 'motorcycle' adventures are modest in comparison. My high school ride, a Puch Maxi:



Many years later, in Saigon, I rode a 50cc Honda Cub; a 125cc Honda Dream; a 200cc Vespa Cosa; and a 150cc Yamaha Nouvo, and today, it's a Honda 150cc SH, which is perfect in today's Saigon traffic.



Cheers, OtL

 

[Keith]

Another pic from the early eighties with the Pentax SP500.

 

[mfunnell]

Just a motorbike I saw, parked by the street today:


...Mike

 

[Keith]

Another old bike bike pic from the early eighties ... the bike is a Suzuki GS1000S.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Keith, a couple motorcycle pictures from my archive. You might be familiar with them.
The Kawasaki Mach III 500 was in Yokohama, the Norton was in Yokosuka​

Image is lower resolution than original​

 

[Doug]

That Kawasaki came out a little before the Honda 750 four near the end of the 1960's, and there was discussion comparing performance. As a light 500cc three-cylinder 2-stroke it had a reputation as a handful to ride. It was said there could be unexpected wheelies when the peaky motor came on the pipes. I see that one has an after-market expansion chamber exhaust which would probably accentuate that propensity!

 

[mcfingon]

You're not wrong. That bike was very fast ... from memory it was timed at 120mph on the straight at the track that pic was taken at.

I had an XT500 back in the 70's which I used to ride Enduros on. That one looks like it has been thoroughly modded!

 

[Guth]

I can remember as a kid when another one of those Kawasaki 2-stroke triples, the H2 750, earned the nickname of The Widowmaker.

 

[mcfingon]

That Kawasaki came out a little before the Honda 750 four near the end of the 1960's, and there was discussion comparing performance. As a light 500cc three-cylinder 2-stroke it had a reputation as a handful to ride. It was said there could be unexpected wheelies when the peaky motor came on the pipes. I see that one has an after-market expansion chamber exhaust which would probably accentuate that propensity!

A friend bought one in the early 70's and the first thing we did was sort out how to get the best wheelstands: run it gently up to 5,000 then crack the throttle wide open and hang on was the recipe I remember...

 

[Guth]

I had an XT500 back in the 70's which I used to ride Enduros on. That one looks like it has been thoroughly modded!

A neighbor down the street bought one of those when they were new. I thought it was a cool looking bike, but the main thing I remember about it is that he injured his leg attempting to kickstart the thing.

 

[mcfingon]

A neighbor down the street bought one of those when they were new. I thought it was a cool looking bike, but the main thing I remember about it is that he injured his leg attempting to kickstart the thing.

There was a trick to it. Get it just past top dead centre and don't open the throttle until after you've kicked. My party trick was to start it by hand.

 

[Keith]

Not a great quality pic but this is an extremely rare motorcycle ... it's an NCR 860 Ducati which was the factory racing bike and based on the 750 Supersport. I took this photo at the same race meeting the other race bikes were photographed at. At the time it belonged to a friend and Ducati dealer I had worked for in the seventies ... the bike is now in a private collection up on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane.

 

[mfunnell]

A Honda CBR, at my local bottle shop this morning (I think it belongs to one of the staff there):


...Mike