Kawasaki H1R 500 RW
With Phil Aynsley
The final version of Kawasaki’s H1R 500 cc machines was the RW of 1975. Only three were constructed, making it a rare beast indeed!
The riders were Mick Grant, Barry Ditchburn and Yvon DuHamel. Grant won both the IOM Senior TT and the North-West 200 in 1975.
They competed in several GPs that year but proved a little underpowered and suffered from poor reliability.
Grant and Ditchburn continued to race the bikes for several years, with the bikes being upgraded with KR750-style front ends at the end of 1976. The third bike was used for spares during this time.
This is Grant’s bike, as evidenced by the right-hand gearshift. It is fitted with the ’75 fairing and painted in his ’75 TT colours but retains the ’76 front end.
Output is 88 hp at 9500 rpm, and it weighs 136 kg.
| Kawasaki H1R 500 RW Specifications | |
| Engine | Water-cooled, 498.7 cc two-stroke, inline-triple |
| Bore x stroke | 60.0 × 58.8 mm |
| Power | 88 hp @ 9500rpm |
| Clutch | Multiplate dry clutch |
| Induction | Three Mikuni VM35SC carbs |
| Gearbox | Five-speed close ratio |
| Final Drive | Chain |
| Frame | Steel duplex frame |
| Suspension | 38mm Kayaba telescopic forks, twin Koni shocks |
| Wheels | 3.25 x 18 front, 3.50 x 18 rear |
| Brakes | 296mm discs twin-piston calipers, single rear disc brake |
| Weight | 136 kg |
