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LOT 605

1976 Kawasaki 498cc KH500 Registration no. OBA 922P Frame no. H1F 52211 Engine no. KAE 122320

Sold for £7,820 inc. premium
Lot 605

1976 Kawasaki 498cc KH500
Registration no. OBA 922P Frame no. H1F 52211 Engine no. KAE 122320

1976 Kawasaki 498cc KH500
Registration no. OBA 922P
Frame no. H1F 52211
Engine no. KAE 122320

From Z1 to ZX10R, Kawasaki has long enjoyed a reputation for building uncompromising, often outrageous, high performance motorcycles. However, the machine that started it all was not a four-stroke like the forgoing but a two-stroke: the awesome, legendary Mach III. Light weight combined with a peaky 60bhp and indifferent handling made the two-stroke triple an exciting machine to ride but one that nevertheless had the legs of just about everything under 750cc when launched in 1968. The Mach III (H1) triple was regularly revised and updated before production ceased in at the end of 1976, by which time it had become the KH500.

A last-of-the-line example, this ex-USA KH500 was restored in the UK in the autumn of 2018 and registered on 1st November 2018. The engine, clutch, and gearbox are described as excellent, the engine having new Japanese pistons fitted. The forks and wheels have been rebuilt (original rims re-chromed); the brightwork re-plated; and the cycle parts repainted. In addition, the brakes have been fully overhauled with new brake lines and the disc rotor machined, while the switches, battery, chain and Avon tyres are all new. A new Higgspeed exhaust system and K&N air filters are the only notified deviations from factory specification. The machine is said to start first kick, and we are advised that the (corrected) mileage from new is 8,542. Accompanying documentation consists of a US registration certificate, NOVA acknowledgement, restoration invoices, MoT to October 2019, and a current V5C.

Footnotes

As with all Lots in the Sale, this Lot is sold 'as is/where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding.

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  • 28 April 2001, 09:00 - 17:00 BST
  • 27 April 2019, 09:00 - 18:00 BST

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