Make some noize for the Kawasaki H1 that did not race at Glemseck

The Glemseck 101 is the European occasion for anybody who loves quick, impractical, and extremely imaginative machines. Those that partake in it achieve this with cult-like ranges of obsession—returning yr after yr in a bid to outdo one another and themselves.

Rolf Reick is a daily face on the Glemseck 101. Primarily based in Heidelberg, Germany, the perpetually cheerful industrial designer heads up a design college within the close by city of Mannheim. However he additionally has years of expertise constructing customized bikes—like this wild Kawasaki H1 two-stroke—beneath the banner of Krautmotors.

Rolf has stockpiled quite a few rad bits and items through the years. So he set himself a purpose of constructing a drag bike for this yr’s Glemseck 101 utilizing solely recycled components from his private stash, turning to exterior sources solely when needed. (It’s not the primary time he’s used this method.)

One of many components that Ralf already had readily available was the triple-cylinder two-stroke engine from a Kawasaki H1 Mach III; the unique ‘Widowmaker.’ However it was removed from inventory. It had beforehand been rebuilt by the Kawasaki specialist Ralf Gille, with a bunch of upgrades that included in depth head work, a brand new crankshaft, and a set of Mikuni carbs.

All Ralf wanted now was a body to stay it into. One of many Glemseck 101’s flagship races is the StarrWars dash, which is restricted to rigid-framed bikes solely. Rolf had lengthy wished to construct a Kawasaki triple to tackle StarrWars, and this was the proper alternative.

With out a appropriate body in inventory, Rolf took to the web. He quickly discovered a inflexible body constructed for a Yamaha XS650 engine, and priced low cost as a result of, as he says, “the steering head pointed in a unique route than the remainder of the body.”

A good friend with a body jig helped Rolf therapeutic massage the chassis right into a usable kind. Subsequent, Rolf welded within the engine mounts from a bent Kawasaki H1 body, then turned new bearing cups in order that he may set up a set of Kawasaki KH500 forks that he had mendacity round. The 19” entrance and 16” rear wheels additionally got here from Rolf’s inventory, however the latter wanted a brand new axle and spacers to suit the body.

The bodywork is a cocktail of things from numerous sources. The tiny gasoline tank is a classic Victoria half, whereas the rear cowl is one thing {that a} components seller put aside for Rolf again within the 90s, figuring out that it might attraction to his style. The fairing was pieced collectively from a Monza-style higher part and the decrease half of a Habermann fairing.

Rolf saved rummaging by packing containers, producing the bike’s foot pegs, paddock stand spindles, and nearly each different half wanted to finish the construct. The ‘clip-ons’ use a set of hacked-up handlebars on recycled clip-on mounts, and the exhaust is an previous Denco system. The one new components on this construct are the battery and chain.

With some deft wiring work, Rolf’s Kawasaki H1 sprinter was virtually able to race. All he wanted was an appropriate livery—the one factor you may’t skimp on for those who’re planning to show heads at Glemseck.

“My first massive bike was pink,” Rolf tells us. “At 18, my favourite colour was pink. At the moment my bass guitar was pink, my girlfriend knitted me pink issues, and I even had a pink helmet with hair all the way down to my belt. Truck drivers whistled at me, and the police had been too embarrassed to take care of me.”

“Then got here black bikes for some time—one in ‘pleasant black,’ one other in ‘youthful black,’ and yet one more in ‘life-affirming black.’ However in some unspecified time in the future, I wished a pink bike once more, and this was precisely the suitable time. The design is predicated on the racing Kawasakis of the 70s, simply with pink as a substitute of inexperienced.”

The saying goes that for those who’re going to indicate up at a race in pink, you’d higher be quick. However sadly, Rolf’s Kawasaki H1 by no means made it to Glemseck.

“It was not completed in time,” he confesses. “I screwed round till the evening earlier than the race, nevertheless it wouldn’t work, so I took my rigid-framed BMW as a substitute. It was painful to not end in time—it’s the primary time it’s occurred to me.”

“Anyway, life goes on,” he provides. “Now I’ve one other yr to optimize it.”

Krautmotors | Fb | Instagram | Pictures by, and with particular because of, Marc Holstein