Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Hi guys. Great place you have here. I've owned some triples in my day including a 1969 500, a few H2s and one or two 500s. Fun times, the 1980s.

Pulled a 1975 KH400 out of a shed last weekend and am about to commence a quick resto'. 6k miles but fairly rough. Needs ... most things looked at or replaced.

First question: is the 1975 KH400 seat unique to that model? I'm looking for a replacement and wondering if I could broaden my search by looking for seats for other models that would fit but would need a cover? Any advice?

I'm sort of having a hard time putting circa 1970s shocks back on the machine. Anyone ever just slipped on some aftermarket for half the price and liked it? Which ones are well regarded?

Tires. It will need both tires. What brand and size works the best?

Thanks for any help. I have an audio file of a very mean H2 hillclimber I saw a few years ago. Had it for the ring tone on my phone a few years ago but had to change it as it made people JUMP when my phone rang. Heh.

Welcome to the site. The seat for and S3 (KH400 is '76 and forward) is unique to the 400 series which includes S3 ('74 and '75) and KH400 ('76 and '77). You won't find cheaper and better shocks...at least I haven't heard of any. Tires are available and the consensus is that Bridgestone BT45 are the best.

Welcome to the board!

First, what you have pictured is an S3A, not KH400. There are differences between the two and it can get you in trouble when sourcing parts or asking about service.
Seats for all S3 & KH400 are interchangeable, however, later models of KH400 have different seat covers.

http://3cyl.com/mraxl/partid/seats/seats.htm
http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/faq.htm

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Answers are here: http://kawatriple.com/

Thanks much. Always good to know what you're working on.

WHAT brand of replacement shocks are you Triplers running, then?

Mine are rusty and ugly.

Hagons are a favorite, at least 1" longer than stock for sharper handling.....

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

Same here On Hagons and 1" over.

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This is true. Where I grew up the hills were so steep and long, when your ball rolled down the hill you just said "screw it"...

Are 1" longer shocks desirable on an S3?

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Answers are here: http://kawatriple.com/

I have the KH400 part on mine (link below) and the shocks seen to work better than the double coil ones that come on the bike. If you're looking for replacements, might be some better looking ones out there cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/370438171794?lpid=82

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74 H2B with reeds and 34mm carbs
75 S3A Ram Air with reeds and 30mm carbs
73 S2A (wife's bike)
71 Yammi RT1B
83 HD Sportster
03 Yammi R1
06 Kaw 750 Vulcan (wife’s bike)
12 Yammi vstar 250 (wife’s bike)

Can't beat that price Richard!

I will say the Hagons are great for the money. I pretty much ran crappy 40 year old H2 stock shocks but preparing for the GAP couple years ago - and with the help of the folks here I got a set from Dave Quinn 1' over.

Dave is GREAT and has the knowledge to set you up and will even change springs for you if too stiff or soft.

http://www.davequinnmotorcycles.com

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This is true. Where I grew up the hills were so steep and long, when your ball rolled down the hill you just said "screw it"...

Not totally necessary with the 400's, but they did stretch the wheelbase.

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........