According to urban myth - yes, a lot of Kiwi's died from the first release of the H1 - the 500.
Apparently, from the first shipment of H1's to hit NZ, 9 riders died within the first couple of weeks
- I have NFI how accurate this story is, but this is where the *Widowmaker* tag came from. The very first H1 weighed jack-shit compared to the big-arse pommie twins of the time, it had acceleration like nothing else, it also had really shit brakes and handled very poorly. These last 2 problems caused all the issues...
the first 750 was not released until 1972 - 3 years after the release of the first H1 back in 1969. It was during this 3-year period that the 'Widowmaker' tag was attached to the Mach III (500) - although over the years, it has been applied to the 750 as well......the 750 was also known as the Mach IV.
Back in 1972, the US magazine
Cycle put all the top of the range 'superbikes' of the time against each other in a series of tests..... I have that actual issue, it makes for fascinating reading, especially when you look at the other 'superbikes' of the time !!!
The 750 H2 shat on everything.
It was the worlds fastest production motorcycle, even quicker than its big brother, the just-released Z1 !!
The H2 ran the quarter mile at 12.2 seconds, hitting a top-speed of 177kmh (about 110mph) - top speed was around 125mph ( a tad over 200kmh). A H2 won the 1972 Castrol 6-Hour race at Amaroo Park, ridden by Mike Steele and Dave Burgess.
I am sure these old photos may have been put up in the past, but fuck it, here they are again !!!
This is my H2, back in 1982, when I was 19 years old. This bike scared the absolute shit out of me on the few occasions I rode it - it accelerated quicker than anything else I had ridden up to that point - and I think it was quicker off the mark than the Black Pearl, when that bike was almost brand-new !!!!
Can't wait to see how much power this old girl has after all these years.......may even take a set of 34mm Mikuni's up the track just for shits and giggles in the last session !!!!
....awesome reply Dave, I confused the 500 with the 750 so I was right in my guess initially considering my confusion? still that is a totally awesome bike mate to have in the 4th and would love to whore it with you, as if haha, not many bikes scare me, although if there was one this would be it, albeit the "urban myth" of dead kiwi's...and I heard 11. and they got the first release?
