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FEEDBACK
1971 KAWASAKI 500
I bought my 1971 Kawasaki Mach III new and have placed 12,000 miles on it in the year that I’ve had it. Although, I have had a few problems with my machine, most of which were covered by warranty, it has not been expensive to keep in good running condition.
At the present time, the bike is still running good and is as fast as ever. It always starts on the first kick when cold but sometimes requires two or three kicks when hot. The original tires, chain and sprockets are still in A-l shape in spite of frequent dropping of the clutch at seven grand.
My bike is completely stock except for the following changes: 1) removed the gray paint from the engine cases and polished them up with Semichrome; 2) mounted the instruments with a different bracket so that they tilt upward for easy viewing and the ignition key is remounted between the speedo and tach, which are enclosed with rubber instrument covers.
I’ve purchased and installed a Triple A luggage rack and back loop, turn signals, one cycle alarm, and a ’72 stock Mach III seat which has more padding and is more comfortable as well as being better looking.
I’ve had the following repairs and warranty work: At 3000 the brake
linings were defective and replaced—a warranty item. The rotor became defective at 4000 miles and it, too, was replaced under warranty. At 5000 miles the front fork seals broke and leaked fork oil—these were replaced at my expense. The oil line to the right cylinder vibrated loose at 7000 miles and consequently the piston seized up. The right cylinder and its components were replaced under warranty. At 7800 miles the float in the right carb went bad and had to be replaced. The inner clutch release cracked and was replaced at 8000 miles.
Although it appears that quite a bit of money has been put into repairs, such is not the case. Most of the repairs were taken care of by warranty and I’ve spent only a total of $70.52 on checkups, dealer repairs and things done on my own in the past year. Despite frequent trips to the repair shop, initially, the bike runs great and has given me no more problems. I was doubly pleased with the bike’s performance on a recent trip to Colorado Springs, Colo. It ran great the whole 2300 miles—not a bit of trouble.
In and around town my Mach III averages around 38 miles per gallon with premium fuel. On the highway it averages about 50 to 60 miles per gallon with a 60-mph cruising speed. On the trip to Colorado Springs, I used one tank (2.5 qt.) of oil the whole trip (about 2300 miles), which averages out to about 920 miles to the quart.
The bike also does not smoke very much—only very slightly with initial warmup and there’s only a trace under hard acceleration. I attribute the good oil mileage and little smoking to the Itasca oil I use. I think its the greatest two-stroke oil on the market.
I have found some of the major criticisms of the Mach III—poor fuel and oil mileage, excessive smoking, and noise to be unfounded. I believe a lot of the criticism is due to prejudice and jealous envy of its performance potential.
My major criticism of the Mach III is vibration in the handlebars, which I consider to be excessive above 5000 rpm. I have become accustomed to the vibration but it takes its toll on my accessories—especially mirrors.
My Mach III is still very clean looking; there is no oil weeping from the cylinder or anywhere else and the finish is still excellent. The rear wheel does not throw off excessive chain oil and is therefore easy to keep clean despite generous chain oiling every 100-200 miles. After washing and polishing, the bike looks brand new.
In summation, I feel my Mach III has proven to be reliable even with all its performance capability. It’s fast, easy to handle, not a bit bulky and stops quickly when the occasion arises. It also can be used for long distance touring but cruising speed is lowered due to the vibration. The Mach III 500 has been an unforgettable and pleasant experience for me and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
Kathy Kilmer Houston, Texas
1971 TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE
I am writing concerning my 1971 Triumph Bonneville. It was purchased new last February as an overstock of the ’71 season. Thus I saved about $200.
In six months I have put on about 4500 miles, including two highway trips of over 200 miles.
After high speed on the highways was maintained for a few miles, the primary chain clattered. This has been taken care of by adjustment of the chain. So far I have had to adjust it twice, and both were 3000 miles ago.
I am pleased with the power; at 80 mph the ride is smooth and the engine is nowhere near straining. It starts within three kicks every time (90 percent of the time it starts on the first). Tickling the left Amal carb is a must for first kick starting.
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Everyone take heed, it’s true, Triumphs don’t leak oil. I have three other friends with ’71 and ’72 Triumphs and their bikes refuse to leak. The oil in the frame was a good idea, as was putting the Zenner Diode in the air cleaner.
I owned a Triumph 250cc before my Bonneville. It was not a good dirt or street bike and it lacked in the muscle department.
The transmission on both bikes I would class as average.
On the Bonneville when in high rpms the four-speed trans has the tendency to hit between gears. In other words, you have to concentrate when speedshifting.
Overall the bike runs perfect after 4500 miles, the trans is the only sore spot but that is minor. My friend with a five-speed Bonny has no such problem, so maybe it was corrected in the fivespeed.
I do all my own maintenance and believe the Triumph to be the easiest to work on as compared to four-cylinders and two-stroke Triples.
Tom Hall
Dallas, Texas
1971 BMW 750s
I have been riding for 15 years, bikes of many makes including five years on a Bonneville and five years on a 1965 BMW R69S. In the past two years, I have put 30,000 miles on a Mach III, a Honda 750 and an R75/5.
I picked the BMW up in Munich last summer and drove it 5000 miles with my wife as a passenger. After returning it to the states, one more month was all that I could take. A close friend also bought an R75/5 while I was in Europe. His was sold when I sold mine. Our list of problems included: Severe bottoming of the front and rear suspension on minor bumps with wife and baggage aboard (less than 400 lb.), front end oscillations under hard cornering at low speeds (Dealer, “The factory put on too large of a tire, sorry.”) and oil leaks (on mine it was between the crankcase and the cylinder).
Dealers, one in Munich upon delivery and one in San Jose, disassembled the engine three times trying to repair it with permatex. I tore it down the last time and fixed it with a file. My companion’s BMW leaked directly through a pore hole in the crankcase casting. He fixed it with epoxy. I have known other BMWs to do this. The rear seal in my friend’s bike leaked, disabling the rear brake, and his speedometer quit. My gas cap mysteriously popped
open at least once a day. To top it off, the paint on the taillight washed off in a car wash while using very hot water, leaving clear plastic!
There were several other things that annoyed me, but can be overlooked, such as the awkward ignition switch, clunky gearbox, poor brakes, scraped shins due to the carburetors, rough castings and unresponsive dealers.
I was a BMW fan for many years after fantastic service from my R69S. The R75/5 was an utter disappointment. Many of the problems are attributed to poor engineering, others to poor quality control. The handling, power, response and smoothness are improved over older models, but not the quality. In all categories I rate the 750 Honda far superior. The Mach III, while definitely not a touring bike, gave me no problems and must rate as one of the most exciting machines to ride.
Craig Littlefield
San Jose, Calif.
I purchased a BMW R75/5 on July 12, 1971, new. To date I have put 8103 miles on it, trouble-free. This has been the finest cycle that I have ever owned. Throughout the time that I have had it, we have averaged 43.6 mpg. I had to replace the rear tire at 7708 miles. The front tire still has at least 4000 miles of wear left on it. I don’t know how fast it will go, but I have had it up to 105 before better judgment prevailed. I am very happy with this bike and will purchase another BMW when, and if, this one wears out.
Problems: there were two of some note. The first was the dealer’s fault, he failed to put any gear oil in the rear end. When I pointed this oversight out to him he attempted to deny responsibility by claiming to have done so personally. Since the oversight was caught in time, no damage was done. But, there is a moral lesson to be learned—dealers, when you are caught with your pants at half-mast don’t try to lie your way out, it only makes matters worse. Anybody care to guess what kind of publicity I have given that dealer? j L Burnett
Naples, Fla.
THE EXTRA $400
I am writing this letter in reply to your road test of the Triumph T-120RV in the June ’72 issue. You were wondering if the 5-speed transmission was worth that extra $200. I’m wondering if it’s worth the extra $400. I was very disappointed in discovering that Texas prices have Texas sizes. In the CW specifications column, list price of the Bonny-5 is $1725. My, my, what those ’49ers get away with. Check our Texas Triumphs, at least in Waco. A fourspeed runs for a little over $1700 and a five for (gulp) $ 1900+.
Richard Krall
Cameron, Texas
