I’ve loved the Kawasaki two-stroke triples since I was a pimply yoof.  They had a sound and character that no other bike had at the time.  It was said that they didn’t handle well.   I guess I was never good enough to find out at the time!  Not only that, it was a mode of transport, which I greatly enjoyed, but I wouldn’t get up in the morning and decide to ride a hundred miles on it for the kicks!

Anyway, I really wanted a 500cc or 750cc triple, but a nice one was going to cost a fortune and in the end I opted for a 400cc.

I looked at a couple at RWHS Classic Bikes near Market Drayton, choosing this one:

It is a 1974 S3-400 that had recently been imported from Italy and was still wearing it last Italian tax disc.

The paintwork was a little shabby, so before delivery it was sprayed in Candy Sky Blue.

More pictures to come soon.  The chrome on the bike is all in pretty good nick, although there is some marking and the frame has some rust in places. 

The engine isn’t too bad, although a strip down and decoke might do it good, along with the carbs being cleaned.  The only real problem appears to be front fork seals, as I’m guessing that the fork oil hasn’t just evaporated!

May 2011 A couple of years ago I bought some expansion chambers, which for various reasons never got put on.  She’s now running again and just needs an MOT.  As a before, here’s what she sounds like!