[Lx]

No, although those Suzuki triples were nice. I'm talking about a 500cc Kawasaki triple two stroke, I think it was an H1, the one that had a distributor. I rode one and it must have felt like what those guys catapulting off of ships feel. I've ridden bigger and supposedly faster bikes but the scream, vibration and the fact that your front wheel is in the air for the first three gears is quite a rush.

With the correct mods, it would outrun a 750 triple. The downside was that it couldn't corner worth a damn.

[Jhoffa_]

One of the fastest older Kaw's I ever saw was the Z1. Guy up the road had one.

Never encountered a triple other than the two stroke, water cooled Suzuki.

[spodefly]

I used to have a '72 H1 (500cc). It is indeed a 3 cylinder 2 stroke ... fast as hell in a straight line ... just don't try to turn or stop.

[Charles Martel]

With the correct mods, it would outrun a 750 triple. The downside was that it couldn't corner worth a damn.

Heh, I've often toyed with the idea of putting that three-cylinder 2-stroke engine in a more modern chassis, just for kicks (and to put a finger in the EPA's eye). I rode an H1 some 20+ years ago, so I know exactly what you mean about the barely-there suspension and brakes. That front fork... ugh.

There was a neat trick I recall, something about a wiring connection that would kick the oil injection pump to full-volume, "limp-home" mode (my neighbors referred to it as the "mosquito fogger"). I can still smell the burning Castrol. :-)