Yesterday I got to take a trip north to Rusty Fenders in Ham Lake Minnesota. I was on a mission to bring back a 1973 Kawasaki H1 from Tom Olson. We have followed each other on Instagram for some time now and have talked about our various bike happenings. Tom reached out about getting rid of this bike, and I jumped on the chance to have another Kawi Triple.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the H1, it's the little brother of the H2 (better known as the widow maker). The h1 is a 2 stroke, three cylinder 500cc screamer. They were known for on/off power bands, ridiculous acceleration, and scary handling.
I pulled up to house and was greeted by Tom. Right away was super nice and very friendly. Before we ever talked about the h1, I had to see his collection of honda's, and his very clean Chevy c10. I blown away with the tank collection he has. Some of the paint jobs were amazing that he found. It was very clear, he loves his 450 hondas. He had a couple that were very nice and featured super rare Hooker Headers. We swapped some stories and he told how he got into old Honda's.
He bought a cb450 that ran and was in good condition. Shortly after getting it, a choke screw came loose and got sucked into the motor. That little Phillips screw bent a valve and gave him his first "opportunity" to work on it. He did all the research, got a manual and did all the work himself. As he told this story, I couldn't help but to relate to it. It's these experiences and stories that I love the most about motorcycles. That moment of joy, when you have repaired something yourself and hearing it come to life is so unique.
After awhile, we finally got out the h1 parts and loaded the items up. Tom hooked me up with a sticker and couple koozies to take with me. I really enjoy finding other people that are doing things because they want to help others. Tom and his crew at Rusty Fenders are focused on helping people keep their old bikes on the road.
If you live in the twin cities and need some vintage motorcycle help, contact the boys at Rusty Fenders. They not only know their stuff, but they love these bikes. Their website is; http://www.rustyfenders.com/
Thanks again Tom!
