1974 Kawasaki 400 Mach II - 5-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

Description

1974 Kawasaki 400 Mach II - 5-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, vintage magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
■ KAWASAKI TRIPLES are sup-
posed to be firebreathers. Right?
After all, when the Mach 111 was
introduced, it was the fastest 500
around. Same for the 750 in its
class as long as you were talking
straight line. But Kawasaki is chang-
ing its line of thought, and is
making the Threes more tranquil in
nature. Such is the path of the
400cc S3.
The 400 is a machine that is quick, but not really all that
fast. It is quieter than the styling would suggest, it gets
reasonably good gas mileage, and it is smoother than its
predecessors due to a rubber-mounted engine ala Norton,
Suzuki and the sum total of Detroit’s behemoths.
So, what we have here is a different sort of Triple...differ-
ent in almost every way but basic engineering and component
sharing. Actually, this Three is a 350 bored out from 53mm to
57mm. giving an actual displacement of 400.4cc. Although
exact porting specifications aren't available, it appears that the
S3 is in a milder state of tune than its predecessor, being more
responsive to large throttle openings at lower rpm and
“coming on the pipe’’ with less verve. Smoother overall
performance is the result, which fits in with today’s de-
emphasis on performance in favor of economy, noise and the
like. An example is the S3’s fuel consumption. It gets 44 mpg
compared to the S2’s 33 mpg. The old axiom, “the bigger the
better’’ doesn’t always hold true, but in this case it does!
The S3’s engine design is virtually the same as the other
three-cylinder Kawasakis, featuring a horizontally split crank-
case assembly with aluminum die-castings. The rather long
crankshaft assembly, a pressed together affair, is supported in
the crankcase by six ball bearings with rubber seals between
the crank chambers to prevent air leaks which upset carbure-
tion. The crank throws are set 120 degrees apart, giving the
same number of firing impulses as a six-cylinder four-stroke. In
an attempt to keep the engine as mechanically quiet as
possible, the piston pins are offset 0.020 in. toward the inlet
side of the piston. This minimizes piston slap that occurs near...
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