Bradley H1RA Photos
This is the "most original" H1RA in existence. Rusty Bradley won the AMA junior championship in 1970. In 1971 he was scheduled to race this H1RA in the expert series of the American championship. After a successful practice at Daytona, the opening event, at the first corner of the 200, Rusty hit another rider and crashed. He landed awkwardly on his head and broke his neck, instantly killing this gifted rider. The bike was restored by Boston Cycles but still shows some of the crash damage. It was placed in the AMA museum for 15 years before being auctioned at Daytona in 1986. I purchased the bike in 2001 and replaced the missing engine internals.
What makes an H1RA? In 1971 Kawasaki updated the specification of the original 1970 H1R with new cylinders, carbs, expansion chambers and electronic ignition. These parts were provided in kit form to upgrade the original H1R for the princely sum of $550. Approximately 10 completely new bikes were also introduced into the US racing program. At the time Kawasaki did not have wheels and forks for these bikes, so Bob Hansen sourced parts from Ceriani and Fontana. One of these bikes was supplied to Rusty Bradley. Occasionally kits or partial kits can be found, either at a dealers or as installed on a road bike. Later in 1971, low-boyed versions of these started to appear.
