Kawasaki H1 by Valtoron

Valtoron is one of the most unusual custom builders in Europe. It’s a foundry in a tiny hamlet in Spain, run by two brothers who live to ride. When they’re not creating sculptures they like to build bikes, and they let their imaginations run wild.

Their last bike was a KZ750 offroader. The latest one, shown here, is called La Bomba—and you don’t need a degree in Spanish to figure out why. It’s based on a 1974 Kawasaki H1, the original ‘Widow Maker.’

The metal is so beautiful it doesn’t need paint. The bodywork is cast in alloy, developed from clay models and using recycled aluminum. The gas cap and badges are bronze. Up front is a Zundapp headlight, ‘floating’ in a custom made bracket; the rear lights are LEDs.

The two-stroke H1 motor—an air-cooled 498cc triple—is famous for its explosive power delivery. That hasn’t stopped Valtoron tweaking the engine though, adding Wiseco high compression pistons and reworking the ports and the expansion chambers on the custom exhaust system. K&N filters are hooked up to the stock Mikuni carbs, and sparks are now governed by an Electrex electronic ignition. Rear wheel horsepower has gone up to 70, with the solid kick the H1 is famous for. (On the clip-ons is a quick-action throttle, just to add to the excitement.)

The stock H1 frame is also famous, but for all the wrong reasons—hence the ‘Triple with a ripple’ and ‘Flexible flyer’ nicknames. So Valtoron have braced and reinforced the frame, adding new motor mounts to elevate the engine. The front end has been dropped, and Koni shocks help keep the rear under control, hooked up to a Kawasaki GPz550 swingarm. The brake master is a Yamaha R6 and the wheels are 18” Morad alloys with stainless spokes, running Bridgestone Battleax BT-45 rubber—100/90 at the front and 130/80 at the back. Custom alloy rearsets complete the build.

It’s about as old-school as you can get, but in a good way—traditional craftsmanship mixed with a truly original vision. Head over to the Valtoron Facebook page to see more of Carlos and Pablo’s work.

Images courtesy of Kristina Fender. With thanks to David Borras of El Solitario MC.