Kawasaki H2 Mach IV: The Most Terrifying Motorcycle In The World

Over the years Kawasaki has made some truly astonishing machines. the H2 Mach IV is one such machine. But is is also one of the most terrifying machines that kawasaki ever made. With an unrelenting performance from its two stroke inline triple which is placed in a chassis that is no where near capable of handling it, the H2 Mach IV is truly a widow maker.
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#kawasaki
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#kawasakih2machiv

[@logan_e]

In 1973 I was 13 and my older brother came home for his first 30 day leave in the Navy on a brand new green Kawasaki H1 500 Mach lV. When he left for his first duty and Hawaii he left the bike home, he knew I'd find a way to sneak it out and ride it, those are still nearly the best three years of my life!

[@user-zo4hq5bp3m]

H1 was machine 3 m8!!!!!

[@dobermanpac1064]

Being born in ‘51 allowed me and others to experience near death occasions all the time! The Kawasaki bikes were just one of those times. 🤠💯

[@zeropoint546]

I had never experienced high speed weaves till I rode a GPZ900R. Love me a Kwaka. MOAR POWA

[@malcytull]

I know what you mean, I was born in 49 & at the age of 20, I had a 750 Royal Enfield. Good 'ol days my friend !!

[@pauleyplay]

Same here. Good times or we did not know any better ?

[@lisacollins450]

@@zeropoint546 My '85 GPZ900r always went as straight as an arrow at high speed, but my '81 GSX1100 was scary until the rib pattern front Pirelli went on.

[@zeropoint546]

@@lisacollins450 I think mine was an '85 as well. I loved that bike, it only did that to me the once. I had it top gear red lined on an empty highway in Australia, so luckily she didn't kill me lol. After that I bought a '92 ZZR1100. True love for many years. Anyone who wants more power than that has rocks in their head imo.

[@tiredironrepair]

Also it's one of the coolest looking motorcycles ever built. Absolutely beautiful.

[@RevvingHeart]

Can't really pinpoint but It's got a certain charm to it..

[@eddierivera7463]

My 1974 H2 had the longer swingarm and heavier front fork oil but the finishing touch was the clip-on's and my Pop's Yoshimura 3 into one exhaust. Other than a TZ750 this was the sweetest sounding bike on the planet

[@Farweasel]

@@eddierivera7463 4 maybe 5 years ago I followed an absolutley mint H2 on my R1. I hung behind it just basking in its sound, its two stroke smell, its all round beauty. Had the owner stopped and offered a swap I'd now be the owner of an H2.

[@machtschnell7452]

Wait until you ride one. Absolutely horrible handling. Almost killed one of my friends.

[@tiredironrepair]

@@machtschnell7452 My dad had the 500 cc version H2 I think. All I remember from around 4 or 5 years old about that bike was holding on for dear life. It pulled so hard under acceleration it felt like my fingers couldn't grib his jacket tight enough to stay on it.

[@markrapoport1245]

In 1971, I was a pasty-faced NYC doctor determined to have Kawasaki H1 Mach III as my fourth bike. The folks at Hap Jones Motorcycle in San Francisco spent over an hour trying to talk me into getting a reasonable bike instead, but I persevered. When I got it back East, I used to drag it at New England Dragways. They made the two of us who had H1's to race in the 750 class. One of us won every weekend, but I was never the one. The other guy was 18 years old, and way crazier. I kept mine for 7 years and survived, but just barely. What a beast!

[@badgascoupe]

I remember a guy who raced an H2 out of Buckys Kawasaki in Norfolk, Ma. that bike ran quite well.

[@markrapoport1245]

@markholtdorf56 We could have talked to each other at the shop1! At any rate, we both survived our youthful folly, and that's a good thing!

[@OldFoolRN]

That cackle and rumble of the exhaust note was a terrifying preview of the fun ahead!

[@xavlenav9319]

I had a 1973 H2 and loved it. Amazing power. Miss it

[@gregm6894]

I was a factory trained Kawasaki mechanic back in the late 60 & 70's. First, the narrator is wrong about the nickname, 'Widowmaker' -- that name was given to the 500cc H1 because of it's extreme and unpredictable power band. The H2 had more raw power for sure, but it was much more predictable -- it had much better low end torque. One Kawasaki dealership in town quit allowing people to test drive the H1, because too many people were crashing them and getting injured. Kawasaki really hit 'pay dirt' when they came out with the Z1 in '72 -- that thing was a 'gentle giant' compared to the 'H' Series two-strokes.

[@lazerzap1]

I smashed a H1 hard.. drum brake front end.. no or not very good mounting rubber on the engine.. 5500 rpm.. and WHOOPIE.. front comes up.. in all gears.. #memories

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Yes... Had an H2 750cc triple back in the day... nothing scary about it... did totally balanced predictable wheelies... even over bumps at 90 MPH... handled well... horrible MPG... about 15-20 MPG and a 4 gallon tank... was always running out of gas... like driving an early 1970's emissions slug, gas hog car with a tiny gas tank... Also had a Honda 305cc scrambler... great engine... but it rode like a pogo stick... scared me... taught me the meaning of "Honda Handling Horrors" !!!

[@donphilp7511]

I worked on them as well. It was the high speed wobble that was deadly.

[@keithmartland6463]

Thank you, i was going to say this!

[@Anditover]

Where I come from (Midlands, UK), the "Widow-maker" was the H1, but the H2 was known as "The Flying Purple People Eater"! There was a song of that name around at the time, and the metallic purple paint job was always the colour of choice. I don't have an H2, what I DO have is a KH250B2 with an S2 (350cc) engine in it. I actually prefer it over the bigger bikes because the shorter frame can easily handle 45bhp and you can thrash the "S" series bikes into the red without being in too much fear of your life (as long as your tyres are good, forks have stiffer springs, shocks are Koni or equivalent, chassis bearings properly adjusted and lubricated...). Also, if your carbs are properly set up, you retain the standard airbox, your ignition is set correctly, you use good quality semi-synthetic 2-stroke oil, and there are no leaks to let air weaken the mixture... the stories of the centre cylinder overheating are complete bull, usually told by people who've "heard it said that", but have never actually owned one.

[@johnwidell8092]

Knowing absolutely nothing about motorcycles back in the late 1970s, I purchased one of these bikes used to learn how to ride. I can still hear and smell that bike. It was a real screamer. Larger displacement 2 stroke engines were beginning to disappear at this point. If I remember correctly, the shift pattern was a little different. Neutral was all the way down, not between 1st and 2nd gear. Here I am still alive and still riding almost 45 years later. I feel very fortunate to have experienced this piece of motorcycles history. 🏍

[@dicky1961AD]

Correct.5 up.

[@jameslawrie3807]

I had four of the H1s. Wicked little things, low to the ground and with frames and swingarms made out of liquorice.

[@konakona895]

🤣😂🤣 Liquorice swing arms says it all! Thanks for sharing your memories!

[@tritop]

5 H2a seriously:), all gone

[@jameslawrie3807]

@@tritop Aren't you kicking yourself? :) I definitely am. I sold all mine as a lot for almost nothing and bought a GPz1100B2. If I'd kept them they'd be worth a mint.

[@tritop]

@@jameslawrie3807 It's hard to even think about it, I was addicted since I saw american soldiers here in Europe drivin one like the devil, I had even the purple US Version, spend all my money, sold them for a RG 500 (also great but also gone ) . I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday but still remember every single screw of the H2 :)

[@edarmstrong9389]

It was FAST that was all that mattered to me in 1972.

[@yamforlife]

Had a 73…….loved it. Wish I still had it. Then went to a 78 Z1R.

[@raymacke]

When I was 18 years old I bought a new Norton 750 Commando Fastback and ruled the county for a year. Then came that damn Kawasaki 500 triple. Just blew my doors off. They were horrible in the turns but in a straight line I always saw their tail lights. Been 40 years since I heard the sound of those triples. Brought back memories and made me smile!

[@RevvingHeart]

Did you ever buy one?

[@thatsmrharley2u2]

@@RevvingHeart Huh?

[@RevvingHeart]

@@thatsmrharley2u2 My bad, it was a typo. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@graybailey6015]

Had a few triples back in the day.Nothing like it.When they hit that power band you better be hanging on.

[@SuperTundra08]

two strokes have a very narrow power band and it hits hard

[@ktkt1825]

Especially the original H1- like a jet engine at 4000+

[@gregc6661]

It’s glorious!

[@SpicerStephenD]

Yep, convinced my dad to by one of these 750 triples years ago, that two stroke power band was fun as hell - the front end loved taking flight, still a lot more fun than my 4 stroke 750 at the time. Really miss dad and our days riding 🥺

[@pmor5992]

in 75 i bought a used h2750 i was 15 yrs old and weighed 120lbs , that bike was and still is the fastest thing i ever put between my legs and im now 62yrs old and 3 times divorced and i truly regret not taking more pictures of that bike , she was a real screamer, the bike i mean ;-)

[@alanrunner6397]

3 divorces!?? Ever considered that you might have been the problem then?? 💀

[@pmor5992]

@@alanrunner6397 absofuckingloutly!

[@clifbrewster8822]

I was 14 or 15 bought a 500 mach thing was wicked uncontrollable power at least for me it was !! Loved that bike but sadly it caught on fire

[@user-xo4iv9kg5w]

My neighbor's older brother bought one, I think it was 1970. His dad just looked at it and called it a murder cycle.😂

[@paulnyssen6448]

In the seventies in Brussels we had this informal gathering of bikers every Wednesday night at the 'Bois de la Cambre', a park ringed by a curvy road that might have been a race track. One Wednesday a young chap turned up with a brand new H2, and never went home. There was this one corner called 'the corner of death' and at its exit stood a massive old oak tree, which according to witnesses, he whacked into having lost control of the bike. RIP

[@RevvingHeart]

Corners were the kryptonite of this motorcycle.. may his soul Rest In Peace..😔😔

[@yonniboy1]

I bought a 1972 H2 in 1975 which was my third bike but my first 750, of all the bikes I've since owned including R1s, R6s, Fireblades, GSX-R750 and the GSX-R1000R the H2 was the only bike that scared me on a regular basis as the back end would step out on fast corners with no warning ,after a few months I bought a Magnum frame and rolling chassis and dropped the H2 engine into it along with a Stan Stephens stage 2 tune, from being a bike with a hinge in the middle it became a sublime handler and a rocket ship for those days.

[@RevvingHeart]

A good chassis and suspension will definitely make it a lot more user friendly..

[@MrMambott]

Saw an absolute immaculate GSX-R750 a couple of days ago it was amazing how good of condition it looked brand new. An H2 in a Magnum would have loved to stare at that well-done man

[@yonniboy1]

@@MrMambott Thanks, still miss that H2 even though it's forty odd years ago, I've a street triple RS these days which is a lot of fun.

[@arthurshepherd8757]

I survived a 73 purple model. My first bike was an H1 500 that I bought from my brother when I was 16. I didn't have a license a cops used to chase me aroiund town and then wait at the house for me to come back. I hit a parked car with it trying to make a turn with the wobble. Split the handlebars in half and cut my leg open on the jagged edge as I went forward. There was a large dent on the tank where I compressed it with my nuts. I swear to God. My pant legs were split wide open. The front end was squashed against the engine and the steering crown and triple trees were twisted. It's a miracle I wasn't seriously hurt. When I turned 17 in 1973 my father and I put the 500 in a trailer and brought it to Arlington Motors Sports outside of Boston and I got a brand new H1 for $1500 bucks. I blew everything away but that wobble almost got me killed multiple times. The bike was stolen before I could kill myself on it. At 19 I got a KZ 900 and totaled it in New Orleans. No serious injuries. I didn't get another bike for years and when Idid it was a Honda Pacific Coast 800 with shaft drive. That was a nice riding bike which I sold and I've never had another bike. I scared the shit out of myself so many times I have PTSD for real. Seeing this video brought back alot of memories and some emotion.

[@RevvingHeart]

Glad to know that your doing well, stay safe sir...

[@Clem-Kadiddlehopper]

In 1978, I bought a 1974 Kawasaki 750 H2 and was awed by its incredible zip. I had to work at keeping the front wheel on the road when zooming around. It had a special paint job that included some green with red and yellow flames painted on it. It caught everyone's eye when ever I parked it somewhere. I remember riding up a slow hill in Eugene, OR (30th Ave) and opened it up as I was curious what speed I might get it up to going up an incline. I glanced down and saw the speedometer needle bouncing between 120 and 125 mph. It scared me so much, I never did it again. My last memory of it was selling it about two years after I bought it for more than I paid for it. Good times...

[@keysbound937]

My friend bought one of these 750 2-strokes in the 80's ! I rode it once, it scared the shit out of me ! So much power and so little control. It would kind of stand up and shake when you hit that power band.

[@tucopacifico]

I went from a Triumph Bonneville 650 to test-riding a Kawasaki 750 back in the day. It sucked off my sunglasses and almost pulled me off the seat when I goosed the throttle. I gained MUCH respect for 2 stroke.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

I was used to a Yamaha 360cc enduro... throttle wheelies... test rode a 1200cc Harley Davidson Sportster... was expecting it to blast off like a rocket ship... opened the throttle fully in 1st gear and it chugged away more like a Cushman scooter...

[@thatsmrharley2u2]

@@BuzzLOLOL Yeah right

[@jimhughes1070]

@@thatsmrharley2u2 I'm with you! I had a Kawasaki 550 in the middle 70s... I knew nothing about motorcycles or their engines.... But mine cruised at 95 mph on the interstate... And at that speed you could throttle it up and it would scare the piss out of me it would accelerate so fast... Couple of Harley riders eased up on men wanted to race one night... I turned off on one of the side streets shortly after that 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@fjp3305]

Gorgeous bike, I'd give anything to have one now. I had a '70 H1 when I was 17. What a blast. Love those Kawasaki triples.

[@tomstulc9143]

yeah there were five or six in my high school and was in small town Wyoming about 120 kids in high school and one of my best friends had a 500 and another had a 750, we called them tristrokers crazy stunts kids did on them. I had a Honda which I dearly loved some other kids had Yamahas a Suzuki or two.was surprising how many motorcycles there was per population in that School. kids don't even want to buy their nien cars much anymore.

[@mikeellis7286]

Had the 750 LDT 1971. LUCKY to be alive today.

[@glenncerny8403]

I owned the Kawasaki 350 3 cylinder 2 stroke back in the early 70's. It had an absolutely wicked power band from about 3500 to about 9500 rpm. It came on hard and it was a really fun machine to ride.

[@IanMadBrit]

Spent 29 days in a coma and 7 months in traction last time I rode my RD350 LC. That bike was always trying to kill me, but it was fun to race the other chuckleheads, and BOY did it scream when it was going through 7000 :D

[@franksmith6683]

@@IanMadBrit Well done for surviving that era, there's a line of 10 gravestones in our village church yard from young lads killed on 2 stroke bikes over a couple of years back then, they were crazy times and lads took deadly risks. All of them on RD350 LC's, X7's etc, quite a few badly mangled but survived as well. Although it was thrilling, trying to tame them, it's probably for the best that licencing changed and bikes are quite a bit more civilized now, parents can sleep a bit easier these days.

[@IanMadBrit]

@@franksmith6683 Many of my friends too .... we were once over 20 Chuckleheads strong .... less than 8 saw their 30th birthdays, and only 3 of us saw 50. None of us were unscathed, and I was lucky to see my 19th birthday, if the truth is to be told. Double-decker buses have a history of being unforgiving to dumbasses that hit them head-on, although they scrapped the bus and I just needed most of a year in a bodyshop, so I feel that I won that argument *LMAO*

[@frankcates3322]

I had one of them too, loved that bike.

[@m.mcdonald9437]

@@frankcates3322 yep ...me too. It was a blast to ride. We didn't know what we didn't know back then. Sure was fun though!

[@stuarthart3370]

I hitchhiked all over Europe during the 70s and I had lifts in some very nice cars. However nohing could have prepared me for a lift on a Kawasaki that was identical to the one shown in the video. I think that blue is perfect and the ride would have been perfect too, but the French lad who gave me a lift, was in a hurry to get to Hendaya and he was a terrific rider. I was both terrified and thrilled and although I've ridden lots of bikes, I never got the chance to ride the 750. I'm so old now that I could ride one of these safely. Not so in 1976 :-)

[@76vetten]

I feel your pain. I recently gave my son my Ducati 1098. That was my fantasy bike. I rode for 56 years. I miss it terribly. Lol. Good story about hanging on! My heart would have stoped. At least you survived!

[@donniebaker5984]

You didnt mis much .. Kawasaki H2 750 Top speed 126 mph is the claimed top speed for the H2 750. It is said to do 0-60 mph in 5 seconds flat and the standing quarter mile in 12.3 seconds reaching speeds of 105 mph. Real scary almost as fast as my 2009 harley XR1200 sportster makes 94hp with a top speed of 135mph stock out of the box ..you probably didnt know but harleys won the world championship as the fastest ever pro stock motorcycle of the u.s.nationals 10 consecutive years in a row A record that no other brand has ever came close ..and in 2012 harley was the 1st ever brand to ever run the quarter mile under ,7 seconds ..it was andrew hines high sixes @ 194 mph ..and a young girl Jody Perewitz Runs 208mph at Bonneville on V-Twin ultimatemotorcycling.com/2013/10/10/jody-perewitz-runs-208mph-at-bonneville-on-v-twin/ And ol' Chris Rivas is the first person to push a "bagger" over 200mph! That's right, a harley bagger. (No rocket propulsion necessary. Just good ol' American made S&S harley hors power Harley Touring bike (Bagger) to over 200 MPH!! 2016 Chris rode a 2009 FXD (Dyna) to a record speed of 244 MPH becoming the fastest Dyna in the world!! Currently Chris continues to build record setting motorcycles and engines for high-profile race teams and family members for Bonneville and the NHRA. images.app.goo.gl/RvhXWCdiSW52WDee6

[@AussieMaleTuber]

@@donniebaker5984 Back when the H2's appeared, Harly's didn't go very fast, didn't stop, and they leaked oil on your girlfriend's father's driveway.

[@P_RO_]

@@donniebaker5984 Add some curves and get back to me- I'll visit you at the hospital...

[@administratorperson3272]

​@@donniebaker5984 jodi and her dad dave are local favorites.

[@take5th]

The fastest I have ever gone on a motorcycle was on a modified, borrowed, H2 in the late 1970s. It belonged to friend who lent it to me to go pick something up I had forgotten while my car was being worked on. While the top speed is fast, to me, at 130 mph it may not impress many, but the way it got there was truly memorable, obviously.

[@Trevor_Austin]

130 mph is fast and impressive on any motorcycle. Even more impressive if the smoke trail behind you. 😎 Obviously greater speeds are possible and please do it if you want to (like I did), even if just to tick the box. Unfortunately we call too many of these riders “Organ Donors”.

[@stanleysilvernagel9316]

I had one back in high school. My friend and I were both on it and a Suzuki 1100 pulled up beside us and we stayed right with him till we got up to about 60mph. (In town). That was in about 1979 when the Suzuki 1100 was the fastest bike in production. I had a few near death experiences on that bike.

[@johngalt97]

@@Trevor_Austin Their original tires weren't up to high-speed duty, and even the late 70's tires weren't much better.

[@modelnutty6503]

0 to 115-120 in a QM no prob, if you had the pair to lay into it.

[@williamnale7835]

@@stanleysilvernagel9316 I had a '82 GS1100 and I can attest that it was crazy fast. Wish I still had it..

[@davidhayter7651]

You always knew when the H2 was coming you heard the scream and the smoke cloud it left behind . One of those bikes in history that stood out

[@herbertwoodbury1958]

In the mid 70's I had a friend with and H2. I was riding a GT 550 which was not really a slouch itself. Every time I got the chance to ride the H2 I took it. Never failed to bring a smile to my face. The bike was a little squirrely in the corners but it's straight line performance made up for it and the cornering wasn't as bad as a lot of people say, or maybe I just didn't give a damn.

[@RevvingHeart]

It's fun if you what you are dealing with. Otherwise it's a disaster waiting to happen.

[@rhelouin]

That sound should be enough to scare the crap out of most seasoned riders and competition. What a great motorcycle era! Love 2 strokes!

[@teleclasster]

In '74 I bought a new Kawasaki Triple 400cc, a friend bought the 500cc. A guy from school I didn't really know bought a blue 750 triple. On the ride home from the dealer a car pulled out and he hit it broadside, killing him minutes after the purchase. Another local guy riding a Yamaha DT 360 soon after was decapitated after hitting a wire. Crazy times those 70s.

[@RevvingHeart]

Wasn't born back then but I can imagine 😟😟

[@ronsexton3685]

It sure was!

[@fredflintstone8048]

All three of the three cylinder two stroke street bikes that Wowazaki built were loads of fun to ride. The narrow powerband made them a lot of fun for pulling wheelies. I didn't mind the narrow power band. I was a motocross racer riding the large bore two strokes that were the same way.. Most of them evil handling as well. Add that to a very narrow power band and you have a bike that was a sensation to the senses to ride. Each successive lap around the motocross track without crashing would elicit prayers of thanks.

[@johndough5854]

I would imagine, in the stone age, bikes were pretty dangerous.

[@jayrowe6473]

I had several of them and I wish I had never sold them.

[@nicodejager8644]

I have some memories of a Yamaha IT490. And a nice exhaust burn on my thigh. Exhilarating bastard to ride and jump.

[@chrisallan4591]

My local Kawasaki dealer/sponsor paid me in flat track/MX race bike parts to ride an H2 back and forth to high school. "Try and sell a few of these" he said. "Okie Dokie" says me. Handed out dozens of "vouchers" for test rides... to high school students, some of which hadn't ridden anything sharper than a 125 enduro bike. Ah, the 70s... fun times.

[@carlfogle6517]

I was 16 years old when got my ‘71 H1 500. My previous bike was a Honda super hawk 305. The H1 was a terrifying motorcycle, I’m sure I had angels on my shoulders many times.

[@russg007]

The 2-stroke triples have a wonderful exhaust note, power strokes are squeezed closer with every 120° of engine rotation, love that unique sound..

[@davidmacphee3549]

I loved the jet sounding intake roar!

[@edwardmylnychuk5774]

as someone who did a lot of snowmobiling in those days, yes the two stroke engines had power bands in them and when it kicked in they went like a bat out of hell, i modified my porting system and it was slower off the line but once the revs came up nothing in my size could touch me it went like a rocket and guys that modified their engines the normal way got blown away.

[@chadbutler3277]

I test drove a pristine one in 1983 that was tuned perfect. It was truly a beast and I nearly wrecked it the first time I banged through the gears. I wish I would have bought it but ended up with a 83 GPZ 1100 that I drag raced for the next ten years. I love Kawasaki!!!

[@seanworkman65]

To me the 83 Gpz 1100 was one of the baddest ass motorcycle! The scariest was a 83 gpz750 turbo! And the V65s were jaw dropping also! The H2 small size and extremely quick throttle made it fun!!

[@chadbutler3277]

@@seanworkman65 my buddy had the 750 turbo and it was a blast to ride. We live at 7000 feet elevation so it really did well against the naturally aspirated bikes. He sold it to buy the 1000 ninja and he raced that against the turbo and the guy that bought it and beat him so they switched bikes and raced again and the same guy won on whatever bike he was riding. Wanting to know which was faster they got me to ride the other bike to eliminate the difference in rider. I beat him on either bike just like he beat the other guy. He wanted his new ninja to be faster with him on it and we raced over and over until he burned up his clutch. He never beat me. Awe the good ole days!

[@radman3206]

Back in the late 70’s, a then friend who raced bikes had a H2 and a few us went out for a short ride, me as his pillion. To this day, I will never forget travelling down a fairly major road on the back wheel, his leg hanging out in a plaster cast from a fracture he’d sustained in a racing accident. These days, they would lock you up and throw away the key for those shenanigans, but the 70’s were all about hooning.

[@carpballet]

It cracks me up when guys stand around their bike and rev it up.

[@fishypictures]

I rode my friend Dave’s once, It was the scariest bike I ever rode…. One time and I had to get off… I almost killed myself when it went up on a wheelie all crooked and I barely got it back down.. ripped my arms out of its sockets Just could not control the power of this killer of a bike. Dave shortly crashed it and put himself into the hospital with multiple broken bones. What the hell were they thinking when they developed this thing? Widow maker for sure. Later in life my Honda CR 500 was also a widow maker but controllable , I sold it , couldn’t keep taking the hit of that 2 stroke. Mans gotta know his limitations.

[@williamrivers5838]

Yes, And the only way a man can find those limits is to ride one of these....I was 16 and about 130lbs....Dirt bike and fast car experience......I rode the 500 (Had pipes and mild porting) My buddy and his dad tried to drag race it......I found my limit that day and survived...It stuck.....The 750 was too tall for me ,But it was actually believable on the street....I am still riding at 67......1800 Goldwing and an XR400 that put me on the podium 3 times in Hare Scrambles !......Orthopedic surgeon put the skids on racing, But he is going to have CATCH me on the trail....Thanks for the memories...

[@Rockinbiker1946]

I was riding a Ducati 750 GT in '72 and I thought it was fast. A friend of mine had just bought a Kawi 750 H2 and let me ride it. I was surprised that it was so peaky. Once the revs built it was like throwing a switch. All you could do is hang on and shift.

[@speedlever]

First time I read your post I missed the ‘f’ in the last word and lol’d. And that seemed an appropriate word too!

[@wordreet]

@@speedlever Hahahahahaha! 😂

[@AussieMaleTuber]

I was like that about Honda's RC30, and I too thought the H2 was a little goer... and it always smelt nice!

[@keithlibner9259]

I had one and you pretty much explained it perfectly.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

I had that Ducati... 60+ in 1st, 90+ in 2nd, 115+ in 3rd... two more gears to go... It would only do 50 when I got it... those damned too short valve guides that wear out in only 5K miles... at least that meant I got it dirt cheap...

[@allenthramer6765]

An h2 damn near killed me in 1977. Passed a semi on a 2 lane road when 5th gear blew. I had that sucker so far past redline in 4th it was ridiculous. Made it by a few feet.

[@strattuner]

this bike will kill you,it is treacherously fast,it comes on quick and tires and suspension were a joke stock,you rice many bikes to get to the point of handling the power band of the H2

[@vanmann8347]

Owned a 1975 750H-2 that I purchased brand new. It was like riding on a chainsaw and sounded like one as well. Quicker than the KZ-900 which was introduced around the same time. I guess that I never noticed some of its flaws because of my young age. Back then I just wanted to have the quickest bike…and I certainly did. I wish I’d held onto it.

[@theyangview1898]

Same here Bike was a wicked rocket

[@johnalarcon5006]

If you were like me back then your lucky you sold it , a one time friend had one and he wanted to put NOS on it but decided not to because it's brakes were crappy, last I heard this one time friend had around 10 of these bikes after he moved to queens creek Arizona. He also had many parts for them also

[@lordofthewoods]

Bought a '74 model in 1979. First or second night I had it, I came up on an S-curve on an unfamiliar residential street that I couldn't make @ 105 mph, started braking in a straight line, shot in between some large metal utility cabinets, into some tall sawgrass, where, as my speed dropped to 80 mph, I flew almost lengthwise into a canal. If I had veered left (I would've come into the backside of a guardrail that protected the canal) or right (the canal made a 90-degree bend to the right just before where I entered, and I would've gone straight across the other leg, slamming into the opposite bank) under braking, I wouldn't be here.

[@lordofthewoods]

@@johnalarcon5006 Yep... Part of the explanation for my little "off-road" (described in another reply to the above comment) was that the front caliper was leaking a bit when I got it, so really not much front brake, AND the electrical system didn't have enough output to get any decent headlight projection : )

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Yeah, I viewed the H2 as the top half of a 75 HP outboard motor mounted on 2 wheels...

[@bertmeinders6758]

-In 1975, my workmate had an H2, which he'd been racing in standard production class. I rode it on the road a couple of times, and much to my surprise I found it easy to ride, with usable power from 2000rpm. I found the engine controllable, and the bike enjoyable to ride. This is probably because I always ride unfamiliar bikes carefully, and never treat the throttle as a switch.

[@RevvingHeart]

Being careful with it is the best way to enjoy this motorcycle...

[@modelnutty6503]

@@RevvingHeart no way!

[@modelnutty6503]

college teacher bought an RX7 he thought was kinda cool but gutless... hehe, I showed him. power band really starts about 4500 and you can spin it to 8.5 no prob, spin it up to 7 and start shifting. he had no idea it'd scoot like that, or that it actually *liked* being driven like a 2 stroke.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@@modelnutty6503 - Yeah, rotary engines are twins to 2 strokes... same virtues and vices...

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Yep... H2 had enough low RPMs power to cruise effortlessly in 5th gear... but also great to drop down a couple gears... too bad it only got about 15 MPG and had a 4 gallon tank...

[@danielomalley4394]

Drove my friend’s ‘72 in ‘72, half-mile boulevard just out of town. My first time! Got it to 95mph in 4th, dropped rpm’s, engaged 5th and slowly twisted accelerator handle, and the front end popped way up! My last time!

[@ziondanny7081]

Dream on. By today's standards those bikes are underpowered af

[@jmvneto51]

@@ziondanny7081 You are completely right! I had a Suzuki triple 2 stroke GT 380 in 1974 and I loved it but any bike of this "size" today would blow it away.

[@alanjm1234]

@@ziondanny7081 but also incredibly light by today's (road bike) standards.

[@P_RO_]

@@ziondanny7081 Yes, but today's bikes can handle their power, while these bikes couldn't. That's what made them so wicked. Imaging your sport-bike powertrain in a bicycle frame and you'll be close.

[@keithmartland6463]

The Great composers gave us the classic works of Mozart, Beethovens 5th, Tchailkovsky's 1812 Overture etc but nothing comes close to sound of a Kawasaki two stroke triple, it is music to the soul!

[@gavmusic]

All too often, motorcycle documentaries are ruined by music obliterating the sound of the engine. How refreshing that, in this video, the exhaust note is the star of the show, sometimes making it hard to hear the narrator. That's more like it!! :-)

[@steveleonard8354]

I bought my 72 H2 in the early 80's from a coworker at my first mechanic job. He had removed the oiler, tricked out the carbs, and installed a set of J pipes. I'll never forget the test ride, it almost put the handle bars in my face when it hit THE power band, and the grip almost came off in my hand ! I pulled back up to the shop where we worked, put it on the kick stand, shut it down, and told him I'll take it while struggling to light a cigarette because I was shaking so bad !! I added dual stainless front brakes and still accelerated two to three times the rate it would stop !!

[@rickhibdon11]

I rode 3 different H2's back in the day.. They were evil, wicked, mean, and nasty! Powerful! But was hands down, the very worst handling motorcycle I have EVER ridden! But God, they were FUN!

[@Zuloff]

My father had a 1973 H2 750. Bill Wirges expansion chambers, airbox taken out and replaced with 3 UNI sock filters, repainted black with gold pinstripes. My father would take me on the back up through Angeles Crest and Big Tujunga north of LA. I was utterly terrified on that bike. I asked him later after I'd started riding street what it was like to ride the 750 compared to his 1978 XS1100 Yamaha or 1981 GPz1100 Kawasaki. He said I would have hated it. Compared to the four strokes it had the powerband of an on/off switch. It was either gutless or trying to kill you. The H2 had no fancy crossflow ports, no reed valves, no nothing. It was all pipe. Roll on the throttle and you got a gutless moooo until the tach hit about 5500 and it hit the pipe. Then you'd better be pointed where you wanted to go as that's where you were going with the front wheel lifting and you preying the spindly frame wouldn't start a wobble. You had to really watch your throttle and rpm in corners as if you hit the pipe with too much throttle it would overpower the rear tire and bad things happened. With no reed valves if it backfired on a kick, which it did fairly often, you'd blow a UNI sock apart... So buzzy and light in the back it ate taillight bulbs from vibration all the time. It looked awesome for its day in cafe racer setup in JPS color scheme but at it's heart it was too narrow a powerband in too spindly a frame. A deathtrap. The 500s were worse. The 750 had more crank mass so revved a bit slower. The 500s were lighter framed with a quicker revving motor that went from slug to satan even more unpredictably.

[@paullangford8179]

Was not unpredictable! Once you had ridden either for a bit, you knew to be pointing in a straight line and leaning forwards before having the throttle wide open.

[@david_sdiego]

I had Suzuki's version, the GT-750. The water cooling allowed for closer piston tolerances and kept it from sounding like a rattle trap while also consuming less oil. Mine didn't even smoke. Favorite bike of all time.

[@ronripley9197]

I had the Suzuki GT 550 Ram Air 3 cylinder. It went like stink but man did it ever guzzle the gas!!

[@david_sdiego]

@@oi32df That's true. Suzuki had already done the raw and wicked thing in the 60's with the 250 X6 Hustler.

[@RayCis1]

I rode that GT750 too; it was my 2nd bike (after the T500 Suzuki), I loved the twin discs up front, finally some fine brakes. The smoothness of the engine was marvelous, 60 mph at 3300 rpm, it felt like an electric motor, comfort buddy, for the pillion and me. Handling wasn't that great (it was a heavy bike!), but with good Dunlop tires and better swing arm bearings & Koni rear shocks, I improved on it....After 2 years I bought the GS750 4-stroke, that finally handled good!

[@AussieMaleTuber]

I have made other comments about these bikes and how they handle, here. I argue that the bikes were light and beautifully balanced but you must be aware they were developed on beautifully sealed closed circuits with test riders weighing under 70kg. I took that into account every day until the end of the air-cooled Kawasaki era and it is the elephant in the room as young people in the 21st Century try to make sense of the literature/stories about them!

[@Dsdcain]

I don't know if someone else mentioned this, but when you factor in tire technology, and brake technology in the 70s it makes this machine even scarier if you were to get full use of it's power and speed. Interesting video sir. Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

[@RevvingHeart]

Thanks for watching.

[@SpeccyMan]

... its power and speed. (No apostrophe in the possessive pronoun!)

[@davidmacphee3549]

@@RevvingHeart With what we have and know today, How would a modern Expert deal with the handling issues without altering it's amazing stock appearance? Thank you Revving Heart! This is the funnest forum ever! I had a chance to ride the track called Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville Ontario, Canada. A few motorcycles were allowed after the races were done in 1973. My friend on his CB-750 had no trouble at all in the corners ahead of me. I was not getting any confidence at all from my H1-B 500. I felt like I had to 'Tippy Toe' around he bends but I had no problem catching up.

[@terrybroadway2955]

That may be true but sticky new tires has to make the frame even worse

[@ronlind1757]

Can't believe the wheels, tires, suspension, etc.. back in the day held up to this little rocket... Incredible memories of this bike.

[@brentjames9388]

Had a buddy back in high school who put expansion chambers on his 750

[@tshirtradical]

@@brentjames9388 :D

[@genaholshouser7148]

@@brentjames9388 aaàaá

[@ursirius4878]

I wonder how many people in the comment section were alive or actually owned one of these in the 70s, it was a scary bike and truly earned its name.

[@briansharp4388]

A friend in high-school had one in 79. Was a little used, but he did his best. Was a monster. 2 strokes come on hard.

[@txrick4879]

Had one like the first green one . It was a beast . Never dropped it though .

[@MathewWeaver73]

@@txrick4879 My dad had a green one for about a year, one night after a ride he came in white as a ghost, the bike was sold the next day, 😂! It got away from him, luckily he caught it and recovered but it scared the life out of him, slow and low Harleys after that, lol.

[@txrick4879]

@@MathewWeaver73 Oh yes I understand when you got them on the pipe they would come on hard . I got to see both the tachometer and speedometer pegged . The speedometer was optimistic so I say 134 mph was about right . On a 500 that was fast . 3rd gear wheelies yeah .

[@rogerdodrill4733]

Probably we all were, why would you comment something that didn't happen, what's the point?

[@miporsche]

My older brother bought a used H2 in 1980 just before he joined the Navy. I rode it myself as a 16 year old once and fell off from my poor throttle control. Once, I rode on the back with my brother driving at over 120 mph. It was an exciting machine.

[@wordreet]

I never owned a Kwaker, but did enjoy my Yammy RD350LC's powerband. Oh, and of course, the LC handled soooo well!

[@IanMadBrit]

Nothing could corner at the speed the 350 could, unless you believed all that stuff in Star Wars! *LOL*

[@mikesokolow7997]

Still have my 71 rd 350, from high school daze.

[@treehugger2290]

I rode a friend's RD350 about 40 years ago at a country party. I took it out after dark with a pretty good buzz. I'll never forget that ride - the first and only bike I ever rode that would lift the front wheel in the first 3 gears just by twisting the throttle. I was a bit scared and a lot mpressed!

[@PerrynBecky]

My stepfather had one of those in 73 if my memory serves me right. He used to take me on the bike for white knuckle rides trying to scare me. I was 13 at the time, and a speed demon. I was too young to have the sense to know that one false move on that bike could have killed both of us. It was a beast.

[@danielfriesen372]

I bought the 750 h2 when I was 17. I am still alive. No one thought I would be. I remember coming on the pipe in a corner, the rear end is going sideways and the front wheel is clawing the air at the same time. I could hear it smell, and feel it all over again watching this video. I am 65 now and still riding. Ps. About 18 miles per gallon at 120 miles an hour.

[@RevvingHeart]

You rock👍👍 Ride safe brother✌️✌️

[@georgebuller1914]

App 49 New Pence (UK money) per mile - still bl**y well worth it though, eh? LOL ;-) Keep going, keep safe!...

[@twatson6252]

been there done that lol it was scary and fun all at once,

[@grandenauto3214]

My dad had a Kawasaki shop in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s… most of our mechanics were young guys from town that were bike fanatics and when they went for test rides I would go along as a passenger many times starting when I was about 10 or so… dad probably thought it would keep the guys from going crazy on the customers bikes. When I was 14 I was racing motocross already and was well known in the community as a pretty good rider. Dad hired another mechanic and I went for a ride with him on an H2. At the far point in the ride we turned around and he asked if I ever got to drive the bikes, I lied and said all the time. 14 years old, crazy, and never drove anything like this before. 🤪 I got on and stalled it… first gear was a little high. Second time I didn’t make the same mistake, and pulled a nice long wheelie, shifted and pulled it up again, shifted and did it again… by now Greg is pounding on my back telling me to pull over.😂😂😂😂😂 what a rush.

[@followerofjesus6276]

I was blessed to have worked at a local Kawasaki dealer as a service manager and a mechanic in the 70's... Owning four H-1's and three H-2's all highly modified (including the much needed wheely bars on all). I went on to build and race an 1/8 mile F/gas record holder with the power from the 750... Oh the golden days of riding and power... Missing the smell of the Klotz bean oil from the expansion chambers... Thanks brother for the great video and memory lane moment.

[@jonmulack4226]

When I started roadracing in the late 70's, a friend raced a 750. It had lots of motor work. Yes, it was very fast. When it stayed running, he won. If he didn't overshoot a corner, he won. It always wobbled. It would wobble in a straight line. When the wobbles became death defying, he knew the frame was cracked somewhere.

[@russell2128]

Yep I was born in 50 and grew up and drove the cars that would pass anything but a gas station

[@pilsnrimgaard2507]

I had two of these over the coarse of my high school years. It would appear that you are easily "terrified". They burned up plugs regularly and the only thing "terrifying" was the plume of blue smoke the torgue injectors would leave behind so the cops knew exactly where you were going.

[@johnalarcon5006]

As for me not much terrifies me but I'm not a idiot either , iv been to over 170 mph on a motorcycle and almost 200 in a car, im just not going to do things just to prove im brave , going fast I what i like to do and soon il be done with my 69 chevelle that il be running at the texas mile ,but iv planed this car from engine to suspension and everything to keep it from going airborne at 220 mph look up the texas mile speed runs !!!!!!

[@andrewdowney8786]

Plugs were only an issue with 1972 H1 500 . It did not have CDI ignition , but points . It would kill brand new NGK plugs . Any other H1 or H2 with CDI might carbon up with city baby riding but when opened up the plugs would cough and clean up ASAP .

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Learned to use synthetic oil in my '70 Yamaha 360 for no smoke... My '74 H2 750 didn't have a sparkplugs problem and handled great... an unintentional wheelie from hitting a bump at 90 MPH wasn't scary... 'Scary' was only 15 MPG on a little 4 gallon gas tank... couldn't pass a gas station... unless wanting to end up pushing it...

[@fjohnson9749]

Had a ‘70 H1, totally modded engine, frame and suspension. Absolute blast to ride and totally predictable. Could drag the brake pedal in right handers and the kickstand peg which laid against the chamber in lefties. They could be made to be sweet. Ported, polished, bored 60, and wiseco single ring teflon pistons combined with a Barnett clutch, with Straight stingered chambers and modified carbs would drown out headered modded Honda 750s with headers and later the KZ900s. Neither of which could keep up in the straights or corners. 1/4miles were all back tire all the way thru the traps in 5th. High 11s, fast for a 500 in the early 70s.

[@TheWaterman1000]

Had one of these in my younger days. Learned real quick not to put Armeral on the seat😯

[@dannysdailys]

Yeah, but look what you had to do to it to get it that way. Stock wasn't even close. And if you're going to go through all that? Turbo charge a KZ-900 and be done with it. They had a KZ-1000 turbo model. I was lucky enough to ride the police special version of it. There was nothing like that bike anywhere in the world.

[@fjohnson9749]

@@dannysdailys true, I actually was thinking about putting an H2 engine in it as it would bolt right in though a bit tight. But there was a guy I knew that did it. The KZs came out a couple of years after I had done the work. The fun part of the 500 was it was light. I kept it street legal but had put a fiberglass cafe seat on it cut so my butt slid in between the tank and the seat back, and stripped everything off that wasn’t needed, so it handled great. I had a buddy that had ridden for both Yamaha and Kawasaki, he had a machine shop and had the H1R specs that Kawasaki previously had on the road race circuit.

[@deborahchesser7375]

@@fjohnson9749 imagine putting a 500 or 750 two stroke in a semi modern chassis or even a sport bike chassis, I’m sure there are some out there. People that dislike two strokes are scared of that hit when they come on the pipe, others love it.

[@ultimobile]

my recollection of these was the risk of doing a cartwheel from the lights - power peaking so strongly it would lift the front wheel and flip the bike over backwards around that time I was riding a 350 Desmo Ducati single - which was the opposite - not so much power, but maybe flywheel weight that could fire you across an intersection at a green light ahead of most anything else at the time - its nickname was the slingshot ...

[@halrichard1969]

My next door neighbor, my schoolmate and good friend, bought one of these when he turned 18 back in 1972. He put aftermarket pipes and retuned the engine. Also made a quasi cafe racer out of it. I rode it a couple times and man that acceleration was scary. The front end was so light you could just keep the front wheel up with hard accelleration. He died three years later, going head first into a palm tree after losing control in a sweeping turn. Closed Casket Ceremony. He was 22 years old.

[@RevvingHeart]

Sorry for your loss 😔😔

[@rudygracia5573]

Sorry about your friend/loss.I remember this quiet,young,blonde haired AF military dude walk by our shop daily,in a Hangar,to join his team of loadmasters(1984'?).(C-130 aircraft).He borrowed a Kawi Ninja from a friend one night,and went downtown(Abilene Tx).He was riding back to the base after partying,swerving,and a Cop pulled him over.As the Cop approached him,He started the bike,made a U turn and gave it full throttle.A chase ensued,but not for long.Cuz the main streets there have big dips on both sides of every major cross street.+There was a CURVE!😱.He was reportedly traveling at 120+mph(on a 40mph speed limit street!).He couldn't make the curve,and hit the outside curb at 120mph.The bike disintegrated on impact,and he was thrown 1k+ feet!Killed instantly.

[@davidzitzman6511]

The trick with the H2 was to be pointed toward the nearest trauma center.

[@patrickbly4170]

Not Funny but funny 😄 😆 🤣 😂 😐 😁

[@stilllearning777]

All it wanted to do was go straight, as you hit the gas the front wheel was hardly on the ground. It had a wide power band compared to the green 500. I did get beat by a white yamaha 350 6spd cafe recer ! The nortons could turn corners real low and were fast. The smoothest ride was the BMW with its 2 opposing pistons.

[@stanleysilvernagel9316]

Ain't that the truth.

[@douglasmacomber2277]

Or the morgue

[@stormytempest6521]

No! .... the nearest GAS station ! 🙂 ( think about it ).

[@TB-sv3nw]

I had a 1969 Kawa H1 500cc with 60 HP and drum brakes. It was the only bike I have ever owned and rode that horrified me the very first ride. I barely got it to slow enough to make a 90 degree turn at the end of my street before coming to a complete stop at the stop sign 50 feet away. I pulled over to the side of the street and took several minutes to stop my hands from shaking. I putted it back home and never told my parents how bad that bike scared me on that ride. I wish I still had that bike.

[@mikeholland1031]

They detuned them after 69. Too powerful

[@aaaa1953]

As a licensed motorcycle mechanic in the seventies I tried to keep the triples running well so nobody died on my watch haha. Wicked powerband and noisy too, classic bikes, let the good times roll

[@RevvingHeart]

👍👍

[@brianbirc]

iHAD ONE AND IT WAS FAST WITH ACCELERATION i DECIDED TO STOP RIDING IT IN SOUTHER CALIFORNIA CROWDED IF I STAYED ON IT WITHOUT HAVING EXPERT SKILLS I THOUGHT WITH ALL THE CARS AND SOME IDIOTS IN THEM IT MIGHT NOT LAST AND I MIGHT CRASH AND DIE SO NO MATTER HOW MUCH FUN IT WAS I HAD TO AFTER A GOOD TIME i SHOULD GET OFF OF THE WIDWMAKER. i CHANGED MY RIDE TO SOMTHING I LIKE NOT FAST ON THE SREET WHERE I WOULD GRT IN TROUBLE. i BOUGHT A USED 87FUL SIZE bRONCO TO UPGRADE RECOMENDED BY MY FRIEND WHO RACED OFF ROAD AND MADE OFF ROAD PARDS AND LIFT KITS FOR THE FORD TWIN TRACTIOB BEAN INDEPENDENT 4X4 LONG WHEEL TRAVELSUSPENSION i BOUGT FROM HM ABD MODIFIED IT SOME BUILT UP THE DRIVE TRE=ANE TOO TRANSMISION BUILT AND i REBUILT THE TRANSFERCASE BETTER HAD 456 GEARS AND LOCKERS PUT IN and found some fiberglass fenders I b=needed to clear my 35" tires I bougt those with the coresupport grill and all the lights along with the 96 spindles thw frond brake calipers bolt to them instead of the pins also a glass hood and changed the body stylr to the 96 then bedsides for the rear tires to fit shock towers for tall shocks for more travel than the ford Rapter that usesgood fox shocks for mine I wentvwith kingsbposision sensative tunableexterior bipass resivoirs Brett had me eeighb it front and back seperate bwith what I would carry in it. lots of upgrades it works well 70ph over 2-3 foot whoos so smooth and in controlis a lot of fun!

[@davevail]

When did motorcycle mechanics have "licenses"?

[@aaaa1953]

@@davevail i completed a four year licensed journeyman motorcycle mechanic license available back in the eighties in Canada. It required experience as well as technical training.

[@bb4udig]

I loved my 73 K750. Think of it often. Super fast but I always felt safe and solid riding it. Sold it to a friend who on his first drive, drove it one block, flipped it and bent the frame. It was a write off.

[@whalesong999]

It was quite an era. I was a service manager and mechanic for a Suzuki/Kawasaki shop and road tested each machine I serviced. I didn't always press them but had occasion to push the H1s and H2s and left this impression: The H1 would start and weave and twitch in a corner and it would get out of hand if you continued to push it. The H2, the first short ones, would lean in and then seemed that it couldn't decide whether to lay in further or stand up!. I never lost one but they could be scary. Had a neighbor who bought a later KH500 and commuted on it. After it was broken in, I retuned for smoothness and less rich running; he was getting in the area of 50mpg with it and it's transition throughout the rev range was gentlemanly, more like a Suzuki GT550.

[@Brian-pz3wh]

I rode on of these back in the day. Note that at the time my ride was a Kawasaki Kz900. This thing had scary immediate power. Scared the hell of me.

[@dr.detroit1514]

I bought a brand new Kaw H2 in late 1974. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but a year got interested in cross country touring and bought a '75 Suz GT750. I built it up into a Touring bike with Vetter fairing, saddle bags and other equipment. Thoroughly enjoyed that bike too. Owned both at the same time for a while, then sold them off by 1983 when I bought a Honda Gold Wing Aspencade. There is still nothing like the aroma of an over rich two stroke starting up in the morning.

[@milojanis4901]

It was discontinued partially because of upcoming emissions, but mainly because sales tanked when people started realizing that the Z1 would do everything the H2 could, and some things it couldn't.

[@bradpence2452]

A friend had one in 1974. My riding experience up to then had been a 175 cc on/off road Kawasaki. I got on his bad boy of a bike and rapped through the 1st 3 gears at full throttle. Shut it down soon into 3rd gear as I was going so fast, so quickly, that I'm not ashamed to say that I was both excited and scared at the same time. What a beast!

[@RevvingHeart]

There's no shame in that, that's very relatable experience for almost everyone who rode it for the first time.

[@gmansaidify]

When I was in high school in 1974, there was group of guys that rode motorcycles to school. After school one day we were all in the parking lot checking out a Kawasaki H2 that one of the guys had just acquired. I remember it was a three cylinder 2 stroke! I couldn't hardly believe it! I had a dirt bike that was two stroke and I couldn't imagine how powerful this new H2 was. I asked if I could take it down the road to 711 and back. My God, when you hit the powerband at about 6k RPM's, it was like the bike was strapped to a missile. When I returned there were tears streaming over my ears, straight back. I was jubilant and really bragged about the acceleration! A dude named Randy wanted to ride it next. He took off on it, and pulled a wheelie and we all roared with delight. you could hear him for quite a ways down the road. We all waited for him to return, and we waited and waited. After a few minutes we heard sirens and it worried us, so we hopped on our bikes and took off, I wish we hadn't. What we witnessed shook us terribly. Randy had hit a car broadside at high speed, went sailing over the top of the car and landed on the curb head first. He was not wearing a helmet and his brain actually came out of his cranium. I said to the fireman that we were just talking to him a few minutes ago. I was going to say something else but I vomited immediately. I felt just horrible about the whole thing. I told my friends that it was my fault that Randy was dead because of all my hype about how fast that bike was. If I had not been so dramatic, maybe he wouldn't have wanted to ride it so damn fast. At his funeral, I felt so much pressure that I fainted. I have never cried so hard in my life. I sold my bike after that and bought car. I never wanted to ride again, still don't.

[@85dirtyd]

wow bro so sorry man😢

[@barthchris1]

Damn! PTSD for you. Totally believable. sounds just like something that would have happened with the crowd I hung around. Somehow we escaped unharmed.

[@RevvingHeart]

So sorry you had witness such a horrible event 😔😔.

[@fiercefix]

Ahh man that's savage what a story tho , Feel for you! don't hold onto you being responsible we a make our choices & takes our chances. Boys will boys stay safe.

[@londoncalling1757]

I wouldn't be to hard on yourself, I did some bloody stupid capers when I was young, I came off and busted myself a few times , it wasn't anyone else's fault it was mine . I don't ride anymore don't want my son riding either trying to steer him more towards a car or a cool pickup truck I think it will be expensive but in the long run the best money I'll spend..

[@bunsonhoneydew9099]

I remember those things. The 2-stroke power curve comes on like a light switch. We used to like that part the best.

[@wjgrind]

My friend and I each bought a 72 H1-B and we both loved the bike, but we were seasoned riders. The only way I can describe the power band was a light switch if I recall up around 6K, both our bikes we worked to get more HP out of them. I twisted the crank on mine, had to remove the expansion chambers to get it fixed under warranty. Price was $995.00 in the crate and we didn't pay for set since we bought two.

[@davidkillens8143]

I was at Mosport in 1972, when the local motorcycle teams showed up for a test day. They had all winter to rebuild their shiny new production motorcycles into road racers. Engine technology was well known, everyone knew how to extract more power. But frame technology was less than primitive. I was at the end of the pits, staring down at the last corner, watching them accelerate hard from a very slow speed. I am not exaggerating, the front end disappeared in a blur at each gear change. It did not shake, it vibrated so much it became a blur. Most likely the Mach IV added impetus for motorcycle manufacturers and teams to get serious about frame technology and build them stiffer.

[@PurityVendetta]

I rode the H2 many times working as a motorcycle mechanic. To be honest I found the 500 triple far more scary. The H2 is a bike much maligned by people who have never ridden it like the guy commentating on this video.

[@RevvingHeart]

I still remember the day when I first rode the H2. Barely an adult with full of arrogance, tried to give it full beans out of a corner, almost had a high side. Needless to say, it scared the s**t out of me.

[@barryprior5890]

100% agree. I've owned 2.

[@altoncrane9714]

Was very lucky to have been born in 1956, and owned TWO 1972 H2's back ion the day,,,still biking at 66, and about that many bikes owned,,,those triples were fantastic, and I love them.

[@bunkie2100]

I had a ‘72 H2 which I used to ride 3/4 of the way across the United States. It was an exceptionally poor touring bike. It was an experience that I will never forget.

[@mythos5809]

I found that weight distribution had a huge impact on quality of touring. I undertook many long rides and with a nicely weighted tank bag it rode like a dream, above 130km/h... took a while to find that sweet spot, though.

[@bunkie2100]

@@mythos5809 - That is true. Back in the early 1980s, I had a rear rack on my Yamaha 650 Seca to which I would bungee my briefcase. That caused a pretty severe tendency for the handlebars to oscillate. The cross-country trip was in 1977, before the invention of the tank bag, I had all my stuff bungeed to a rear rack. But the big issues were the awful seat and truly terrible fuel mileage, about half what I would expect for a motorcycle.

[@usaturnuranus]

I rode my Kawasaki 500 triple at 125 mph down a highway leading out of my home town, circa 1980 - 81. The engine was a 2 stroke screamer, delivering insane (and very peaky) power compared to the overall weight of the bike. The frame and suspension were nowhere near good enough for the kind of power the engine was capable of. As I wound her out at speed, even the slightest dip or rise would force the bike to bottom out or, conversely, to rise up to the maximum amount of travel. As this was a '72 model, it was equipped with a funky steering damper to add a bit of moderation at high speed, but the SOB just fell off of the old gal and I never saw it again after that. I can say with absolute certainty that this bike (which I bought used in 1981) was the most fun and excitement I ever had for $500.00. She was everything that responsible adults would warn you about!

[@snoopythedog3266]

and the sound ...

[@briankendallRyanandBrian]

I had a 500 triple when I was 17, our town had a drag strip and I could beat almost every race car, even though I ran out of gears at 3/4 track was already redlining in high gear!

[@usaturnuranus]

@@snoopythedog3266 Oh yeah, that exhaust note was every bit as good as a Ferrari or Lamborghini sports car!

[@usaturnuranus]

@@briankendallRyanandBrian Man, I only wish I could have gotten access to a drag strip. That sounds like a blast! I can't imagine anything much besides a top fueler would be able to keep up through maybe 3rd, after that who knows? (Talking 1980's dragsters)

[@briankendallRyanandBrian]

@@usaturnuranus it was incredibly fun! And never blew a single part unlike my 4 speed big block firebird kept blowing Trans.

[@jamesmarshall3311]

I still have the original `Cycle` mag testing the first ( and fastest ) H2 versus the original Z1 900, Honda 750, Triumph 750, Ducati 750, Norton Commando and Harley sportster. It was a great test that compared them on street and around the track, testing them for power and also all the speed tests.The two Kawas had almost identical power with a slight nod to the H2, and the H2 was the bike with the most torque !! They also lapped in identical times. Obviously the Z1 900 was the far more practical all round bike than the H2. My brother owned three first model H2`s in that gorgeous blue livery and also had a bunch of Mach 3 500`s from early 1969 model to last model H1B. Great memories.

[@lazerzap1]

There was a Kawasaki poster in the shops.. when the Z1 first came out.. .. Nothing beats a Z1 900.. then in smaller letters.. except a H2 750

[@BuzzLOLOL]

I have the issue when H2 came out and declared world's fastest on the cover... (of course it wasn't, there was that rare bike I forget the name of that did 150+)

[@bogart281]

I had the Norton 850 Commando it was light, fast, beautiful, and sounded great.

[@420somewhere4]

I remember about 1976-77 my uncle bought a new KZ900 and he took me for a ride. I was 12 yrs old and as my eyes watered, my arms, legs, torso and mirrors were vibrating like a jackhammer and it scared the sh*t out of me. I loved motorcycles ever since.

[@gregoryolsen6718]

It was my first motorcycle. I dumped it on a curve once; recovered and did a fair amount of riding it at way too high speeds. Goal was 120 mph and I did that multiple times on LA freeways. Wild times. I ride much more tame bikes now...Triumph Bonneville and a Royal Enfield Int 650. Thanks for the memories!

[@RevvingHeart]

H2 as the first motorcycle 🥵🥵

[@GrampsRides]

Glad you are around to tell the tale, Gregory. That gorgeous blue '72 H2 was my first bike as well, and I wobbled off a curve and over the bars at triple digits. Nearly 50 years on, my lower back still cringes, but none of the far superior bikes I've since owned has put a bigger smile on my face. The sight, sound, and smell of those primitive beasts still makes my heart race. Great memories once the nightmares stop!

[@larrybobardi6474]

back in the early 80's between my friends and i we had 350- 500 -750's triples, the 350 was pretty fast, totally unexpected. what a blast to ride and you could get them dirt cheap, remember telling my friends who bummed rides to hold on tight to the bars when the power band kicks in.

[@dougiequick1]

Were S2 s in the US? I only remember the S3 400s ....faster than the Yammie 350 RDs but never had the RDs cult status

[@duanepayne1805]

I bought a gold colored 1973 H2 750 and loved it. I took off the factory air filters and replaced them with K&N's and geared it a little lower. It was a beast!

[@olivertoeknuckleiii2093]

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING sounds meaner or more melodic than a Kawasaki triple! I used to hear them in the middle of the night from my bedroom as a child. There were a lot of modified H1 and H2 triples in my town. The sounds always made me dream of adrenaline-producing acceleration and fun times! I couldnt wait to own one myself. Eventually I bought a Tony Nikasia (please forgive me if I spelled it wrong) modified H1 triple, and it was a BEAST! ! Pearly, quick and dangerous, it was so wonderful to crack the throttle in tunnels and under bridges etc! After it seized the middle cylinder at 120 mph, I sold it to my buddy. I wish I kept it! My dream bike is an H2 motor in a modern chassis. Some day…

[@DJBuell]

I owned a triple for a little while, early 80's. It was definitely a rocket but the middle cylinder didn't last me very long.

[@fredfish4316]

You needed to run oil in a fuel mix

[@zebrabike9]

Had a 1973 H-2 back in the late 70's early 80's ....... left a lot of those two stroke oil , blue clouds around town. Fun bike back then .

[@georgebuller1914]

I'm 65+ now and - unless a minor miracle occurs - am unlikely to ride a 750-H2. I once rode a 'sick' 500 H-1, but it was quite sick and didn't 'do it' for me! My only real experience of the superb two-stroke triple from Kawasaki, was in its 250cc guise. That said, the day I tried to follow a Norton Commando through a corner on that machine, showed me just how far advanced Norton's frames - and their handling characteristics were! LOL

[@alfienoakes290]

You still ain't lost your chance George, I'm 64+ and just got myself a mint 1975 gt550 Suzuki triple, these bikes are still out there, go for it mate, brings all the old memories and feelings back. Be lucky, all the best.

[@georgebuller1914]

@@alfienoakes290 Sadly, I now have some health issues, which mean that trying to ride one these days really would pull my arms out of their sockets! LOL I can still recall sitting astride this beasts smaller brother, the H1R, at Mallory Park in England 'warming it up' for a mate prior to him going out to practice (yeah, yeah - dreaming of the day when more like!...) and feeling sh*t - scared of the beast just sat their in neutral! LOL

[@frankmelkert9503]

So sorry you had the wrong 500

[@frankmelkert9503]

Yup bought the 71 H1 for eleven hundred bucks and treated it well . At 2000 miles let it rip and had the sensation that I really had to hang on to the bar. Wow what a rush that was

[@jmflyer55]

I had both the H1 AND an H2. 500cc and the 750cc... Both of these bikes were an absolute dream to ride. I had my H1 in 1978, and then quickly moved up for a more powerful one and bought a 750, H2 after a short time of riding the 500cc.. During the 1970's I was racing motocross as an amateur, and raced up until 1984. All of my buddies that were also racing, bought these Kawasaki's at that time. It was a "shoe-in" and made perfectly, for an experienced rider. Like we all of course were. If you weren't around in those days, something you need to realize is that ALL the dirt bikes in those days were 2 stroke. There was no 4 stroke dirt bikes and nobody wanted one. We were all raised riding 2 strokes. So when these Kawasaki's came out, we just ALL KNEW we had to buy one. If they made these today, people would be killing themselves left and right. Because most people now, are to arrogant to admit something is beyond their capability or experience level. Just look around. We see "soccer moms" riding Harleys, as they drag their feet through intersections so they can maintain their balance!!🙄 It's ridiculous. But anyhow, people like that, (and yes some men drag their feet as well!!) would kill themselves on a bike like this. But being highly experienced riders, these bikes were a perfect fit. I mean in those days, when you climes off a Suzuki RM 400 2 stroke you'd been jumping all day long at the track, the Kawasaki H1 felt like a toy in comparison. So when they finally did come out with the more powerful 750 version, there was a lot of cheering going on and we all sought one out to purchase. Lastly: The bike didn't handle as poorly as this video makes it sound. And certainly in those days, we didn't call it a "widow-maker" either. It was finally, just a nice, quick, street bike. The other thing this video doesn't mention is that the motor was easily modified, and by some kits and simple tweaking you could get a LOT more power out of it over stock output. So we all had ours modified to the max. They would run high 10's and 11's at the track. (Quarter mile) But then, the EPA stuck its nose into everything, and eliminated production. And soon to follow, was the slow elimination of ALL 2 stroke dirt bikes! Remember, 2 strokes were all we ever knew, because all 4 strokes were gutless sleds. They finally got to where they could produce a decent 4 stroke, but many of us honestly believed for years, that the fate of motocross racing was OVER. But, manufacturers finally dis get some 4 strokes to perform, and although my semi pro racing days were ling over by that time, I have ridden numerous 4 stroke racers. And I'll admit, they're making good 4 strokes now, but personally, I wouldn't exchange not 1, of my 2 stroke racing bikes for ANY of the so called best 4 strokes today. Why? Because its an entirely different feel, its an entirely different way of riding, and you control the bikes entirely different from the other one. The young guys racing today, many if them have never even ridden a 2 stroke, which boggles my mind. But, its a new generation, and times have changed. Id their happy with them, that's what counts. I had my time, and my days on 2 strokes, and I'm content with all the great memories I have of that time lost to history... 😉

[@RevvingHeart]

Thanks for sharing your memories..

[@victoryfirst2878]

This bike when driven just to drive around was not bad at all. But when you opened the beast up you better not be a novice rider. A few of my friends got broken legs and arms from the beast. I just was lucky and came away unscathed. Still have fond memories of this machine. The speed for such a small CC bike was and still is unbelievable. Kawasaki said it best. "Let the good times roll".

[@SpeccyMan]

You do not "drive" a motorcycle. You RIDE a motorcycle!

[@victoryfirst2878]

@@SpeccyMan You go me Nick. Fond memories for sure.

[@twatson6252]

Don't forget you come out ahead on a Kawasaki also lol,

[@victoryfirst2878]

@@twatson6252 That is true.

[@jackalbright8803]

My youngest brother had a 500cc model. I owned a 650 Bonneville. I took his bike out and it scared me. Pulled a wheelie in second gear. In later years the bike had been totaled and he salvaged the engine and Trans. Mounted both on a homemade go kart and ran it at the local drag strip. 108 mph through the traps redline. He was attracting more attention in the pits than Big Daddy Garlitts's full blown dragster

[@stilllearning777]

I had the 72 H2 with NO MOTOR MOUNTS, it cost $1200 new. I was 22 and it was my first bike, by 2600 miles the back tire was shot from doing wheelies. You could lift the front wheel in 2nd gear, it was a beast . I got to 120 no problem but had to hang on for dear life with a flat seat. The power band was instantanious and I crashed it 6x before giving it up. The fasted production bike at the time. Drove on the back wheel most of the time ! Covers, licence plates broke and muffler welds also. The next year it came with moter mounts, it was a blast. I lived to talk about it !

[@RevvingHeart]

H2 as first bike 🥵🥵

[@billbrett365]

I'll never forget that bike. Fastest ride ever.

[@1953beetle]

I can think think of a couple of other bikes that fit into the same category. Suzuki also made a 3 cylinder two stroke(750cc,water cooled) and the Kawasaki GPZ 1000 turbo. Both lethal bikes in the wrong hands.

[@onomehtenialb]

Dont forget the Suzuki 500 Twin 2 stroke....... That thing was no slouch either...

[@1953beetle]

@@onomehtenialb 🤣

[@MichaelandCathy1999]

I drove, as my first “real” motorcycle, a 350 triple….1972 model that I bought in ‘75. Pretty reliable, only did points once in the year and plugs twice. Ran like the smoky wind, great little screamer, but went through gas like water. The year after sold it and got the brand new model Yamaha RD 400c, THAT was a bike to reckon with.

[@stevieturner2615]

I had the 350 or 450 I don't even remember,had over 50 bikes,first time I ran 200 mph was on Honda built all to h.they was trying to outrun the Kawasaki,I was 15/ weighed 115 ,went 2 years undefeated on local flat track,Sunday Motocross,we had a lot of tracks until insurance company s closed them,now they're coming back,I'm old fart but still do it all,look back to see where the 20/39somethings r at lol

[@brownie1341]

1973 Kaw 350 was my first bike as well. Bought in 1974. I loved that bike. Some guys in the barracks had Honda 500s that couldn't touch me.

[@modelnutty6503]

mine was a KH500 and yeah they're thirsty! extending rear swing-arm 3-1/2" and moving top shock mounts back 2", dropping the front tubes an inch in their clamps for clip-on's at the top did wonders for its handling in corners, a little lower CG, slightly longer and softer would squat and hold better.. then it was onto tuning carbs and pipes both. the RD400 was a great "lets view the sky now" bike too, I think similar mods would have helped the same way, the twin was really a better engine than the triple for reliability.

[@heavenhelpus479]

I had a 350 also. Red if I remember, but I grew to hate that 2-stroke twang. Ended up with a KZ1000 later on, that almost killed me! Ah, good times.

[@kryptodale69]

I had a race prepped RD400. Quarter turn throttle, clip ons, pipes,rear sets, cafe fairing and seat. SO FAST! Unbeatable. Would do wheelies at highway speeds.

[@everready19373]

In the mid 80's my buddy and I had gotten out of the Air Force. I flew down to Birmingham Alabama to visit him. He had a Triumph Bonneville and a H2. We decided to go out to the bars one night and ride the bikes. Well I just couldn't get used to the right foot shift on the Bonneville so I chose the Kawy. That thing scared the shit out of me. I had a Honda 750 SS at the time but the power band on the Kawy was terrifying. I prayed that I just made it back to his place in one piece.

[@brynstephens4624]

Riding these bikes was awesome, the excelleration and sound track was like nothing we had ever experienced before. Could never get off the thing.

[@gregghorner9107]

I rode a 1969 Kawasaki 500 as a high school student It was scary fast but that was its only good atribute. The vibration and poor handling was a nightmare but I had the status of being able to outrun any other kid's bike or muscle car.