Kawasaki H2 fires up after sitting 20 years !

[lukescottguitar]

do you happen to have a z900 by any chance?

[kawasakih1]

@lukescottguitar No! I wish I did! I like them better than the new Kawasaki motorcycles!

[rickthe4th1]

beast of a bike!! 13 yrs old and riding 120 mph on rural dirt Kansas roads.

[urbankawboy]

Sweet! I recently rode mine for the first time since 1994. All I really had to do was clean the carbs and put in some more transmission oil, but with those old tires I didn't go very fast. And just running off the magneto with a totally dead battery, turns signals no blinky!

[crumplezone1]

can i live in your garage ? :)

[hendersonjerry]

The EPA will be coming to visit you soon.

[duckgeezer]

I had the 500 version in 1973.

I wish I still had it.

[amd1507]

typically japanese Craftsmanship ,well made ,reliable (sortof) ,my kind of bike :)

[TheSkootertrash]

Been riding a 1980 KZ1000 because I had a Z1 back in the day. Now you have me looking for an H2 because I had an H1 back in the day, just before I had the Z1. Ahhh...I can almost smell it now! I remember how nothing really happened before 4 grand, then all hell broke loose. LOL!

[Ripley44mag]

Nice horde of Widowmakers. Love the Blue. Yep blue covered with red blood. The way they should be. Nice partner & lucky lucky lucky. I miss mine too. :o)

[kawasakih1]

@cbxer55 Sold it to a guy in Switzerland awhile back!

[vmax1993]

That is ONE fine looking Tripple

[upforlastnameleft]

Now that's one SERIOUS Kwak collection :-)

[KingPanther13]

My uncle (A huge role model for me that got me into bikes, though I've only owned Hondas so far :P) Owns a few disassembled H2s and rides a '73 Z1. Owned it since 81, when he bought it from his best friend who he's still friends with to this day. A few of his riding buddies are on these H2s, and man, being a younger gentleman and being raised in the crotch rocket era, I've got to say that these 2-smoke triples are amazing bikes to hear, smell(You know what I mean), and see.

[cashman156]

OMFG !! You one lucky guy to have all them lush bikes !

[SCAREDofSTICKS]

jeez man, save some for the rest of us!

sweet garage!

[RatBastardCulhane]

Very Nice, Two Thumbs Up~!

[brshooting]

I graduated from High School in '72 and this was my dream bike. Nice to see it again.

[kawasakih1]

@idrivebmw335  I call it the disease of tripleitis!

[IRONHD8055]

@kawasakih1 i dont know to call it but its as bad as when i collected hot wheels and was much cheaper its a disease i know own seven 750 1 69 honda sandcast and possible 74 750 from you im messed up love ya your buddy rich

[KapteinOpel]

Btw you have some really nice bikes there. Myself I have a Suzuki GS 1000E registered in '79 which turned out to be a real '78 "Skunk" after some frame number research. It currently has a GSX tank, but I got a correct tank for it on ebay and it will soon be resurrected as a black Skunk. Then I have a 1981 Suzuki GS 550M "Katana" which is also very rare according to information on the net, its imported from England with just above 20k miles on the meter and is in original, untampered condition.

[KapteinOpel]

A couple of days ago, I helped a friend with one of those that he inherited from his father. We took it down from the rack where it had been sitting for the last 38 yrs(!), almost since it was new... The guy that had it (my friends father) was partially crippled in a car accident in '72 and never rode again.. just under 800 km's on the meter... And if the story is correct it was the first H2 that came to Norway.

[kawasakih1]

@KapteinOpel Did you get it fired up?

[KapteinOpel]

@kawasakih1 Yep, some new gas and off it went.. :)

[h2owner1965]

My God, you have my dream garage. I'd be like a kid in a candy store if I was in there.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers!

[kawasakih1]

@h2owner1965 Thanks!

[h1aa]

Lovely bike(s). Yes, back then it was a case of anything goes and designers came up with plenty to drool over. It carried on through the 70's and most of the 80's with crazy smokin' strokers from Japan, though many of them never made it onto American roads because of emission rules. All gone now though. Boring but fast 4 strokes.

[eamh2002]

My dream bike is ANY 750 2-stroke, well The "kettle" is a dream of dreams :D

I dont want to feel 200hp ram-air technology 4-jokes, I want to feel the powerband of 2-strokes!

4-strokes feel very cold and they just "are", 2-stroke has CHARACTER!

[mezzler1]

Great collection of motorcycling history. Would love to have a beer in this garage and drool over the bikes!

[kawasakih1]

@mezzler1 Thanks! I've since sold that 750 but have two more. I also sold my 1979 CBX Honda and my 2005 Kawasaki ZRX-1200R but I've added a 1969 Kawasaki H! I love the old bikes, the new ones are boring... they have no character...too generic looking!

[balls2yourface]

Good to see 2stroke engines still in use on road veichles. all that stuff about two strokes being less efficent than four strokes is true... Ar idle at high RPM 2 strokes are more efficent

[kawasakih1]

@balls2yourface I prefer a two stroke to a four stroke. Had two strokes not been banned back in 1977, I'm sure they would have developed to be far superior to four strokes!

[dangerdan408]

You don't like triples huh! Nice collection of bikes, how many 72 h2s are there? I saw two 70 h1s and what looked like a cbx...nice stuff, waiting on my bodywork to come back for my 72 h2...still nice assortment of triples...wow...

[kawasakih1]

@dangerdan408 ... A white 1969 H1, a Peacock Gray 1970 H1 and a red 1970 H1, a blue 1971 H1, 3 blue 1972 H2's, a 1979 red CBX, and a green 2005 ZRX-1200R, I guess you could say I'm partial to Kawasaki and especially triples!

[viperman5686]

You better not give this to your son as his first bike! Something with a little better handling please! lol

[ibharderonyou]

My best memory ever ... Ligning up against the record holder 900 kaw with a bone stock 500 h1 and beating him in first and second by at least seven bikes lol and then my right carburator vibrated off lol.. I raced a 500 and 750 alternating weekeds.

[kawasakih1]

@ibharderonyou Sounds like a damn good memory!

[motodude1]

Nice collection! I've owned all of those you have there cept the CBX. Still got my H2...that's not goin anywhere....

[FASTBOOBS]

O VECCHIO MA QUANTI CAZZO DI BOMBOLETTE HAI SU QUELLE MENSOLE?.. SEI TU CHE ALLARGHI IL BUCO DELL'OZONO!

[afgr173]

such a gorgeous bike

[mrlaurengrahamfan64]

wow nice collection of some vintage rides. I love the h1 and h2's

[CaptainNomura]

I wish Kawasaki would build a 1972 H2 replica with modern eco-friendly engine. I noticed that some Japanese are spending a small fortune converting the 1100 Zephers with Z1 replica exhausts, tank and side covers.

[kawasakih1]

@CaptainNomura I totally agree with you! All the new bikes have great brakes and good handling but they all lack good looks. Kawasaki should go back to the retro look/ retro styling if they want to make sales but they are stupid these days! Also, some two-stroke boat motors produce less pollution and have more horsepower than today's engines. I firmly believe they could build a two-stroke if they wanted to!

[CaptainNomura]

@kawasakih1 Absolutely right. I'd be happy if they make the modern 400cc 4-stroke unit to look like the H2 engine and probably make more horsepower. The Z1 replica conversion kit for the early 1990s Zephers I saw in Japan is so expensive, about $3000 but they look beautiful, wish Kawasaki did it instead. Haven't seen anything interesting for 20 years except for the 1100 ELR editions but I still think the 1972 H2 is the best looking Kawasaki made, followed by 72 S2, 73 Z1, 70 H1 and 69 H1.

[rker31]

Beautiful sound mate

[Grudsiepoo]

I always love to hear the sound of an H2. I used to ride them almost exclusively 25 years or so back. I still have 4 of them. One that used to be my street bike, another that I was hotrodding up but always had gearbox problems, and 2 parts bikes in desperate need of restoration. Going to restore and sell them most likely. Thanks for the memories!

[kawasakih1]

@Grudsiepoo You are welcome. I love the sound of two strokes too! I sold that H2 in the video and fa few others but I'll always keep at least one!

[Hicktallica]

i think you've got something for two strokes..

[eldo500]

Somebody call Hoarders!

[kawasakih1]

No Kidding! I've always had a problem with hoarding! Guilty as Charged! I've been trying to down-size all my hoardered stuff the past few years but it's tough! I did sell that motorcycle a year ago for $4500. The gearbox failed but now the new owner has installed a new crank and good gearbox and it's almost up and running! i think I inherited my hoarding from my mom!

[CaptainNomura]

Just saw the same bike in mint condition at the Harley-Davidson dealer here in Vegas. Haven't seen one looking that good since 1972! It's still one of the best looking motorcycle ever designed. I would trade 10 of my bikes for that!

[407sierra09]

Holy hell kawa man, you have a museum right in your garage. I purchased a blue H2 750 brand new from Loomis cycle sales in hammond in., and rode it home in february, what a time I had with that rocket the two years I had it. Great to see the bike in restoration!

[Anthonyx99]

Gotta love that 2 stroke and that high revving engine.

[auto4union]

There is just something about those triples thats hard resist for a certain type of person ! How cool is "Widowmaker" for a nickname ! Got `74 S3 and saving for the right H2 ! I dont think they did the Gold paintjob for the UK market ! Pity ! Peace Ye`all !!

[cubscout89]

Maybe I just ran my Kawasaki triples too hard. In the tail section when you open the seat on the H2 is a spark plug holder. I actually kept 3 heat ranges. NGK 8 for city riding, NGK 9 for mixed city highway and NGK 10 for all out highway riding. As an around town motorcycle they were fun. Even the kwak 250 was a lot of fun. I didn't own one, but I did ride one:-) These bike were very innovative for their time, then again I also rode the Suzuki Rotary engine.. a completely different animal;-)

[andy1957]

kwaka heaven. cbx hmmmmm.

[mytujuan]

That was my bike in the 70 still I dream with my bike to this years the most power full bike and faster in that years in my country Venezuela 220km in her going to the beach.

[bajabilly2004]

hey whats my cbx doing in his garage?

[sonjasheadache]

Godd to see so many with the same illness!Nice collection.............Hopeful­ly they never find a cure for what ills us all!

[spudaso]

Awesome collection! Memories of my 1970 H1 , just like the charcoal one in the video, still kicking myself for selling it

[spraymondooo1]

What a fantastic collection of Kawasaki triples, I used to have a 500 H1a, I used to get loads of smiles per gallon ha !!!

[ding0925]

that was a CBX in the background!!

[kawasakih1]

It was. I sold it last month to a gentleman in Switzerland for $10,000. It had only 8,000 miles on it and was a 1979 CBX. Good Eye !

[cubscout89]

Excellent collection of vintage H1, H2 and CBX! I have all three of those bikes. Look like you have the original H1 using CDI with surface gap plugs, I got stuck with the H1 using 3 points/condensers and regular plugs. Both the H1 and H2 had constant problems of overheating, but they were sure fun to ride. The CBX another fun motorcycle... went cross country on this motorcycle with 55mph was enforced.. speedometer only showed a top speed of 85mph. All top performers of their time:-)

[kawasakih1]

I had a 1971 H1 and lived in Taft, CA in the 70's. It was 105-110 degrees in summer. Although my bike ran better in the cooler evenings or winter, I never had any problems of overheating. My CDI worked flawlessly. A great bike except brakes weren't that good!

[CaptainNomura]

Nice collection of classic bikes. I see another 1972 H2. I have over 50 bikes now but you got me beat on the H2s. I love the smell of a two-stroke smoke in a morning.

[tedstriker754]

I'd like to find a 750 h2, any ideas where I could find one?

[MrPrestonL]

you got a lot of nice bikes man

[zr7tn]

back in ole days there where two kinds of h2 riders. the fast and the dead

[flossing888]

Nice Vette too!

[kawasakih1]

Thank You ! 2002 Z06 supercharged (545HP)

[mindreader1975]

Nice collection!

[LordSamuelJ]

no wonder why I cant find a complete H2... you have them all!

[gregger454]

no kidding!

[cademcnown25]

nice bike collection. nostalgic

[autouniondkw102]

Nice Stroker, well done for restoring it.

I geuss you like 2 strokes looking at the collection - I'm nuts about them exept my collection is mostly old two stroke cars. Keep the blue smoke blasting!

[EvilPaul24]

yeah the CBX Next.

[kawasakih1]

OK, I'll fire it up ! I just registered it with DMV last week.

[brilliantuk]

Can you fire up the CBX next ?

[kawasakih1]

Sorry, didn't notice your comment. I'll fire up CBX in the next few days and film it. I just registered it last week with DMV.

[petegroover]

aye proper bike not yr average crap he he

[carsnwomen91]

pls sell me one of those 3 cyl two stroke, i don't care if its 500 or 750, name ur price

[kirkmach32]

Good God piston slap, you're killing me.  That booger needs a trip to the wiseco piston shop for some bores and new biscuits.

[400gp]

left fuel in tank one year with fuel tap on ,fuel seeped into engine ,hydraulic lock on start up snapped crank!DO NOT LEAVE FUEL TAP IN ON POSITION!

[beamerZ]

jealous....

[motodude1]

Nice, I can smell it through my monitor! I'll be doing a vid of the rebuild of my own 72 H2 soon, so look for that. I restored a red `70 H1 just like the one you have there...sweet! (I'm Smoker on the triples board)

[kawasakih1]

Alright Smoker, I'll watch for you on the Board ! Louis Kranyak

[originalbrownirish]

what is the forom site for these bikes i wanna buy any ole 2-stroke but live in toronto canada so their super rare!

[Ericwm]

Oh man you have two early 1969 Mach 1's just sitting there collecting dust.Thousands of the early 500's were sold in the US in 1969.How many are left?Maybe a few hundred at most.How many are 100% original?Maybe less than a hundred.I salute you brother for the obvious value you see in these bikes.Though Im sure it's not your motivation,your triple collection is going up in value with each passing year.Fantastic to see these rare gems in their original state. Great work dude! Great collection!

[kawasakih1]

Thanks for your encouraging words. Presently, I am in the process of restoring an early model 1969 H1. It has frame # AKF-00028 with engine # KAE=00034. For unknown reasons, the earliest H1's had AKF Frame numbers instead of KAF. Louis Kranyak

[KFCHambone]

someones a freak for bikes. mann. Wish you were my neighbor and could come over and trouble shoot my bike

[gordinistanopolis]

Nice collection Brother

[72H2750]

Nice Widow Makers! As soon as I figure out how to convert the videos on my stupid phone to the PC I'll post it. Funny, last time I had mine registered was in '88 20 years ago. Time to get it on the road again! I bought it after I blew up my S2 350 doing 120+ DUH.

[kawasakih1]

That's OK, I can barely even operate the basic features of my cell phone. To me it's like an "electronic leash ".

[Inky261]

cool 5*

[Invalidstyrkan]

I wonder how fresh the crank sealings are.. Nice bike (and bikes) anyway, i'd kill for one! :P

[kawasakih1]

I think the right crank seal is bad...soon to be replaced !

[Invalidstyrkan]

No major drama then. =) Guess the worst part is to actually start with the job? It's like that for me hehe, i have an old 2-stroke (Rd 350) and i need to get the engine split but i just can't be arsed. Every once in a while i go out and have a look on the bike, turning the crank around a bit to keep the sleeves from rusting, thinking "Maybe i shall start working on it?" but then i go back to the computer with a cup of coffee, forgetting it again or just call it a day. =D

[Marillionado]

Man, you have my respect! Awesome collection you've got in there. And since you've taken good care of those babys, don't be a fool and sell them. You deserve to keep them, if you ask me. These aren't just bikes, those triples are alive :-)

[LockHoodlum]

You lucky bastard... that's an awesome bike you got there!

[krazed0451]

I seriously want what you have in your garage... Envy :-S

Nice collection :-)

[dynomania]

Environment ? Who needs it LOL !!

[joekz1000]

cool shoes

[joekz1000]

why wait 20 years give it to me ill ride it every day piss off your neighbors

[whiteosh]

Wow nice collection of bikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[yzfr1liter]

way to go! had the 500 back in high school. What a great era to grow up in. No internet, no cell phones, smokey two stroke kawis! Wish I still had mine.

[IhateUallman]

Fire them up??? Ride them damnit.

[rick0000122]

nice Cbx!

[generatrix999]

Peacock Grey was the Japan issue 69' H1 factroy colour. Bike was tagged- 500SS Mach III White to the US

Red in 70' floated to the US and Europe

71' Blue Gone is the 'Eguri' tank.

72' Blood Orange-US Orange-Europe

73' it was all over for the great one.

Parent's of dead/injured kids complained (my friends were one of them) about the Mach's power/handeling, lack of decent brakes. Kawasaki relented and tuned down the porting of the H motor's 73' on.

[kawasakih1]

So was Peacock grey sold to USA and in USA was it considered a 1970 ? In 1970, I knew two guys that had H1's, one had a red one and one a Peacock grey .

[kawasakih1]

Thanks!

[generatrix999]

Let's hear the 70' H1

[kawasakih1]

As soon as summer gets here, I'm going to get batteries and insurance and register them all one at a time. Then, I'm going to film and post video of each one on youtube. Thanks ! Louis

[h1aa]

Nice bikes. Do you still ride like you used to and is the gray beast a 69 or 70?

[kawasakih1]

As soon as summer gets here, I'll be firing it up and riding it ! I believe it is a 1970 H1 as engine # is 07416. Did 1970 H1's come in Peacock Grey ? I've always thought that early year 1970 motorcycles were Peacock Grey and later model 1970 H1's were Red and yet Kawasaki Recognition Manual says Peacock Greys were 1969 H1's. Louis Kranyak

[mcr5104]

I bought the first gray H1 sold in Atlanta. The dealer said it was a 70 model and he had sold the last 69 the day before. It was registered as a 70 model. The 60 and 70 were identical except for the color.

[kawasakih1]

Any idea what the serial numbers were ? Did it have the same oil pump cover as 1969 or different ? Just out of curiosity if you remember !

[yamrz500]

nice looking bikes!looks like my garage 6 yamaha rd's. 1kawasaki ELR,2 LTD's,1 purple 75 750 triple.1 yamaha 85 RZ500 two stroke V-FOUR ! video to come soon!

[kawasakih1]

Love to see that RZ 500 !

[indigoblue555]

Pleased to know your point about the 750 H2 driving compared to the 500 H1 - I recall

at the time 750 was rated as a 500 with all of

its bad points enhanced by being more powerful

and unproperly weightbalanced -

Thx and true congrats for your collection =

[2wheelmonster]

Are any of those other kawasaki's for sale

?

[kawasakih1]

Not yet but I may be selling some in the future !

[watanabehifumi]

saying -- it is -- it sells -- it is I would appreciate your favor [ association / everlasting in the future ],

[2wheelmonster]

Let me know when you want to sell them. Thanks

[watanabehifumi]

It is almost valueless although he wants to sell an inner motorbike and others,

[watanabehifumi]

It is wonderful H2 and others, let's be peevish, and maintain enduringly, it is a good thing -- good -- I appreciate

[kawasakih1]

I agree, I've always thought the Kawasaki Triples were some of the best motorcycles built. Who knows what they would have evolved to had they not been discontinued ! Louis Kranyak

[watanabehifumi]

It is remembered that the motorbike of Kawasaki's next generation was a 4-cylinder machine of the water-cooled head,