CLEANEST WIDOWMAKER! Why the 1972 Kawasaki H2 750 Mach IV Two Stroke Triple Was So Dangerous!
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Enjoy this close look at one of the most finely restored 1972 Kawasaki H2 750 two-stroke triples you will ever see. This machine was known as the “Widow Maker” for how quickly it could throw a rider off the back. This super light weight machine was the quickest of its day coming from the factory with about 75 horsepower and a top speed of 126 MPH. It boasted a 1/4 mile time of 12.30 in stock trim. It’s a true piece of history. What memories do you have of this bike, and who wants one?!
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I remember my '72 H2 vividly. Rode it for 4 years and loved every minute on it. It never lost a street race. Sold it before it killed me so I could continue to support my wife and two young kids. Mine looked as clean as the example you show here. I bought it "used" , with only 100 miles on the clock for $1200. The first owner was afraid of it, and rightly so. They were not a bike for new riders.
If you still had it, old man ;-), it'll still fight the newest models too....with the right pilot..About 25 years ago I smoked a Vmax on my water buffalo. Then I bought the Vmax. What a nice machine
Well it is called the widow maker for a reason lol
I was the owner of one of these. One night of racing it had me afraid of it...the thing slid my ass off the back so quick I didn’t know what happen...
Old Boomer here , We used to call it “The Hemi-Cuda Eater” along with the “Widow maker”
It’s unique triple sound was a Death Rattle to many muscle cars
Yup-A LOT of 427 Corvette owners went home crying 😢to mama!!
Just "Boomer" would suffice. 🍻
Ol blue would suck the headlights out of a hemi cuda.12 seconds my ass/ When you hit third the inside of your helmet was soaked,,,,with tears
@@divechart4269 🤣
I had a blue 72h2750 when I was 20 years old, I weighed about 130 lbs then and had to lean way out over the gas tank to keep the front wheel on the ground I never lost a drag race and it was a absolute rocket on the straightaways however when you got to a corner that was a different deal! Absolutely scared the crap out of you going around corners! I'm a lot older and wiser now but I still wish I had it back!
Sounds like what I suspected, a straight line rocket, light in the loafers up front under throttle, probably felt like cheating death after every ride.
I bought my 1972 H2 750 at the the young age of 16yrs old. That was 1976. I rode the bike thru high school and into my 20's, 30's and beyond. In the mid 90's I did some performance mods (like Fast by Gast pipes and such) and tried my hand in 1/4 mile racing. I quickly found that i needed wheelie bars ( as demanded by race track techs) So i had a nice titanium set made and installed them. I was able to run mid to high 10's with my combo. Then came the collector bike phase in the early 2000's. As I ramped up work hours I found my bike sitting quietly in the garage and maybe being driven once a season. I struggled for many years thinking about maybe selling it. For the first time ever I attended a classic bike event. I drew a lot of attention. Me and my bike made it to the internet and a chap from the south of France looked me up and persuaded me to sell my bike to him. That was in 2013 after some 37 yrs of ownership. I guess a person could say...I survived owning a H2 750 !
I had a 1975 750 H2. A friend of mine bought it new and I bought it from him in 1977. These bikes scared the hell out of most guys but I was used to riding dirt bikes and the first time I rode it I hit 3rd gear and pulled the front tire 2 ft. off the ground and said HELL YES. It wasn't the most comfortable bike I ever rode but it was by far the most fun. Unfortunately I needed money in 1982 and had to sell it. That's something I still regret.
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Love your comment , the H-2 was so much fun to ride , had a 1973 , and even when the Z-1 came out , and a few guys in town had them , they were scared to run against me ....... so much fun cranking it up , leaving a nice cloud of blue smoke behind me for the losers to gag on .
@@zebrabike9 Yes they were fun to ride. And anyone that was fool enough to race was left in a cloud of blue smoke. It's been almost 40 years since I had mine and I still can remember the smell and sound of that 2 stroke. I miss that rush when you roll the throttle.
It's funny talking to the youngsters about the H2 performance, they ask how much power it delivers and then wonder what the fuss is all about, BUT go down a country lane at 80 mph and the thing will be all over the road and that is without considering how you are going to stop, but very exhilarating & satisfying to ride....Let the Good Times Roll.
Mine thought me respect immediately on my first ride at 15 years old. Wow
Insanely quick and brakes as good as the Flintstones car
I had a 1973 500 and even with my motocross background, it was all I could handle. A friend of mine with zero experience bought the 750 and wrecked it within a week - spent some time in the hospital.
In the mid 70's, I had a Honda 550-4. A friend of mine bought a 750 Kawasaki Triple and let me take it for a ride. That was the most BRUTAL bike I had ever ridden! Turn the wick and hang on for dear life! What an AWESOME bike!
I rode kwaka 500 triples in the 70's and 80's, loved pulling wheelies down the road on them, lots of fun.
Owner of 500
I could get a fantastic long 2nd gear wheelie on my 750 2 stroke but I had a hard getting much of a 3rd gear wheelie. But it would pull like a bull even in 4th gear. To me it had more power than the braking system could handle.
One in my shed for about 40 years. Gets out a couple of times a week. It is an exciting ride.
Doesn't smoke so much with synthetic oil and proper adjustments.
Peace
Thirsty, Rattly, Smokey and sometimes a little unpredictable but back in the day the most fun road bike I ever owned (1973-74) Thanks for reviving great memories guys, love your channel, please keep these videos coming.
I use to ride an H-1 for transportation when I was 15. I lived in the country over ten miles from school, use to make there in seven minutes. Still own one 42 years later.
I have 2 1973 H1 500s and a project 1972 H2 in the garage as I speak. My dad was the original owner of one of my 73 500s
Had an immaculate H-1 500 with chrome chambers. Loved it. Fast. For what ever reason, on crispy cold nights it would turn into a screamer. 0 to top of the pipe in no time. Turned a corner next to a porsha with my friend on the back seat and it was on. Smoked him! Ah the memories.
if your dad rode a H1 he had balls like a bull
I had one of these in the 90’s.... I dumped it twice taking corners carefully..... Never rode a bike that was that unpredictable and haven’t since... Just crazy power
I had a 73' H2 750, it had a wild power band.
I traded up for a KZ 900, a great bike in it's time.
The H2 tried to kill me alot!
Luckily, I never dropped it, but back then it's trade in price wasn't
$45,000.00 dollars.
The KZ 900 was a mild mannered bike in comparison, but pulled
125 mph easy, without the drama! The H2 was like it was waiting to bite me.
Allen Millard made a 4 cylinder 900 and change cc two stroke ride that's in a museum today.
Keep it IN the museum!
A friend of mine had one in the late 70s and I rode it occasionally. A beast. To the best of my knowledge, the nickname "widowmaker" not so much refers to the engine characteristic - few are killed in surprise wheelies - but to the not entirely stable characteristic at high velocity. I got into high speed oscillations with it once and that was a close call.
The frame and fork just weren't as fast as the engine.
The high speed oscillation was a problem with the 500 H1 but not so much with the 750 H2. When compared to the H1, it was far more stable as the engine was moved more forward in the frame.
@@martyjohnson5859 My 1974 H 1 had the high speed wobble. Not so much on the way up but once you backed off the throttle it would start. The added steering stabilizer helped some and probably saved me more than I know.
Ohhh, ya! Now i remember that too!
Also if you went too hot into a turn (like DUH!) ... and you hit the brakes, fukker would STAND UP and go off the end of the turn!
@@fm2dmax Actually, every bike does that. It's physics: The friction between tyre and road can only transmit a certain maximum force. In a fast turn, that force is mostly cornering grip. You only have a small reserve (if any) for acceleration or braking. So if you brake, you have to reduce cornering force by going straight(er). If you force the bike to maintain its curve radius while adding brake, you exceed the maximum force transmittable to the road and tyres slip, also letting you leave the bend on a straight line, just lying on your side, this time.
Of course the better the grip, the later the fly-off. Those 70s bikes had rather narrow tyres and gave you less leeway in fast bends. A fat slick on hot asphalt will allow you to either take the bend faster, or brake without going straight, but even that will not allow both at the same time. So if you're coming in hot, you'll better be sure that you can finish the turn at the current speed.
I had the H2 750 triple WITH tuned pipes ported and polished. I sold it after I knocked 2nd gear out. This death trap almost went over backwards at 90. What a ride it was back in the day,,, and still even today
I've had mine since 1975. Traded my 1970 383 Magnum Plum Purple Super Bee for it plus $500. I'd like to have the car back! Never lost a street drag with the bike. Best run was against a 454 Corvette. We were stopped at a red light on a Saturday morning. The guy looked like a father with his 8-9 year old daughter, maybe his visitation rights? At first I thought to let him win to impress the daughter. Then he challenged me by revving that 454. Challenge accepted. Light turned green and we took off up a hill/bridge over the Hudson River going into Troy, NY from Watervliet. At the top of the hill I was at about 80, he was half way up the hill. Fun bike! Just starting too restore it.
My dad had a triple 750 back when he was younger, he always told me crazy stories about it.
Two stories when I was a young Sailor in the late 70's and early 80's. My LPO AT1 Bogan bought one for a couple of hundred dollars and would drive it to the El Centro Airfield. This was my first knowledge of them. The second was while I was doing Navy Reserves at Point Mugu. One of our AT1's worked for a company which made printers, somewhere around Northridge CA. They needed a part and the plant in Palmdale had the part. One worker volunteered to go and another offered to let him use his motorcycle. The owner warned the guy not to quickly open the throttle while at speed. He went and got the part and upon return, the motorcycle owner asked him how he liked his bike. The guy told him it was a really peppy bike. He then came and confessed to the AT1 Reservist the bike scared the crap out of him. He told the AT1 he was driving at the intersection of the 5 and 14 freeways and popped the throttle open at 55MPH and was instantly looking at the sky trying to get the front end back on the ground. He thought he was going to flip in the middle of traffic in the convergence zone of the 5 and 14.
Sometime around 1975 I was passing by a gas station on my RD350 and noticed an H2 with a for sale sign. Stopped in and fed the owner a line about trading up. He gave me the keys and I immediately took the highway on ramp to check the acceleration. It was terrifying and I didn't get close to redline. Brought it back and told him I'd think about it. Sorta wish I'd done the deal.
I had one of these! it was bored 3rd over full port and polish too! it was unbeatable horribly fast !!
OH you bet they are. Not called widowmaker for nothing, They were insanely quick and had that two stroke power band. Oh yeah man. Good times!!
BS video. You never covered the quirks of this nasty rocket. I had one and this was a bike you HAD to ride correctly. It was the nastiest bike I ever owned and the one I still love today. Wish I still had it.
..i owned one , broke rhe chain twice, Needed FUEL every 30 kilometres..lol
@@MichaelRoosendaal Didn't break the chain, but did torque the rear sprocket so hard that it pulled the axle and lock nut loose and then snapped the tensioner in the process. Suddenly the bike seemed to want to go sideways. Much like it did in a hard turn anyhow. And I do recall getting better mileage from my car at the time as well.
I don't know. It had performance. You just had to know how to use it. It had a better spread of power, better handling and brakes than the H1. Definitely quicker point to point but the H1 was actually sweeter. Certainly sounded great!
@@humandroid53 - No the 1974 H1 500 cornered better - it had stronger bracing under the tank
leading to the fork tree.
I could never drag race my H2 750 as I couldn't keep the front wheel down.
It would power wheelie at 150 km/hr when I had expansion chambers on it.
They wouldn't hold a chosen line in a fast corner as the frame would bend.
Even a modern rider today would have to be careful
not to kill himself on one of those H2 750s.
AGREED! I'm pretty sure the term "Crotch Rocket" was invented ti desceibe THESE TRIPLES!
KINDA like riding a BOMB.
I upgraded into a 72 H2 from a 100 cc yamaha dirt bike. My best friend had one and we drove them all of high school. Great fun. HOWEVER, PLEASE BE AWARE - There was a defect in the stock carbs, where they would snap all the way open, and stay open, usually 20 minutes or so after you started it in cold weather. No kill switch. Runaway, very unfortunate on this bike. There was also a problem with the front fork coming apart when the wheel was off the ground. We bought ours second hand, but Kawasaki tracked both of us down, and replaced the carbs and the forks. Also, the other comment mentioned the flexible frame, and both of them vibrated really bad at 105 mph, but you could get through it, and it settled down. Some people put a hydraulic stabilizer on the forks, but I never did. Not sure it helped.
500 was the widow because it was powerful and handled like shit
I always thought the widow maker was the early H1 500cc model triple, so much so they fitted a steering damper to it to stop tank slap.
You are mostly correct, but the "Hinge on the Middle" on the early H1's was from the pogo stick shocks, and Plastic swing arm bushings that all wore out within 1000 mi. The steering damper, when set on hard, would actually accentuate the wobble/tank slapper.
Friend of mine had one with two steering dampers on it. Inevitably he crashed it. The lads with him discovered him in the middle of a wheat field, but no sign of the bike. They could see where the bike had impacted the road, but after combing the hedges they happened to look up and found what was left of it stuck in the branches of a large tree.
I had an H2 years ago
I ported the heads myself
Made expansion chambers
And built a custom swingarm
I drag raced it around Seattle
In the 90's
It was not comfortable to ride
I had it on struts and lowered the front .
I surprised a whole lot of people with it
Very cool. Do you have any pics?
@@cycledrag
Maybe somewhere i might
Wasn't big on tech stuff back then
If I couldn't drink it or smoke it I didn't have much use for it..... If ya know what I mean
How does one "port" a 2 stroke head?
That is cool. I did almost the exact same thing, swingarm, (8" extension) chambers, only I raked the front end out like a chopper. Reworked the rear wheel retainers and put a harley spoke rim and a volkswagon continental car tire on it. Used to pour bleach on the road and do burnouts. Big plumes of white smoke. Fun, fun, fun. (but I was young, lol)
@@moparerrnocar You don't. And "Milling" the heads for more compression isn't something you do either. That's 4 stroke territory. Even then you have to know what you are doing.
You can reshape the "Squish Band(s)" and "CC" the heads but it's the cylinder's ports, that are matched and reshaped higher (to change the port timing) that do the best improvements to a piston port 2 stroke. If you don't match the expansion chambers to the porting though, all that work will be for nothing.
I can tell you how they rode and felt on the street and dragstrip. The engine overpowered the frame big-time. You could get 30mpg out of it unless you rode it hard then it would get about 2mpg. Mine was a 1975 that I bought off showroom floor in 1977. Dealer tried hard to talk me out of it. $1750.00 and out the door. Most people wiped out because they held themselves on by the handlebars. In '75 they built them with a 2 inch longer swingarm to control the wheelies. High speed power runs on curves they would wobble around in the rear. First motorcycle I ever owned! Smoked the clutch doing power take-offs, had to machine clutch to add more plates and heavier springs. Even though I rode it for six years street and strip sometimes it would hit the power band at full throttle and scare the beejesus out of you. Wound up with unmuffled racing expansion chambers on it. Scared anybody around and sounded WAY loud. XS11, GSX, CBX didn't have a chance against me. Did 6.90's in the eighth with wheelie bar and street K291's on it.
I had an H2 from 1974 to 1980. It was very reliable. I drove it to work every day that it didn't rain from April to November. I did a few mods and changes; better rear shocks, top line Michelins, plastic front fender, no side covers, flat bars and a bunch of other stuff. Can't remember everything, I'm 70 now. It was a thrill to power slide it, both feet on the pegs, going around highway entrance ramps. The only quirk I found it did was, it would flex when leaned over on moderate speed left hand turns when you pulled a good handfull of throttle. An after-market swing-arm and new damper shock fixed that. It was a totally different from the Norton P11A that I owned prior to the H2. Although this video doesn't explain why, technically, it was so dangerous, it's nice to see a restored H2. The person doing the talking in this video says the H2 has a wicked power band, he obviously never drove an early H1. Enjoy.
I had 3 of this. I tuned one up to 10 000 rpm, had to put an extra hardend chain on, extra clutch plate, bigger jets, fine balance crankshaft, to compensate vibration. Unfortunately the tank lastet only 75 miles. So I sold it. The unlucky buyer killed himself flipping the bike over on a traffic light, I felt realy bad. In normal condition they were fun.
My best friend had 2 of these. 1 was bone stock, and the other 1 was wicked fast. Even his 6 cylinder CBX couldn't beat it.
I had a '72 . Modded with over-sized mikuni carbs and expansion chambers. My friends called it the "rocket". What a blast !!!
I had a 71 H1 500 in 1975 and a 72 H2 750 in 1976 - good times, my H2 had the original Blue paint just like the featured bike !
Hiya CycleDrag,
good channel I've just been turned on to. You have a New Subscriber already.
And this bike is part of my racing history. I bought my first H1D 500 triple New in 1973. I road raced and drag raced it for a handful of years (with decent success; 2nd in 500GP at Ontario Motor Speedway was one of my best finishes), and then bought and built that 1972 H2 to go road racing here in So. Cal.
I raced it against bikes "8" years newer. I ran 18 races that year, managed to get x2 podiums and finished well into the top Ten (7th) ,out of about 25 bikes in class.
SO, much fun.
As an FYI:
Bone stock, triples had a 45/55 rear weight bias, a sit up and beg handlebar and a 2 stage power band. You wonder why the did wheelies?
Kawasaki couldn't spell the word "dampening", let alone build shocks that worked better than the Pogo Sticks they put on stock. Install some proper Gas shocks, Bronze swing arm bushings, tapered steering head roller bearings and a modest rise/Superbike Handlebar, and the bike will work pretty well. Add a 18" front wheel, Dual discs, Brace and triangulate the frame and rework the fork spring rate and damping rods and you had a bike that worked. I did that and proved it.
I road raced up until the mid 80's, then I restored triples from 1990 to 2010.
That's looks like a nicely turned out 72 H2.
$14K is cheap for that bike. It takes at least $8-10+K just to restore it without counting the labor or having the donor to build.
Ride safe and have fun.
If you see this comment in the present day (7-20-2022), I just spoke with a guy who has one he will probably see for the right/decent price.
Give me a call and I'll see if we can make the connection.
cheers
Boots Langley
La Mesa, Ca
619-466-7298
I owned one when I was in the USAF in George AFB, Victorville CA about 4 decades ago. What a screamer. I loved the sound of that smoker.
I owned a modified version of this bike. I found a 500, complete bike, but the crank was twisted apart. As luck would have it a friend had the 750 H2 engine. Bolted right up! Had the swingarm extended eight inches, to keep the front end down. Installed a 15" harley wire spoke rim, and volkswagon continental fat tire on the rear. Raked the front end to give it a "sweeped" look. 3 aftermarked two stroke chambers to replace stock exhaust. After a re-tune, this bike would clock a quarter mile between 10.5 and 11. Back in the day nothing could touch it, and because of the mods, the front end would stayed down. Much fun!
1973 Massachusetts lowered the drinking age to 18 . The same year my friend bought a used 72' H2 Kawasaki. Unfortunately that proved to be a lethal combination for him. RIP Glen F.
I was 20 years old newly married and I cashed in a whole life insurance policy my parents bought me when I was born. Next stop Wilson Triumph Kawasaki in Fresno, CA to pay cash for new 1971 Iconic Blue Kawasaki H1 500. Coming from a 125 Yamaha I thought I died and went to heaven. Forty nine years later I still have the wife and wish I still had the bike too.
OMG i miss my 1974 Green H2 she and the purple one are my favorite , in 1979 i was 18 years young and got my green h2 we loved the so cal PCH and Hwy 1 so much fun times :) God i wish i had her Now at 61 years young !! :)
1972, I was in the USAF and was 21 years old. Knew what I wanted and went to the Kawasaki dealer in OKC. $1200 and drove off with one of these beauties. Forearm muscles got toned up in a hurry with it. Oh how I loved the H2. Not surprised at their value now. Love the video and rattling the gray matter. What memories!!!
I had one of those in the 70's. It was a great bike and I rode it all over Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. It was a street racing beast, but it would get sideways in a heartbeat, if you were too eager with the throttle. Like an idiot, I sold mine. Wish I had it back.
Yes, I had one! It replaced my Kawasaki 500 H1 Triple. Both bikes were wicked quick! No other bikes of that era could touch either one of them. I remember how many Harley and Triumph riders I surprised with both bikes! The only time I lost a race is when I missed a gear. Other than that, I was undefeated!
The method to stop it from wheelstanding was to lean way forward with my chin between the tach and speedometer. I was so far forward on the seat that I was almost sitting on the tank. I'd rev it, pop the clutch, and the rear wheel would break loose a bit laying a patch as the bike launched forward. By then, the opposing bike was already left behind choking in the wake of my two-stroke smoke! Ahhhh.... good times, for sure!
I had a 1969 mach 111 500 that I had a full rebuild done to it with porting and polish and stinger pipes, this bike would pull you off the handlebars and accelerate so fast that with the drum brakes you would fly through the red street lights with no way to stop, you just skid through them, hence the widowmaker caption of these bikes, back in the 60's through the 90's there was zero competition untill the susukie gs 1150E came out and I only lost that race because I pushed too hard and missed 4th gear, and snapped my crank, but I was neck to neck with this guy when it happened, ha ha.
I had one .. yeah, very fast in a straight line .. my RD350 was faster in the twisties though .. in spite of doing tons of work stiffening the frame & reworking front end & putting on good shocks on the rear ... it just never handled well in the mountains
Well I'm restoring a barn find I got about four months ago, 72 H2, three engines with it, one is ported to the hilt, we'll see what she'll do in about 6 months I hope.
A friend from high school convinced me to buy his H2 and he bought a Norton 750. We had a lot of great cruises in So California, including a trip to the Bay area. I later sold it and bought a used Kawasaki 900 - and it was a mere bling behind the H2.
Back in the day, the H2 was very fast and had one hell of a snap with an amazing power band. Definitely not good in turns, but a real screamer.
I had 500 1971 bored it out added Teflon impregnated rings and was beating snot out 750. It was beginning of name crouch rocket. Having road since I was 12 years old. I got it at 18 while in Marines. Nothing including new 900 4 stroke touched me on it. Folks swore I litterly would blur out when I hit power range.
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I had two of these back in the day. Both 72 models, loved them. Beautiful and fun.
i bought a new 1977 RD 400 Yamaha. work of art!
RD's were NAST-EEE
I had that year! Much tamer than the widowmaker but i could still lay a black stripe thru 3 gears AND a wheelie! The triple didn't buzz my hands so bad, that part was nice.
@@audieconrad8995 My '77 RD400 felt sooo CIVILISED after struggling to stay alive on my Kawi 3 cylinder 400.
That Triple really WAS a "widowmaker"!
@@fm2dmax agreed!
Still have a 1972. Not as clean as the one in the video, but still bone stock. Yea they were fast :))
Two strokes have their place but I always liked the sound of four strokes better. 👍👍👍
My father has one. Bought it brand new. It has sat in my grandmother's garage my whole lifetime. I want to restore it and ride it so bad.
When the 500 come out it was a fastest stock bike on the road
Im a die hard suzuki guy with e gen 1 busa but id love to own one of these!
Suzuki had the water buffalo. Their equivalent to the widowmaker.
What year would you pick?
@@benhawke7231 Yes indeed. Very impressive bike as well. Did you have one?
@@cycledrag
I could only dream.
@@cycledrag Loved mine when it was dumb teen stupidity , crashed my 1974 Green H2 at 19 years young :( :) still want another one
My neighbor had one...could wheely in third gear! Amazing bike.
I had a 72 S2 350 cc.
I was the first owner.
The 3rd owner died on it.
Walked into a junkyard looking for a mirror last week and on the way out I noticed this bikes twin sitting in a junk pile. I went inside and asked about it before even looking at it, someone had just scraped it out and it almost went to the chipper. The junkyard paid $25 for it with the title. I got it for $400 and sold it a few hours later for a hefty sum!
I still have one of those in exactly that paint, bought from a guy who it scared the shit out of with less than 8000 miles, It is sitting in my garage now yes in need of restoration but it’s all there, and I wouldn’t say it was ever “nimble or light” the KH500 maybe but not the H2
Send it to me please.
I have a 72, 73 and a 74.
So, you are one owner who knows how the longer wheelbase later models were a better ride in many respects. Old time Kawasaki mechanic here, started with a dealer for them in '67, rode and serviced many H-1s, H-2s. etc. over the years.
Closest thing to it was the original V-Max when the tachometer swung past 6000 and the carb connections opened up.
I had H2 in 1972 and loved it. I took it "Production Racing" in the UK (Street Class?)
It was totally standard and could touch the engine casings on the ground while cornering. The way it handled just suited the way l rode back then. I often took it into the "Unlimited Class" for extra track time and would finish in the top ten and sometimes in the top five. I would turn on the lights on the last lap just to rub it in how standard it was. Fantastic machine.
I had a 1973 Mach 4 750 and yeah that bike was not only a lot of fun but it was the bike which made you of motorcycle enthusiasts real experienced riders because one mistake alone could be your last mistake! It really separated men from boys! I did 28000 miles on it and heck yeah I would love to have one again but this time as a second bike beside my Harley Panhead!
Suzuki gt750 water buffalo that was one bad boy also don't play that thing cheap😁👀👀
I'll do a feature on that too. Stay tuned. Thanks for the feedback. Please subscribe and get some of your moto friends to do the same. Lots more coming!
@@cycledrag I subscribe I love what you're doing going back and doing the old school stuff Thanks for the Memories
@@thomasreyes2857 More coming. Thank you for your comment and thank you for subscribing. Please check out my latest videos and please get as many friends as you can to subscribe as well. All motorcycle speed freaks are welcome here! Thanks
I have a 74 water b.
I had a water buffalo! Smoooth ride, a bit too heavy to be a crotch rocket but still plenty fast.
I blew the engine at 127mph in a turn!
That water buffalo was the only 2 stroke i ever owned that i couldbjust let the clutch out at IDLE and it would take off like my diesel torque.
Fascinating combination fo 2 stroke power yet still had torque.
I had one, traded a GT500 Suzuki for it, the Suzuki had seized & I broke it loose just before trading it away. The H2 had a hole punched in the side-case from being dropped, easy fix. It had chambers so it sounded non-stock. I tried to tour it on a long ride, big mistake, the vibration numbed you out. The trip had me riding East on I-84 up the Columbia Gorge...into a 25+mph headwind, in top gear a wind-gust would start slowing you down as the engine had insufficient torque...so there I was, rowing the gears up & down for the whole of the windy sections, miles on end. It would have been fine if there was no wind, but the non-existent torque couldn't hold the gear.
Man I bet you wish you still had it.
@@cycledrag Wish I still had it? Yes & no...as you might have guessed, I had several bikes after that...as far as a classic bike I'd like to have?, a 1985 GS 1150E...that old H2s' only truly unique thing was its exhaust-note at part throttle, everything else was just too crude, remember the saying?, "Don't meet your heroes"...you will likely be disappointed.
@@AndieBlack13 They are certainly crude compared to a Z/KZ1000 of only a few years later. I understand the nostalgia, but IMO there is no way they are worth the prices they go for now, much as I'd like one my Suzuki GT500 has to satisfy the "2 stroke itch" in my collection. The KH750's were quick in their day and filled a niche, but don't make for a particularly rideable vintage bike and with values as they are it would be hard to justify riding one, putting miles on it. Had they not been so fast at the time they were released they would have pretty much been forgotten now, wonderful as they are.
I'm scratching my head trying to figure if you are talking about a Kaw H2. I rode mine for 4 years and loved it. Can't recall anytime it couldn't handle hills or headwinds, come hell or high water. Only problem with torque was it had too damn much. I remember mine being fairly smooth running at all power levels except idle. Sounds like yours may have been damaged when it got dropped.
My father had one when I was a kid in like 1983. He used to rip wheelies with me sitting on the tank in front of him. His best time on the track in Englishtown nj was like a 9.2 in the 1/4 mile. Dont remember the speed he got exactly but i believe it was around 142. Cool bike I'm a Harley guy but would like to find a h2 just cause
There is no way a H2 that you could ride on the streets do a 9.2. The Mach 4 was a 12 second flat Stock Motorcycle. stock class NHRA record was 11:81 , the stock class ahra record 11:86. you have no clue what a low 9 second quarter mile is. I used to drag race my H1 and my H2. I broke 12 seconds just one time at 11:98. that's a couple of seconds faster been any Harley you've ever been on
@@jackhammer111 hey buddy I got the notification you replied to my comment. I am in no way shape or form disputing displacement or compression ratio. All I was saying is my father had one that he worked to death. And yes it was a bike that he rode on the street and track. I dont remember the exact times he ran on the track because in 83 I was 3 and don't have the papers from his runs. Thats like saying I can't make my f250 6.8 v10 run high to mid 9's. I absolutely can but won't. Like I said I was a kid but I do remember him running a 9.2 on a worked bike in the 80's
Under full power the frame would wiggle. Mine did a 10.83 at Hollywood in Florida. Good pipes and a re-jet and two extra teeth on the rear sprocket made a 1.2 second difference. Boca John was proud, he helped with the mods.
I had a 73 with denco king cobra porting and expansion chambers. It would straighten your arms out.
Been looking for one for 3 years.
I wouldn't compare a KH to a Hayabusa. The 'Busa is a kitten to ride compared to KHs. Busas have very good slow traffic manners, and are excellent all-day tourers; sure they go like stink, but are aerodynamically brilliant. The brakes on a 'Busa are superb and the chassis doesn't throw a wobbly under acceleration like the KHs.
I'd sooner compare the KH to a V-max than a Hayabusa.
My uncle had one long ago. Unfortunatly the guy he sold it to did die riding it. A true widowmaker.
Had a 500 back in the day.power came on like a hammer...clutch couldnt hold the power...Loved it
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I had a Kawasaki 400 two stroke triple cylinder when I got out of the USMC; mine was the green machine. Used to get plenty of tickets when I'd do wheelies at red lights. I got mine in either '73 or '74. Loved it til I sold it just before it quit running. I totaled a 750 2 stroke triple when I was in the USMC. I traded my MG-B with a friend, Jim, who wanted my car for a date. All he had was that Kaw and I totaled it while he had my MG-B. That H2 was a torque monster. I used to ride behind Jim and we would leave Cherry Point on one wheel. Jim could ride better on one wheel than most could on two. We'd ride like that on one wheel for 12 miles down to Morehead City, NC. Just wish I'd kept up with Jim after my hitch in the Corps.
@Sally Hillal Yep, ain't that the truth!
I cannot believe that Bob Carpenter isn't mentioned in the history of h2 750 pro stock racing. He was THE MAN!
very fast bike
Kool, I grew up with RD 400 and H2 750. I have a few RD's. sold my H2 15 years ago, something i wish I never did. Well, a month ago found a 1972 H2 750 in a barn, Been sitting for 20 years. Well I brought it!!
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@@cycledrag I do know of one for sale, the guy wants 2500. The bottom end needs rebuilt plus the Frame has been modified.
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Beautiful H2!!! Love all your 2 stroke videos! Drop a line if you're ever in upstate NY. I'm 10min outside Buffalo
Well, I had one, bought brand new in 72 in Columbus, Ohio, had it 13 years and rode it everywhere, it was the bike to have.. Had every nut and bolt chromed, side covers were buffed out Aluminium, engine ported and polished out to 100hp, Denco expansion chambers, Carbs. were 4 sizes larger than stock, what the hell can I say, had to sell it in the 80's, the guy that got this one, got a gem, I wish I had it back, been trying to track it down to see if it was still running... There you have it... If you know how to run down an old vin#, let me know... brucewcowie@sbcglobal.net.
Had a 74 model bought from another solider who just came back from Germany. Paid 400 bucks for it and kept it for 5 or 6 years. Had the motor modified, bored, ported, different squeeze band cut into the heads, removed oil pump and pre-mixed Bel-Ray racing oil, expansion chambers...very rarely lost a drag race in the 1/4, never in the 1/8. Wheelie bars were a must!! Gave it to ex-brother-in-law, wish I had kept it. Beautiful
I HAD THIS EXACT SAME BIKE , SAME COLOUR AND YOU ALREADY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD , IT WAS A JOKE BLOWING AWAY CARS, BIKES , THE POWER BAND WAS OFF THE CHARTS , YOU SERIOUSLY HAD TO HOLD ON TO THE BARS TIGHT !! WHAT A FLOCKING RUSH IT WAS , I'D LET GUYS THAT THOUGHT THEY NEW FAST RIDE IT IN THE Sears parking lot lol , it always freaked em out lol' it was a straight liner , not a road bike , very heavy, and wobble any time it felt like it from 70-90 mph Sorry I ever sold it and yes it was know as the Widow Maker to those that new bikes back then , H2 750 Triple a very very very Special bike...I miss it and the only best sounding motorcycle EVER !!!!
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I had the 400cc version ... same characteristics! I thought it *WAS* a "widowmaker"! I wrecked mine like 3 or 4 times bc it had, as you said, a WICKED power band! First time i hit that band it literally took the helmet and my glasses off my head!
Next time i was delivering newspapers and i was jalf asleep ... ooops. Ya di NOT want to be sleepy on this thing bc it WILL wake you up RUDELY! I came into this one turn too hot (ya, like normal for these!) .. aaand bitbthe brakes... of faaaawwwkk ... it STOOD UP! I DENTED the tank shoving my knee into the side trying to get back into the turn, to NO AVAIL ... it went right off tje end of turn, thru a shrub row... across a yard and thru a SECOND hedgerow! Owww my knuckles!
3rd time i was coming off an offramp, just started raining so thay mousse of oil popped up as it does in a misting drizzle after a drought of unwashed oil develops ... as the offramp got to that point where you accelarate again, oooops... i was *just* below that wicked power band at like 3300 rpm, cracked the throttle, up 100 RPM and BAM!
As Picard would say , "Engage" ....
But alas, more like when the Millennium Falcon failed to jump except in THIS case it was the tail coming 'round
... aaaand RIGHT off the side of the offramp!
And airborne bc there was a ditch between that oart ofbthe offramp and the next segment of highway!
So, after thise 3 experiences ... when the nighborhood bully showed uo desperate for a motorbike for some emergency ... heheheheee... oh, i had to hide the wicked grin as i (gladly tho of course I feigned fear) handed him the keys to ... THE WIDOWMAKER!
I wouldbhave considered it a service to himanitybofbibheard he wrapped it around a semi or pole, but, he returned ... SHAKING LIKE A LEAF AND NO BLOOD LEFT IN HIS FACE
He was VISIBLY shaking as he handed the keys back to me (disappointment the bike was not even dented (more)!!)
He DEFINITELY showed me a lot of repect the next day i pulled up at school on that thiing!
Then again, I was nicknamed "Mad Max" that same year as the movie ofbtje same name, no, not bc my name is Maxwell, but bc Ibhad a head on collision on my XS400 and a lincoln, much like at the end of the movie.
Except I obviously lived.
Now I have cancer ... obviously that widowmaker claimed several of my 9 lives!
I was proud owner of a H1 B- 72. Bought it 1973 and kept it for 25 years, Am I the only guy who survived that long time of ownership? BUT I wasent satisfied with the (extrem) power so I converted it into a H1-R with parts from "Arlington motor sports". 34mm Mikuni, 550 cc pistons, roll bearing crank, expansionchambers, H1-R ported cylinders. Dual front disc, All parts inside gearbox hard chromed but it still dident stand the power, I broke 3 cranks right of and seven 2 gears in one season,, WOW those where the days,, :0) ( I was never beaten on a redlight race),,
Stop! First The 1972 750 H2 Is Not "The Widow Maker " 😡 The First Super Bike Was The 1969 H1 500 Bridgeport That Was Called The " Widow Maker" ✅ Just to Keep The Facts and History Accurate... Don't Forget the Name " Pete Grasselli " RIP Ultralight Record Holder The Original King of The Kawasaki H2 750 Reynoldsburg Ohio
My stepdad had a purple ,predominantly fiberglass 750,his brother had z-1. Kawee 900 The widowmaker would hold its own against z1both are fast And quick.. I get ride from, them, hold onto their beltloops for dear life,...0to 90 in 3 seconds ..........AWESOME!!! At 11 years old.
Yes I did. Miss it. Ran this in the Boston/Waltham MA, in the mid 70,s early 80,s. I was born 1951, Rt. 128, 146, 2 even took it to RI 95. After a long ride you vibrated along with body parts numb. Like some gabbing you by your belt and yanking you off the back,. Turns, I stood on the pegs to force the lean into the turns. love this bike!
Had one in '77 - '79 wish I still had it. Cut my teeth on Yamaha YR5 350 and Kawasaki S2 350. I was 19 when I bought it and by then I could handle it. Great fun through gears 1,2 and 3 as it lifted front wheel on each gear change especially with a scared pillion. Had a 3 in 1 expansion pipe and it sounded gorgeous. Oh how I wish I still had it. If you never rode one youll never realise the sheer brutality of the H2 Triple
In 1982 I was 16 years old and bought my first street bike. It was a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 900. When I brought it home my dad, who is not a fan of motorcycles, went ballistic. He said you will get rid of that bike even if you have to give it away!
Needless to say that bike was sold to a friend that day. I then asked my father if we could negotiate a smaller motorcycle. He mentioned we would take it on a case-by-case basis.
I located a motorcycle and sat down with my father to discuss it. I told him it was not a 900 cc but a smaller bike at only 750 cc and that it was not a four-cylinder but only a three cylinder. He agreed and that is when I got my first 1973 Kawasaki H2 750. I still have it to this day.
Damon Kirkland, RIP, used to rebuild my crankshafts for me. I mentioned to him one day that I would be interested in buying his tooling should he ever decide to sell. Long story short is I now rebuild these crankshafts and have been doing it since 2010 and still love every minute of it! Kawasaki Triples have changed my life!
A friend let me ride his new KH400 triple back in 1977. He rode his older brothers KH500 triple. I was 18 and had very little experience riding a motorcycle - especially on the street. After a couple hours cruising the streets of Northern VA, I decided to get cocky and twist full throttle from a roll in 1st gear. It seemed mild enough for about a second until that 2-stroke hit it's power band and it came ALIVE. It caught me totally off-guard, and I was faced with the decision of either letting go of the throttle and coming off the back of the bike, or holding on until the power peaked and hope I hadn't hurt the motor. I managed to hang on, but let me tell you, even the small 400 triple was plenty quick with a 140lb. rider on it. What a blast.
When I win the Lottery, my mission will be to hunt down, and buy back, my long lost purple 1976 Kawasaki H2C 750 Triple (UK machine, not an Import)! I'm sure it's still out there, somewhere.
I cannot now remember the Registration, and none of my photographs show the plate. I do know the numerals added up to 13, which may have been a sign!
I absolutely loved that bike, and should never have sold it. Full disclosure, it did nearly kill me! Funnily enough. The total cost was 11 broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a badly broken leg, a prodigious bang on the head, several pints of blood lost, a gap in my memory, and many surgical operations to put me back together including bone grafts, pins and plates. My body also wrote off a VW Golf car when I ended up stuck in the front of it, the H2C on the other hand, went off gardening into a hedge and missed the Golf entirely!
Obviously I got back on it some months later when out of Hospital, shame not to.
The H2C had brutal and yet awesome acceleration, easily capable of pure power wheelies in the first 3 gears, and yet despite the reputation, I found that it handled really well solo if below 90 mph.
Above 90 mph, and all bets were off.
Especially on long sweeping off-camber bends taken at max chat. Unless you have had a tank slapper on an H2, and survived, you haven't lived! But, once bitten, you could predict them and stop them. The first time is the key. Live through that and, if switched on, you will then know when it's about to let rip the next time, and there will always be a next time.
But solo and under 90 mph, the H2C handled, and could really be thrown around. Nothing else came close, it was the fastest thing one could buy. But a real Jekyll & Hyde character. Sweet as a kitten if bimbling around, but a complete lunatic when let off the lead.
Oddly, two up, the H2 also handled fine even at speed. The extra weight on the back settled things down, and seemed to stop the over long and thin swing arm from inducing steering oscillations. Mine only had the one Steering Damper, but I know many fitted a second one. Not sure if that was a good idea, because you needed to know when it was going to start misbehaving, and too much damping I think could mask that until it's too late.
Mine had an H2R Clutch using, I think, valve springs from a Z1B. So the clutch was seriously heavy, so felt more like a brake than a clutch. Needed huge hand strength to use it, but it handled the power and never once slipped.
I picked mine up from Yorkshire, and then rode it back home to Essex. As luck would have it, I had just had my left arm taken out of plaster, so temporarily had no hand strength! So I had to ride back using the clutch with my whole arm! That was fun!
Fuel consumption was the other bit of fun, and I soon ate the first tank of fuel, then the second. I was having so much fun that I soon went on Reserve again. By then it was the early hours, and I found a new problem: there were no fuel stations open!
So, I had a long spell riding the H2C like a moped, desperately trying to keep it going on the fumes left in the tank! Eventually I got to Harlow, found a garage, filled up, and shot down the M11...and went on to Reserve yet again before I even got to the end of it! I just about had enough fuel left to pop a monster wheelie past Quick Snacks, and then made it home before I ran out of fuel yet again.
The H2C was a big machine, bigger than many realise. It just looks like a 250 from a distance, until you get up close and realise it's something else entirely.
Many who came up behind the H2 at traffic lights, would often mistake it for a 250, that's until they noticed the engine sticks out a bit too far either side!
I rode mine hard, and paid the price a few times. But, it was, by far, my most memorable machine. Always a huge thrill to fire it up, listen to the deep triple sound at tick over, and then take it out for a sound thrashing. Each time I always pondered for a second if that was to be my last day alive. More because I could not be trusted to behave, and that was compounded by the fact that the H2C was always willing to lead me astray. A very bad combination.
Pulling away cold, the H2C was always a little stifled initially, that's until I got to open it up and clear the oil off the plugs taking revs into the red. That always left an enormous cloud of white smoke, one that initially had at its centre a belching growling thing, until everything came on song, and then a howling projectile shot out from the middle. That was the H2C firing on all cylinders and departing its smoke screen at speed. It really was epic, and always confused the hell out of other road users, terrified old ladies and all those of a nervous disposition.
I traded up to a Rickman Kawasaki Z1B Yoshimura, which was a different machine entirely, enormous mid-range acceleration and much faster top end (155 mph+), and handled like a complete dream, but that just did not have the 0-60 mph acceleration and killer streak of the H2C. I missed that, but one bonus is I am still alive some 45 years later!
But I now limp a bit. Well, quite a lot actually.
It did 12 second quarter mile stock & then I put Denco Expansion Chambers on it and ended up flipping it on a wheely in 3rd gear going 60mph + and I went END over END as I let it go and only ran two steps before my feet as grabbed the pavement and i flipped completely in a circle and came down on my butt for major road / ASS rash and it hit the side case so hard it bent crank and totaled the bike out.
that was it/ it was over end.
of story.
goodbye 1972 H2 Kawasaki 750cc
TRUE story couldn't make that on up as it was the power band that did it and it came right off the ground in first, second and third year without even losing the clutch.
My next bike was the 1985 Kawasaki 900cc Eliminator / color Red.
Also slid that one down the freeway at 60 + mph as well 🇺🇸
I have a Denco H2B and it's a survivor with original paint. I've always wanted a 72 though for good measure.
Never had the privilege of owning the 750 but had two of it's little brothers, the 350 and 500. Both were crazy fun, even the 350 but handling was something that other bikes did, lol. Super simple, smokey, loud and massive fun.
I had a 500 Kwakka in the 70,s. Ported it, polished the ports, blue printed with expansion boxes. Revved to 13,000 rpm. Dynamite in a straight line, hinges for a swing arm in the bends. The only motorcycle that overtook me ever was Ducati 900 Desmond super sport .
I had a 500 three-cylinder two-stroke but all the guys I rode with, rode 750's. Never had a problem keeping up with them. We all took great joy in dusting other bikes or what were the supercars of the day, like Maseratti and Ferrari or even Lamborghini. My all-time fav was when my buddy punched his Honda 750 out to a 900 because he was tired of getting his ass kicked by all the 2-strokes. I still kicked his ass on my little 500! Sorry, Rich. Calling these bikes "widowmakers" was accurate, it was like trying to ride a hinged camel. I had a buddy who rode a Yahama he had turned into a Cafe Racer, really pretty but not very fast. What he told me was that all the Kawasaki riders were referred to as "the quick and the dead"!
5 guys and myself all had 750 s when we left work at midnight balls to the wall it was the attack of the killer bee's
I had a first year H2E w/denco pipes and wiseco pistons, like you said, it was a handful. The first time I rode it I nearly went off the back of the seat. It was so light and flimsy and super pipy, if I remember right the H2E was 115hp out of the showroom? I know Kawasaki backed them down several horses the following year. If you didn't know what you were doing it would stand up on you in a heartbeat whether you were at 45mph or 90mph.
We made aluminum bushings for the swingarm. Tamed it's handling a bit. Added 40mm Carbs with reed valves and a set of expansion chambers. I rode on the back of my friends out to the dragstrip every weekend all season long 1978 or 79. Toolbox under one arm and wheelie bars and struts under the other. Ran somewhat (For a two stroke!) consistent low 10s at Portland International Speedway. Afterwards we would put the shocks back on and ride it back home! My friend's name was Steve Wilson but we called him "Stoner" make of that what you will. lol
I had a’75 H-2 in burgundy. Bill Werges expansion chambers and tricked carbs. Quicker throttle response than a chainsaw! My friends said it sounded like “ring-ding-ding” going down the road because they could never hear it from the front….I was always leaving them in the dust.
favorite year ,favorite color .
I had one and I was 17. Started rebuilding it. Found a little company called western two cycle in BC. Ask the old owner if he could help me out with some porting. He said “sure young man send me your top end pistons included”. I did. He called me back laughing and said what happened to your cylinders? (I had tried to clean up the ports myself being you g eager and stupid). I told him it was me. Well he said “that’s okay son, I will send you some stuff I got here and you let me know how it goes”. Few days later I got the parts, pistons, heads and cylinders. Did not think much of it. Put it all together with my expansion chambers I had bought from him earlier and reworked carbs. Well.....it would wheelie in 4 at 50mph. It was so fast I could barely hang onto it if I cracked it open at any speed under 30mph. He had sent me a full denco king cobra kit. Something like 120hp.....I never even got to thank him. I called but he had closed up shop. I sure would like to thank that old man if he is still alive. Fortunately I lived through it. Man that thing was smokin fast. And scary 😧
The 1974 H1 500 cornered better - it had stronger bracing under the tank
leading to the fork tree.
I could never drag race my 1972 H2 750 as I couldn't keep the front wheel down.
It would power wheelie at 150 km/hr when I had expansion chambers on it.
They wouldn't hold a chosen line in a fast corner as the frame would bend.
Even a modern rider today would have to be careful
not to kill himself on one of those H2 750s.