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

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!

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. 🤠💯

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.

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!

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.

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 ;-)

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.

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

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

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

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

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. 🏍

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

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.

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.

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...

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!

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

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.

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.

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 !!

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!! :-)

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 :-)

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

-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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Thanks for the fun and informative video. Now I understand why the Kawasaki H2 750 was considered the most dangerous motorcycle. I had a 1973 Kawasaki G3 90 and this was fast enough for me :-) Cheers from Canada.

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.

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!

I remember driving my buddies 750 2-stroke Kawasaki. I forget what year it was. It screamed in a straight line, but cornered like a pig. You had to really slow down for corners.

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…

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.

Number plate read "try me" on an old 750 Triple as we queued up to pay at a toll booth behind a beautiful example of the "Widow Maker". Wife laughed and said what's that old bike gonna do, still laughing. Flashed my highbeam at him and gave a thumbs up. He paid the toll and proceeded to scare the pants off everyone with screaming noise and sheer speed. An animal of a bike!

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.

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.

It’s a great machine! Hometown get one of these widow-makers😅 Love the sound 👍

I got a motorcycle in the 1980's. When I went to get insurance to register it, the one question the insurance company asked me was, "Is it supercharged?" (it wasn't)

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... 😉

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.

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.

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!

ran out and bought a 72 , H2, added gussets to the neck, rear shock mounts and swing arm, along with a set of Koni’s out back, it handled great !

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.

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

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 .

Had several Kaws in the S and H lines, S2, S3, H1(had about 6 total, 2 were 'parts' donors only) and but a single H2. First thing I did was pull the double-disc set-up off of an H1 I also had at the time. This not only help stop the bike but added a few more lbs. to the front end. Second thing was bolt on a set of 'Fast by Gast' pipes and retune/rejet the carbs. Third thing I did was go to K-Mart and bought a new pack of Fruit-o- the Looms LOL. What a blast! This was all back in the very late 80's thru the mid-90's. Man, if I'd had the foresight... I'd have kept at least the nicest ones! Insane what a nice stock unit goes for now... only thing I have left are some Kawi key blanks and center-stand LOL.

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.

I worked with a guy who had one of these. Once, I was racing my 62 Impala against a friend's Plymouth Satellite. The guy from work blew past us both, like we were sitting still! Amazingly fast!

I had an H1 for a couple years and lived to talk about it.

I remember when I was a young boy in the 70s, my friends would say I want a 750!

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!

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.