1972 Kawasaki H2: Wheelie King

“The excitement of the test over, all of the bikes went back to the Cycle shop so they could be stripped to their crankcases to be checked for legality. The fastest was first. No standard showroom motorcycle could be as quick as the Kawasaki was in our test. But it was exactly stock.” — Cycle magazine, December 1972.

“In the civilized world, there was no earthly purpose for this motorcycle. Its only reason for existence was to blow off every single muscle car that Detroit could produce.” Clement Salvatori — Rider magazine, December 2003.

There are some things out there that people either love or hate, including rap music, the color pink, habanero peppers and Kawasaki H2s. “There are two dangerous things in that parking lot,” says a friend at the local MC hangout. “There’s a wet spot in the middle of the lot, and there’s a parked 750 Kawasaki. I’ll take my chances with the wet spot.”

Post-war ventures

The Midwest’s Mitchell family felt otherwise. Father and two sons traded this 1972 Kawasaki back and forth between themselves for years. Eventually, the family decided to part with their long-term treasure, and its caretaker is now Robert Fontes. Believe it or not, this bike is original and unrestored.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries came out of World War II forbidden to build aircraft and in need of a new profit center. Observing a large new market for small motorcycles, Kawasaki joined forces with Meihatsu and Meguro, one of the oldest Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, and started building small machines for the domestic market. Observing Honda’s success in export markets, Kawasaki decided to start selling overseas as well. The first export effort did not go well. Its 650cc BSA look-alikes, the W1 and W2, were not competitive against the British machines on the market. Kawasaki decided the way to success was to make something completely different.

The early Sixties were the height of U.S. car culture. Popular songs celebrated drag strip specials (Little Deuce Coupe, Hey Little Cobra) and muscle cars (GTO, Fun, Fun, Fun, [’til her daddy takes the T-Bird away]) Kawasaki decided to make a motorcycle that could go heads up with the hemis and win.

The Kawasaki H1, a 500cc 2-stroke rocketship, appeared in late 1968 and spawned both excitement and controversy. For its time, it was incredibly fast off the line. The new electronic ignition was not quite bulletproof, the brakes needed improvement, and the handling did not match the horsepower. However, from Kawasaki’s point of view it was a success: the bike not only sold, it put Kawasaki on the map and linked the name with excitement, horsepower and fun.

“An absolute jet”

Not willing to stop with the H1, Kawasaki tasked its engineers with designing a new motorcycle that would create even more buzz. Enter the H2 (also known as the Mach IV), an air-cooled 748cc triple-cylinder 2-stroke. It weighed 449 pounds dry and produced a claimed 74 horsepower at 6,800rpm. A stock H2 would come off the line at drag race speeds. Presented to the press in fall of 1971, the assembled media were amazed at the power produced by this bike, although gently critical of the handling. As Cycle stated, “As expected, the Mach IV is an absolute jet.”

Neil Fergus, now 92 and still riding fast, (he was profiled in the American Motorcyclist magazine recently) was a test rider in the early Seventies. One of the bikes he tested was the Kawasaki H2. He remembers, “I was not ready for the powerband.” He said the bike was fairly tractable under 6,000rpm, but over 6,000rpm, it took off like a rocketship.

Cycle magazine staged a Superbike Shootout in 1973, pitting seven stock bikes (Harley Sportster, Norton Commando, Triumph Trident, Honda 750, Ducati 750, Kawasaki H2 and the then-new Kawasaki 4-stroke 900cc Z-1) against each other. The shootout consisted of drag strip testing, lap times on a racetrack, and braking capability. Despite complaints about handling, the H2 came in second in the test behind the fast, but tractable, Z1.

Like it was yesterday

The first owner of this 750 triple sold it soon after he purchased it. He had bought a Z1, which was a lot easier to ride than the triple-cylinder 2-stroke. The H2 was purchased by John Mitchell. As his older son recalls, “I can still clearly remember seeing it on its side stand in the front yard on that sunny day. It was parked at a house near the factory and had a large for sale sign on it. I think the blue paint must have caught my father’s eye. My younger brother and I were with him when we stopped to look for the first time. The purchase must have been made because the next thing I knew that blue motorcycle was at the house. This must have been around 1973 or so, I was around 10 years old.”

The Kawasaki was the elder Mr. Mitchell’s second motorcycle. His first was a Bultaco 125 Lobito; the Kawasaki must have been a real step up. From the excellent shape this 750 is in, it sounds like Mitchell took good care of his Kawasaki and didn’t push the limits.

“Before we knew it, Dad had gotten to know Jeff, the motorcycle mechanic at the local dealer. Jeff came over to the house multiple times and soon enough that bike had different gearing and Jeff’s personal tune. Pop always talked about it but never put the expansion chambers on it. Shortly after the late evening visits from Jeff the two of them met at a nearby quarter-mile drag strip and Jeff made a couple passes. Bike nights were, weather permitting, every Friday at the track!”

“Dad rode that bike to work all the time. He would put his lunch, always a sandwich and apple, in a brown paper bag in the little compartment under the seat near the taillight. He would get caught in the rain on occasion and lose a baffle out of the stock exhaust and have to double back and retrieve it.”

The Kawasaki must have not quite suited Mr. Mitchell, since he eventually purchased a 350 BSA, that became his favorite motorcycle. His older son had been riding the Bultaco since grade school. When Junior got his driver’s license at age 16, he started riding the Kawasaki to high school. Either Dad was a good teacher or the calm and collected genes were inherited, since Mitchell Junior stayed safe on the big triple as well.

“How he thought that was a good idea I’ll never know, but I rode that everywhere during high school. I remember stopping for a burger once when a stranger saw the bike and told me the nicknames, widow maker and wheelie king. I’m sure mom never knew.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any photos of that bike that I can find. My wife of 37 years rode on the back of the H2 with me on many dates. Once we went to a pool party with a big inner tube around the both of us. It would really wheelie with two of us on it!”

“After I returned from college and settled down with a house, dad gave me the H2 for keeps. I made fast friends with Bob down the street when I found him restoring a Moto Guzzi in his driveway. Bob introduced me to all his motorcycle friends. After he completed the restoration we would take the bikes to a local bike show that would attract hundreds of bikes, and always got to park in the ‘red-carpet’ tent. My father was able to attend one of the events when the bike was there and really enjoyed the attention it received.”

The test of time

The H2B came out in 1974. Modifications to the carburetors and the oil injection system reduced exhaust smoke. Lengthening the swingarm by two inches and adding a hydraulic steering dampener helped with handling, and rubber mounting crucial parts helped with vibration. Although the new version of the triple was not quite as fast as the earlier models, it handled better. Despite the modifications, the H2 still vibrated and burned through gas at 30 miles per gallon. The 1975 version of the H2 featured a different tank paint scheme, but no other improvements, since the EPA was just about to ban sales of new road going 2-strokes. Kawasaki, the name now a synonym for speed and horsepower, kept going with variations and upgrades to the Z1. The H2 had done its job.

The 750 triple remained a favorite of a certain percentage of riders, and Kawasaki 2-stroke clubs sprang up in different parts of the world. When other older Japanese motorcycle could be had for a song, the H2 retained some of its value. Current owner Rob Fontes says, “It’s a funny sort of a bike. Handling should not be mentioned in the same sentence as an H2, but it actually will go around corners just fine. Just don’t touch that throttle in a turn!”

Rob had a brother who was ten years older and rode motorcycles like a bat out of hell. “He scared my parents.” Being a typical younger brother, Rob wanted to do everything that Big Brother did.

Parents, aware of the dynamic, steered Rob towards dirt bikes. Then there was a 25-year gap when Rob didn’t ride at all. Eventually, Rob met and became friends with someone who rode motorcycles on the street and bought a KTM. “I started riding everywhere.” He found himself gravitating towards older bikes, and bought and sold several. Rob met and started riding with Neil Fergus. Neil has been a mentor and an inspiration.

Too good to be true

Rob got the H2 bug when a friend called and asked if Rob could go look at an H2 the friend wanted to buy. The machine was in pieces and in need of a total restoration, but Friend wanted it anyway. This puzzled but intrigued Rob. Shortly after looking at this basket case, Rob and his brother went to a motorcycle swap meet. There was a Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club table at this show, and Rob signed up. The VJMC has a website with “For Sale” ads. Rob was idly looking through the ads after he got home …

Rob says, “I noticed Mitchell’s H2 ad, and after looking at it, I couldn’t believe it. The H2 was beautiful. So nice that I wondered if it was a scam. I called my brother and asked him if he had seen the ad. His response: ‘I’ve seen it, it’s a scam!’ I said I thought so also but what kind of scam? He said not sure, but it was a scam. I contacted the seller and asked if I could come look at the bike and he said sure, when do you want to come? I called my brother back and said that it might not be a scam since the seller was willing to show the bike. My brother said it was still a scam, but he had a friend that lived 50 miles away, and I should have him go look at it. I called the seller and set up a time for our friend to look at and asked if the pictures in the ad were recent. He said that they were and that he could send more if I wanted. Our friend saw and rode the bike and called me and verified the bike’s condition. I called the seller and said I definitely wanted the bike, but I had to admit that I thought he undervalued it. He said he was OK with that as long as it went to a good home. I assured him it would be well taken care of and not sold for profit.”

Rob made arrangements to have the H2 trucked to his house. Neil Fergus came over to see it, and could not believe the Kawasaki was not restored. He gave Rob advice on how to stay safe on a 2-stroke triple: “Don’t be in a turn when you get into that power band.” Rob got the H2 started and ran it up and down the street. The bike ran fine, but was leaking gas. Rob and Neil spent hours trying to trace the gas leak. Finally, Rob gave up and called a mechanic he uses when he gets over his head on a project. “I know exactly what it is,” the mechanic said. “The overflow pipe has a crack.” Sure enough, welding the brass overflow pipe fixed the problem. The crack could only be seen by shining a light on the tube and getting out a magnifying glass.

Since the gas leak was fixed, Rob has been riding the H2 on a regular basis. He says there is a little trick to starting the bike: “You give it 1/4 to 1/8 throttle and kick. It starts easily.”

Riding the H2 takes a little finesse. “It doesn’t have a lot of torque, but will run and handle well as long as you ride smooth. I take my cues from Neil – he is so smooth. I never really noticed the gas mileage, as I am used to small tanks. The H2 has a big tank and gets me where I want to go without having to fill up. I don’t touch the throttle in a turn. It’s like a turbocharger.”

“I ride with friends. We get up in the AM and go sixty or seventy miles to breakfast or lunch. The Kawasaki is perfect for the kind of riding I do. I enjoy this bike anytime I can and pretty much meet a fan of the bike every time I ride it.” The Mitchell family, who owned the bike for all those years, has stayed in touch with Rob. The family member who sold the bike says, “I am thrilled Rob has it and it’s in good hands.” MC