Kawasaki H2 750 Mach IV

'The Kawasaki 750 Mach IV has only one purpose in life: to give you the most exciting and exhilarating performance. It's so quick it demands the razor-sharp reactions of an experienced rider. It's a machine you must take seriously.' They weren't joking. The original aircooled 748cc motor put out 74bhp, which was enough to send the triple screaming to 120mph while spewing clouds of oily blue smoke from its exhausts. Light weight and a short wheelbase meant fearsome acceleration and plenty of wheelies. Awful fuel consumption - around 22mpg was common - necessitated frequent fill-ups, but the upright riding position and tingling engine vibration meant the rider was often relieved to stop. And sometimes relieved to be alive, for the triple's handling was even more notorious than its engine performance.

The Mach IV, in particular, was distinctly lively, combining a none-too-strong frame with crude suspension with the result that its chassis was all too prone to high-speed tankslappers. Add in the poor wet-weather tire and braking performance typical of the bikes of the time, and the results were frequently disastrous. The H2, introduced a year later in 1974, was slightly more sane all round. Its motor was less smoky (and 3bhp less powerful); its chassis more stable thanks to less-steep forks and a longer wheelbase. But the H2 was still by far the nastiest, most aggressive and most outrageous bike on the street. Racing was an obvious progression, and the Kawasaki factory triples, nicknamed 'Green Meanies,' notched plenty of wins in the mid-Seventies, notably in the hands of Mick Grant, Barry Ditchburn and Yvon Duhamel. But tightening emission controls, especially in California, spelled doom for big road-going two-strokes. The H2's reign of motorcycling terror was relatively short.

Bike	Image	Description
Kawasaki 750H2		Engine - 748cc, air-cooled, transverse, two-stroke triple Top Speed - 120mph Maximum Power - 74bhp @ 6800rpm Transmission - 5-speed Frame - tubular twin cradle Brakes - disc/drum
1971 Kawasaki H2 750 Mach IV		Air cooled, two stroke, transverse three cylinder.
1972 Kawasaki H2
1972 Kawasaki H2 750
1972 Kawasaki H2		This was the first year that Kawasaki made this awesome machine.
1972 Kawasaki H2 750 Triple
1972 Kawasaki H2 Racer		130 bhp
1972 Kawasaki H2 750 Triple		Kawasaki were more than impressed with the success of the 500 triple so it was only natural to follow it up with a big brother, the H2-750 MACH IV. In an age when bigger was better, the H2 was the ultimate stroker. 74 bhp was on tap giving a top speed of 126 mph and acceleration second to none. The H2 would pull wheelies in the first three gears without even trying, much to the amazement and downfall of many owners. In the UK, more than one insurance company refused to insure them giving the H2 a reputation that would last forever.
1972 Kawasaki H2 750
1972 Kawaskai 750 H2		Kawasaki Triple - is a generic nickname for a range of motorcycles Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Japan) produced. This range of motorcycles ranging from 250cc to 750 cc were built and exported from 1969 to 1980. The name comes from the motorcycle's unconventional engine layout, an air cooled three cylinder two stroke with two exhaust pipes exiting on the right side of the bike and one on the left.
1973 Kawasaki H2A
1973-74 Kawasaki H2 750 Mach IV		Light weight and a short wheelbase meant fearsome acceleration and plenty of wheelies. Awful fuel consumption - around 22mpg was common - necessitated frequent fill-ups, but the upright riding position and tingling engine vibration meant the rider was often relieved to stop. And sometimes relieved to be alive, for the triple's handling was even more notorious than its engine performance.
1975 Kawasaki H2 750 Mach IV
1975 Kawasaki H2C 750
1975 Kawasaki H2
1975 Kawasaki H1F
1975 Kawasaki H2B 750
1975 Kawasaki H2C 750

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