My motorcycle - 1974 Kawasaki 750 H2 triple

[K_trip]

I've been lurking for a while .. but after I finally got a 1974 Datsun truck I have joined up with you crazy Ratsun owners.

 

Once I get my Ratsun 620 on the road I will post some pictures, and what not.

Fixing a few problems and adding Beebani 4 wheel disc brakes at the moment.

 

Meanwhile, here is my old two stroke street bike. It's a 1974 Kawasaki H2B (aka: the widowmaker).

 

It's not a looker, but it's a blast to ride. Three 250cc two stroke barrels on a single crank, it is very quick!

 

Of course these bikes don't handle very well, and the brakes suck ... but quick enough to surprise a Busa.

Keeping an old two stroke bike on the road is more work than a new Harley - but I do my own wrenching.

[Farmer Joe]

wow, you dont see one of these everyday...

 

 

my dad used to talk about how quick they were tho.. pretty neat stuff!

[banzai510(hainz)]

K trip

 

I just sold my 3 Yamaha 2 strokes still summer.

75 Rd350

79 RD400 Daytona

84 Kenny Roberts RZ 350.

 

yes they are alot to up keep plus 3 old datsuns

 

all needed a little work but look almost brand new and ran.

 

But I dont miss them either

[K_trip]

wow, you dont see one of these everyday...

Not many left these days, most were wrecked back in the 70's.

 

 

I just sold my 3 Yamaha 2 strokes still summer.

The Yamaha's were smaller bikes, but they were very flick-able ... great bikes!

Back in the 70's (yeah, I'm an old fart) I sold my Kawasaki H1 500 for a RD400

It was a french blue '77 and was a lot more fun than the drum brake triple H1.

I don't have my RD anymore, sold it long time ago. I plan on keeping this 750.

 

Anyone else into two strokes around here, street or dirt?

[FoxyRoadster]

I've always wanted one of these I found a 350 but the crank was trash so I didnt buy it.

[Tucson620]

Cool machine K-trip - thanks for sharing. Nice stock-ish looking survivor there. And looks like you have some two-smoke friends too! Of course the green ones are faster. ;)

 

I have a KZ (Z1B) so dig the old Kawis.

 

You ever tear into the guts of the engine? Are the crank seals for rebuild unobtainium or can you still get them and other parts?

 

And exactly how many front discs do you have to stop that thing?

[VintageRice]

 

Of course these bikes don't handle very well, and the brakes suck ... but quick enough to surprise a Busa.

Keeping an old two stroke bike on the road is more work than a new Harley - but I do my own wrenching.

 

 

Debateable..........Harleys are GAY.

 

 

LOL

 

 

 

 

 

Nice bikes !!

[datrod]

Cool bike. A friend of mine had one back in the day. I rode it once. Need I say more. :lol:

[datsunrides]

I have a couple "in the works". I am dropping a GT550 motor into a 83' GS750ES chassis and a T500 into a 96' GS500 chassis. Love the H2! BTW, do you know what brand chambers those are? I have a similar (maybe exact?) set for my 550, but am not sure who made them. The 500 will be sporting some J&R's. Oh, and no talk of crank seals allowed, my bike may hear that and decide it wants some! :lol:

 

Mark

[K_trip]

You ever tear into the guts of the engine? Are the crank seals for rebuild unobtainium or can you still get them and other parts?

 

And exactly how many front discs do you have to stop that thing?

Oh yeah, as a matter of fact the bottom end just got closed up again last month (transmission ate 5 teeth on 5th gear).

I had the crank redone years ago with "lab seals", like Yamaha used on the RD's and Kawasaki should have used. They never go bad!

 

The lower picture was from last year when I was running the stock dual-disc brakes up front, but the extra caliper blew it's seals and needs to be sleeved.

The top picture was from last summer, just before I pulled the motor to rebuild the transmission, where I was running the single disc setup <scarry>.

I have custom brackets made up that allow me to run dual-discs off of a late 90's Nija, so I will be sporting those next spring ... I can't wait.

Got to love those early KZ's ... they were King of the super bikes, back in the day! Is there a picture posted around here?

 

I have a couple "in the works". I am dropping a GT550 motor into a 83' GS750ES chassis and a T500 into a 96' GS500 chassis. Love the H2! BTW, do you know what brand chambers those are?

 

The top picture from last summer shows the "Tomcat pipes", which are modern two-stroke design (but I've wasted them, they are trash now).

The lower picture from a year ago shows the old "Denco pipes", which are vintage pipes from the 70's but still seem to do alright.

I have a new set of pipes on order for next year, there is a six month wait from the guy in North Carolina who makes them ... I can't wait.

 

That's cool going with old Suzuki twins and triples in more modern chassis , got any pics?

[Andreas]

Sweet. Nice to see some non Cafed 2 strokes.

 

I've been lurking for a while .. but after I finally got a 1974 Datsun truck I have joined up with you crazy Ratsun owners.

 

Once I get my Ratsun 620 on the road I will post some pictures, and what not.

Fixing a few problems and adding Beebani 4 wheel disc brakes at the moment.

 

Meanwhile, here is my old two stroke street bike. It's a 1974 Kawasaki H2B (aka: the widowmaker).

 

It's not a looker, but it's a blast to ride. Three 250cc two stroke barrels on a single crank, it is very quick!

 

Of course these bikes don't handle very well, and the brakes suck ... but quick enough to surprise a Busa.

Keeping an old two stroke bike on the road is more work than a new Harley - but I do my own wrenching.

[albyneau]

Keeping an old two stroke bike on the road is more work than a new Harley

 

 

Now THAT is about the funniest thing I've heard in quite a while~!

[datsunrides]

 

 

The top picture from last summer shows the "Tomcat pipes", which are modern two-stroke design (but I've wasted them, they are trash now).

The lower picture from a year ago shows the old "Denco pipes", which are vintage pipes from the 70's but still seem to do alright.

I have a new set of pipes on order for next year, there is a six month wait from the guy in North Carolina who makes them ... I can't wait.

 

That's cool going with old Suzuki twins and triples in more modern chassis , got any pics?

 

I don't recall seeing tomcats pipes chromed. All the pics (not a lot) I have seen, they were natural. Would be cool if someone made modern pipes for the 550. Most seem to be copies of the 70's design, or really peaky race chambers. I asked about the chambers because I have a set that are similar, but pretty sure Denco only made Kaw chambers. Here are the ones I have,

 

 

The cones don't really look similar, but the bracket design and baffles look simlar. Here is a pic of where the GS/GT is at.

 

 

Still a ways to go. :lol:

 

Mark

[paradoxx]

we were just talking about this bike with my dad last weekend. they were very very dangerous, a friend of him died in one of those and that they stopped producing them? after these, the TT500 came into the market i think but that is a bike I will someday want to restore, a silver/yellow tank Yamaha TT500. meanwhile, i will keep as long as possible with my yz80 '92 smoker.

[wayno]

I had the KH400, fairly fast out of the hole, but the KH750 was supposed to be the fastest bike out of a box at that time(1/8 mile), brings back memories, specificly when my brand new KH400(less than a thousand miles) got mowed down from behind at a light on hiway 14 and grand ave in vancouver wa. The bikes didn't trigger the lights to change back then, so I slowed down to let the car behind me catch up and trigger the light, well the car caught up alright, I was doing about 20mph, they were doing 60+, lucky she seen me at the last second(it was 1am) and swerved, at least she didn't over me(my body), I got launched over the handle bars, the top of my head hit first, then I was sliding down the freeway on my back while she past beside me coming back into my lane, I put my feet down and had enough momentum to just stand up and look around, seen a car about to run over my bike and started waving till I seen the bike, then I didn't care anymore, it was wasted, looked like she ran over it. She ran back at me crying so loud, I wasn't even hurt, but they made me go to the hospital anyway.

[paradoxx]

ok, that shit was close! but there is something I dont know, trigerring the lights?? how does that works?

[K_trip]

I had the KH400, fairly fast out of the hole ...

Those 400's are loads of fun. They handle much better than my bike, that's for sure.

Several KH400's got H1 or KH 500 motor swaps, which makes a great package for that vintage of bike.

 

trigerring the lights?? how does that works?

I think wayno is talking about the sensors in the street, which inform the traffic light switching a car is waiting.

Bikes don't weight enough to trip those sensors, and if I light isn't rotating thru each direction based on time it never goes green.

Having a car sit on the sensor trips the lights, so the motorcyclist doesn't need to wait forever or run a red light.

[paradoxx]

now its clear, thank you!

[wayno]

I was like 17 or 18 at the time, still lived at home, didn't have to legally wear a helmet at the time either, but it was cold that night, so I wore a helmet, had two jackets on also, that saved my back from the road rash. This was 1976ish, when I came to a signal, I would sometimes get off the bike, walk over and press the button for the cross walk, that would change the light for me.