https://www.facebook.com/share/1EkJQHAvsp/?mibextid=wwXIfr (https://www.facebook.com/share/1EkJQHAvsp/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
I don't know the market for these bikes, but $15K seems a little steep for the bike market as a whole. Maybe I'm way off and it's a killer deal.
seems a bit steep to me especially with shitty emgo pods and no airbox...and assuredly ready to fail crank seals.. but somebody will pay it
Just sold today (9/21) at the Mecum auction for $7700:
'72 H2 Kawasaki (https://www.mecum.com/lots/1180378/1972-kawasaki-h2-mach-iv/?aa_id=809699-0)
That's quite a blow, considering he was asking almost twice that.
Reality set in...
Quote from: Yamanatic on September 22, 2026, 02:04:19 PMJust sold today (9/21) at the Mecum auction for $7700:
'72 H2 Kawasaki (https://www.mecum.com/lots/1180378/1972-kawasaki-h2-mach-iv/?aa_id=809699-0)
Wow, that's cheap. It looks really nice and especially at that price. I wonder what's the story behind both the auction and the bike?
thats def more a realistic actual value. glad to see the market finally calmed down
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-yamaha-rd350-16/ (https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-yamaha-rd350-16/)
Still trying to wrap my head around this $11K RD. Absolutely mint, but is it $11K mint?
Quote from: SmokeAddicted on September 23, 2026, 12:24:09 PMhttps://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-yamaha-rd350-16/ (https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-yamaha-rd350-16/)
Still trying to wrap my head around this $11K RD. Absolutely mint, but is it $11K mint?
Yeah I vaguely recall seeing that RD for auction. Amazing it sold for that price, I guess somebody just had to have it. Now I don't follow BAT auctions but if you scroll thru the comments/bidding text you'll see the auction was seven days long and first bid started at $2k also it was a no reserve auction. Also there was a bidding war the final day, the last six minutes to go. Went from $9500 to $11750 between two bidders plus one other upping the ante once for $250. Kinda interesting if you think about it. Nice bike but I wouldn't pay that. If I saw that as a private sale on say FB Marketplace I'm thinking maybe a cash offer of $7500 seems fair just knowing what I know about my experience with mine and how nice it looks. Even still I think I would want some kinda assurance in the form of honesty and receipts that the bike at least had new crank seals and gaskets replaced and a good going over. I don't know though, I guess I'm cheap but I figure even $6k is big money for a nice example of a RD these days.
Quote from: JKV45 on September 22, 2026, 02:10:16 PMThat's quite a blow, considering he was asking almost twice that.
Reality set in...
[/quotQuote from: JKV45 on September 22, 2026, 02:10:16 PMThat's quite a blow, considering he was asking almost twice that.
Reality set in...
Well actually the FB Marketplace ad and that Mecum auction are not the same H2's...just saying but the looks of it. :wink:
I wasn't aware you could see that much detail on BaT, but I also don't really pay attention to anything other than pictures, because I am a simpleton that likes to ugga dugga.
Even on marketplace, I've seen pristine RD400 examples continue to sit at $5K. Of course, I this market is awful, which definitely plays a huge role in bikes sitting. I often wonder at what point does the air-cooled RD hype completely fall apart. I'm 41 years old and I absolutely adore my RD, but it seems the market shift to water cooled 2T is much stronger.
Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, it's just an observation, plus I'm only a year into vintage 2T so I'm sure I am unaware of a lot.
no you're right. markets def dying off. literally. i know a lot of people late 60s/early 70s dismayed they cant get 'what er got een it' back out cash wise.
ive ridden some spectacular h2s, owned a few, and can tell you id never pay that much for one. they just arent that good a bike. sorry. just arent. and since the investment side is kinda peaked and dropped a bit, its not going to move fast if at all for that much in the real world. mecum and barret jackson imho arnt true reflections of individual sale values but def highlight the highs.. AND lows. reality is in the middle. 14k, another 10k to restore (parts/paint/motor, doing self assembly), add profit, no fkn way. ffs my 71t500 is 'ok' and i have over 5k in it doing all the mech work (Almost 2 of that was bodywork/paint i paid for).
Interesting observations on the H2. There's no doubt it still has the looks and the legend, but I agree with M In SC, IMO they aren't that great of a bike. I rode my brother's 1972 H2 in the Scottish Highlands rally two years ago and it was hard work. I almost lost all my fillings from the vibration and hauling up those three carb slides almost gave me carpal tunnel. I did get a lot of attention though, but it was all about the bike.
yeah, its good for impressing other dudes. thats for sure.
.. i can do that with my wife, im lucky like that. :devil:
In hybrid form like mine,they can be made to handle and stop. In my case EX 500 Ninja wheels forks and brakes. Light springs in the throttle and a good aftermarket clutch actuator solves the carpal tunnel issues. Proper setup and good carb synch minimizes vibration and or late model rubber mount motors. But all these mods probably actually hurt the value. That being said I love mine and it will never be sold. But it is the one of my five bikes I ride the least. However nothing quite like the feeling of gassing it up at 5 grand and hanging on tight as it comes up on the pipe.
My 421 RZ is comparable in power and eons ahead handling wise. One day I am gonna get somebody to square off with it against the H2 and see which one is faster. My money is on the Triple but I have been wrong before.