1972 Kawasaki H2 750 Mach IV

[RDryan]

Hi everyone and thought this maybe of interest to you as well as me. I hope I cut and pasted this link correctly as it's in my local to me craigslist city which is about 35 miles south of where I live. The H2 mostly but also I would say H1 is my sorta dream/bucket list, "Eleanor" bike amongst bikes. So just got off the phone with the owner of this bike and inquired about it. She stated that she acquired it thru an estate sale. With a number of other Kawi triples, there was a few other H2's along with an S3 and oddly enough they all got sold to a major collector in Japan. I asked why they didn't buy this one and she stated that they just didn't and just as well as she wanted to hold onto it and share the wealth so to speak by seeing if other collectors for it maybe of interest. I don't consider myself much of a collector in that regard although I do already own three motorcycles one being my RD250 and a honda ruckus. I will say that you never see these on Boston Craigslist. So she stated that the crank seals checked out ok ditto for the compression check and the bike does run good with video to prove it although I have not seen the video. I guess she owns a mostly British bike resto shop in the Boston area and Japanese bikes are of less interest to her. I myself am mostly interested in it as a roadworthy registered rider and would more than likely If I were to own it would have the bike repainted in original blue color with decals to match. The bike is missing the white VIN sticker but she claims it's numbers matching. There is no title with the bike but she did go on to say the usual spiel about obtaining one thru the state of Vermont, (this is a stickler as it's a nuisance to title bikes in Ma. and not exactly free and time consuming anyways not that I am an expert on the Vermont title thing). She said thru her contacts of folks that collect these bikes that she could get almost anything for the bike such as the original airbox which I noted was missing. I guess last but not least upon asking me if I would like to make an appt. to see the bike which I politely declined she stated that she already had an offer of $10,500 for it over the phone of course. I thought that maybe a reasonable offer myself but then I still think that the bike would just be a money pit to get a title, repaint it and whatever it may possibly need to be roadworthy. These bikes get so wicked expensive (I know they're money pits,  LOL) so fast that to start with over 10.5k into it seems like one should just go and get someone else's restored bike. I guess that's my feeling about it. What do you guys think, like I said it took a long time looking to see one local to me. 

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/d/roxbury-1972-kawasaki-h2-750-mach-iv/7400785047.html

[RDryan]

Yeah so the owners bike shop is called Madhouse Motors out of Boston, Ma. it's interesting to me being local to me and me not knowing anything about it. I guess they offer quite a bit of services as well as classes and a place to store your bike for the winter offseason which and be a bit long here in New England. I couldn't find a video of the H2 running on her site. Probably doesn't matter anyways as I figure the bike to be just too much money to start with buying it nevermind whatever else down the road.

What I do find interesting as the owner stated that the collector out of Japan that acquired the other triples had a collection of over 500 motorcycles and it sounded like they maybe some kinda Japanese bike resto shop themselves. I guess I'm with Striker and few others her that just get blown away with the thru the roof pricing for these no matter how much love they may need to get be a bike that in my case is a solid running, legally owned registered machine. In more ways than one I kinda wish I lived somewhere else other than Ma. where it's not such a hassle to find bikes like this and just put them on the road with minimal effort to prove legal ownership never mind trying to find one locally. I also find it interesting that the bike was part of an estate collection here in Ma. which makes me wonder if there are more bikes like this local to me that are just sitting "hidden" in barns waiting for that day to be released for our consumption. You just wouldn't know unless you were put in touch with the right people.

[RDryan]

Well I did find the video but it's posted to there Instagram which I don't belong to and it wants me to sign up despite trying to just see it with my Facebook account which is pretty useless to me and I have no interest in. What's wrong with that site?...I know it's where you just gotta be to get connected with the world. Because they don't trust your really you?....and that's a whole other conversation.

FWIW I don't have a pic of myself on Facebook and I don't use my real name and I will sign up to it periodically just to see something like this and then delete the account because I just don't like being on that site.

[SoCal250]

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/d/roxbury-1972-kawasaki-h2-750-mach-iv/7400785047.html

Already gone  "This posting has been deleted by its author."

[RDryan]

Hi interesting well that posting only lasted a couple days. Sorry you fellas couldn't see it and weigh on it, nonetheless I'm glad I passed on it. I've seen much nicer for the same money and a bit rougher around the edges yet with a current registration and or a clean title for a heck of a lot cheaper. Either way I know these old triples after sitting for nearly 50 years one can expect anything to need refurbishing.

[m in sc]

you got  to strike when the irons hot. I've owned a few h2s a bunch of h1s and some s2s. I can tell you this much, I don't miss any of them very much at all. some yes but.. ?  glad I owned them, they are fun, but def not worth, as a rider,  what they sell for. they've dropped into commodity territory . prepare to dig deep for a sorted one or sorting one to use.

[RDryan]

Ha,ha you're not kidding...thru the roof expensive they are. I think I missed the H2 boat about a decade ago when they seemed cheaper.
Funny thing is still big money then.

[m in sc]

yup. go back 15-20 yrs they were way more reasonable. I mean, keep digging you'll find one but people want to fucking retire by selling them. 

[RDryan]

Yeah thats so true. The dumb thing about that bike is that it was so close to home. Taking the seller for her word it was part of a collection of bikes she bought. I can only wonder how great of a deal it was. 

[85RZwade]

Spotted an S2 350 triple in a yard a few years ago, stopped and knocked on the owner's door. Yeah, he'd sell it, but there was a guy who'd expressed interest in it about a year ago and he wouldn't feel right sellin' it without reaching out to him first. Fair enough, say I. If your man passes, I will bring you cash and take it out of here for you. A week later I stop in, tie-downs in my work van and Benjamins in my wallet. "yeah, he came and got it; paid me the $100 he promised last year."
Did I mention he was the original owner? 

[RDryan]

Ha,ha. I just woke up and thought about this again, glad I turned and tuned into our forum. Well 85RZwade that sounds about right, a truly brutal story.

Yeah I wasn't going to say it yesterday in the back and forth banter with Mark about these triples turning into "investment income" bikes. However this one I let get away with the 14k suggested price the seller was looking getting dropped to 10.5k not only was that a big entry free for a bike that had been sitting for years and still a good ways off from being completely original/unmolested but she did go on to say that it would be sold with a bill of sale. The problem with that to me is doesn't everybody sell a vehicle with a bill of sale? and is that bill of sale enough for the state of Vermont to do their issue a title thing so I can obtain that precious ownership document that the state of Ma. (my home state) would consider valid to reissue me their title?....because not only do I really need that title there is a chance that....A) Vermont is getting hip to folks doing this and they're making it harder to do. And B) what if the VIN numbers on this bike don't check out?...and Vermont tells me sorry we can't help you. Then I'm stuck with a bike I can't register with unknown history that we can only speculate on that I paid a fortune for and will need probably several thousand more if you wanna repaint it the original colors nevermind you know some seals would probably go bad from sitting so a complimentary engine overhaul is to be expected. Just too many what ifs riding on someones "retirement income" as well as my bucket list bike. The older I get the less seduced I wanna be

[pdxjim]

H2's and triples in general are way overrated.

Yes, they can make big power, but suck in almost every other regard.

I've had a few, and was glad to be rid of 'em every time.

[m in sc]

you always have to plan on a full rebuild in the budget. always. never think you don't, because if it sat, it'll need it sooner than later.

Me? i have no problems w out titles, there's always ways around it. (except maybe in California) bonded title being probably the easiest straightforward way.. but not the cheapest. and Vermont is well aware of what they are doing. its brilliant, they get the tax dollars w no road use.   

[RDryan]

Well thanks for the input guys, I have to say I'm pretty happy with my rd250. Almost every ride I take on it amazes me with how well it keeps up with pretty much all the traffic on any given road with speed limits not to exceed 50 mph. On the highway that maybe another story but that's not a place I prefer to be on a bike.

[dgorms]

I hesitated one nano second when a flipper offered me $1200 for an S-3 that I payed $50 for! Financed 3 of my Yamaha rebuilds. Saved me a long, expensive, trip down the three cylinder abyss.