Super charger anyone?
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/h2-kawasakis-supercharged-ninja-confirmed?src=SOC&dom=fb (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/h2-kawasakis-supercharged-ninja-confirmed?src=SOC&dom=fb)
Dan
Kawasaki already makes the fastest production bike for the last 2 or 3 years with the ZX 14R. With this motor they will stay on top. Way faster than this old man plans to go. Would like some FI on the FJ for more midrange power though. Dave
I love the sound of it. What a hoot it'd be to ride such a thing...
Dan
I had a ZX14r for a few weeks earlier in the year, it was unbelievably fast, accelerating full throttle in third felt like someone was trying to rip the helmet off your head. Such a one dimensional motorcycle. Needless to say I sold it...
Some may recall the original H2, a 3 cylinder 750cc 2-stroke that was the scariest bike of its era.
Quote from: Burns on September 06, 2014, 10:54:32 AM
Some may recall the original H2, a 3 cylinder 750cc 2-stroke that was the scariest bike of its era.
Make that "The greatest scary bike of that era", I owned a 75 in 1977, my first street bike. I was also racing MX then so I was used to scary fast. They Make some great 2 stroke snowmobiles now (150 plus hp) why aren't they putting some of that technology into 2 cycle powered street legal bikes, that would kick ass. Yeehaw! Yeah I know...Emissions...ugh. :dash2: Charley.
Quote from: charleygofast on September 06, 2014, 12:29:50 PM
Quote from: Burns on September 06, 2014, 10:54:32 AM
Some may recall the original H2, a 3 cylinder 750cc 2-stroke that was the scariest bike of its era.
Make that "The greatest scary bike of that era", I owned a 75 in 1977, my first street bike. I was also racing MX then so I was used to scary fast. They Make some great 2 stroke snowmobiles now (150 plus hp) why aren't they putting some of that technology into 2 cycle powered street legal bikes, that would kick ass. Yeehaw! Yeah I know...Emissions...ugh. :dash2: Charley.
It was a beast. Arguably the most attitude of any motorcycle ever made. Still a cult bike with a loyal following.
12 flat e.t. out of the box if the rider had bowling ball sized testicles. Yowie! for sure.
My brother had one. Bought it after he lost his left leg(when he got run over on his Honda). They have a shift shaft that goes all the way through. So he put a lever on the right side. He put a big bore, expansions and pods. Watched him pullout to pass cars @60mph. Drop a gear and ride a wheelie away into the distance.
Quote from: Burns on September 07, 2014, 12:51:59 PM
Quote from: charleygofast on September 06, 2014, 12:29:50 PM
Quote from: Burns on September 06, 2014, 10:54:32 AM
Some may recall the original H2, a 3 cylinder 750cc 2-stroke that was the scariest bike of its era.
Make that "The greatest scary bike of that era", I owned a 75 in 1977, my first street bike. I was also racing MX then so I was used to scary fast. They Make some great 2 stroke snowmobiles now (150 plus hp) why aren't they putting some of that technology into 2 cycle powered street legal bikes, that would kick ass. Yeehaw! Yeah I know...Emissions...ugh. :dash2: Charley.
It was a beast. Arguably the most attitude of any motorcycle ever made. Still a cult bike with a loyal following.
12 flat e.t. out of the box if the rider had bowling ball sized testicles. Yowie! for sure.
This subject crosses over to the accident video for me. I had an H2 and put it into the back of a reversing car at 80mph. Walked away with some heat burn under my leathers and a dislocated finger, straight over the top - luck of the draw! It took a tow truck and a guy with a crow bar to separate the car and the bike.
The H2's were indeed a scary beast for many reasons other than just power though. Handling, brakes and that oh so light front end, along with the power, made them a handful, or "widow maker" as they are often called.
Bikes that would easily lift the front wheel were not common back then and always looked spectacular when doing so. They had a small tank and terrible economy and I recall running it out of fuel many times.
The oil pump was stuffed on mine and I ran premix in it.
The scariest thing about having owned one when they were current is,
it was over forty years ago!! I can still "feel" and "hear" that motor today, I can't recall that from any other bikes I had from that era.
Noel
just to keep in tune with the current topic, I have a little yammie rd350lc, nice little water cooled 2 stroke.... fairly average then a switch comes on around 6000rpm and the next thing you know is WOW , wtf. well the 1st few times anyway, then you start thinking , i will port it, etc etc wanting it to be even faster , but you never forget the 1st time when you weren't expecting the explosion of 2 stoke power.. needless to say these big old 750 2 strokes must have been better than drugs.. anyway heres my old 2 stroke...
(http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz63/kennymick65/honda%20cb750/yamaha%20rd350lc/IMG_7007.jpg) (http://s814.photobucket.com/user/kennymick65/media/honda%20cb750/yamaha%20rd350lc/IMG_7007.jpg.html)
Nice L/C Ken! They dropped our RD line in 78 then brought the L/C back in 85, sure do miss those 2strokes! I owned a few RDs 75, 77 400, and a Daytona Special. Also had 2 H2s, and a Suz.GT750. Right now my son is building a 75 RD350 (orange) . oh yeah, those H2s were wheelie machines, very high center of gravity and a steep fork angle. I allways thought another frame was in order... one that handled like a factory KR. oh well those days are past! Carefull out there... keep your weight foreward :lol: Charley,
I had an RD350LC, like yours, but with a nose fairing and aftermarket lowers. It was probably the "right" mix of weight, and performance for the street. I sold it shortly after buying my RG500.
The RG5 had a real lightswitch powerband. When the exhaust valves closed, the hp doubled! Almost identical straight line performance to the FJ, but 100kg lighter. It was docile enough on the road, until you hit the magic at around 7-7500rpm, then you better hang on, At least it handled and stopped :-)
Mine stayed pretty close to stock, but Randy Norian won the Daytona Dyno shootout 2yrs running in the up to 750 class with 145hp at the rear wheel on his modified RG500.
Never had a chance to ride an H2, so really can't compare.
The RD's and RZ's came track-ready right out of the box while the H's ( 1 and 2) came ready to put you INTO a box.
I recall a bike mag test of the Kawi 2-stroke 750 triple model (I want to say '76, but not sure). They reported an average fuel mileage of 26mpg!
I'm sure none of it was at legal speeds, though.
here on ebay at the moment.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331311773114?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331311773114?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)
Quote from: ken65 on September 08, 2014, 04:01:38 PM
here on ebay at the moment.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331311773114?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331311773114?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)
Tempting, but not tempting enough :-)
I had mine for 18 good years.
Amazingly, I can't remember ever getting a ticket on it.
these RG's are going for big bucks now, amazing you never got a ticket, you must have shown a lot of control,
Quote from: ken65 on September 08, 2014, 10:04:01 PM
these RG's are going for big bucks now, amazing you never got a ticket, you must have shown a lot of control,
Yes, these are extraordinarily expensive. I sold mine for more than I had bought it for, but not enough to retire on :-)
I don't know how much control (restraint) I showed, more a combination of luck and choosing where to go fast. The RG500 was OK just pottering around, but you always knew it wanted to be going FAST. It was hard to resist the siren song of all 4 pipes on full scream, and I frequently didn't. :-)
The FJ is more comfortable, gets almost twice the fuel mileage, has much greater carrying capacity, better weather protection, and can drone along all day at whatever speed you choose.
I had owned both the RG and FJ for about 12 years when I decided to sell the RG. I still own the FJ.
i cant argue with you about the fj, in my head i know it will be my everyday ride for as long as im able to,, only 26000k's on it, just did a major service on it and its running smoother than ever. i currently have a few bikes and its the best, easiest ride of the lot, by a mile.
Quote from: ken65 on September 08, 2014, 07:13:31 AM
(http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz63/kennymick65/honda%20cb750/yamaha%20rd350lc/IMG_7007.jpg) (http://s814.photobucket.com/user/kennymick65/media/honda%20cb750/yamaha%20rd350lc/IMG_7007.jpg.html)
And mine... these things are a blast...
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3757/9846356836_0f90337ff4_c.jpg)
Frank
I was that close to getting a daytona special about 5 or 6 months ago its not funny. A mate down the road had 3 over the last 2 years and sold the 2 US import ones and now has a rare aust delivered one.
They're one hell of a bike. Yours looks very nice, did you restore it? I reckon there going up in value. Those pipes should make a difference i'd think.
Quote from: Flynt on September 09, 2014, 12:22:14 AM
Quote from: ken65 on September 08, 2014, 07:13:31 AM
(http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz63/kennymick65/honda%20cb750/yamaha%20rd350lc/IMG_7007.jpg) (http://s814.photobucket.com/user/kennymick65/media/honda%20cb750/yamaha%20rd350lc/IMG_7007.jpg.html)
And mine... these things are a blast...
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3757/9846356836_0f90337ff4_c.jpg)
Frank
Well seeing we're throwing pics of our little strokers around, here's mine.
(http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a586/the4ts/bikes012_zps29956f23.jpg)
The x7's apparently were the first 250 to be officially clocked at 100mph. I've had mine up to 90mph but the most fun is screwing it on through the gears. Nothing beats the sound, smell, and powerband of a 2 stroke. :good2:
good one bones, top bike, i thought you were in tiapan.
Dam, I miss that Daytona, mine ate its crank and got parted out in 1990. The wheels ended up on my 74 Norton! Now were gonna build a killer 75 RD350...Rock on! Oh,and yes Hooligan, my 75 H2 got shitty mileage no matter how you rode, but I didn't care much back in 77 I was havin fun, never got a ticket I did get stopped doing high speed wheelies over some hills once so I probably should have! Cheers. Charley.
Quote from: ken65 on September 09, 2014, 06:18:25 AM
good one bones, top bike, i thought you were in tiapan.
Thailand Ken, come home Friday. Seen no FJ's here but the amount of bikes on the roads is unbelievable.
Quote from: ken65 on September 08, 2014, 04:01:38 PM
here on ebay at the moment.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331311773114?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331311773114?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)
Those are RG's - serious collector item.
They are real race bikes the H's are more like rocket powered uni-cycles.
Quote from: Burns link=topic=12495.msg124476#msg124476
/quote]
Those are RG's - serious collector item.
They are real race bikes the H's are more like rocket powered uni-cycles.
They're NOT "real race bikes". The "rrb's" were the RG500B. Suzuki in an attempt to have their cake and eat it too, undersized the tranny gears and the carb size, put some screening into the exhaust chambers, and a few other mods so that the street bike would not hurt the sales of their "Real Race Bike" RG500B which was twice the price.
Suzuki was also a bit bi-polar in the promotion of these RG500Γ (gamma) vs the also just released GSXR-750 which was able to be imported to US.
Ok, not so "real" but certainly "racy"
How about the "rocket-powered uni-cycle" ?
Has my artistic license got too many points on it (gonna get revoked)?
Quote from: Burns on September 10, 2014, 02:12:10 PM
Ok, not so "real" but certainly "racy"
How about the "rocket-powered uni-cycle" ?
Has my artistic license got too many points on it (gonna get revoked)?
tee hee :-) , "racy" it certainly is/was.
Closest bike to a 500cc GP bike ever released to the public for road use.
"rocket-powered unicycle" for the H2 ?
Fits my impression of them, but I've never had the experience.
No points assessed here, keep writing
I have a 500 Gamma, it's a very interesting ride. Bears little resemblance to a GP bike tho, apart from the fact it is a 4 cylinder 2 stroke.
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/linny999_2009/Bikes/Ian06.jpg)
Quote from: Sir Denis Eton-Hogg on September 10, 2014, 11:04:38 PM
I have a 500 Gamma, it's a very interesting ride. Bears little resemblance to a GP bike tho, apart from the fact it is a 4 cylinder 2 stroke.
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/linny999_2009/Bikes/Ian06.jpg)
bugga, nice bike, the 500 is out of my price range but there seems to be some 400's which are still affordable.
:good2:
Quote from: Sir Denis Eton-Hogg on September 10, 2014, 11:04:38 PM
I have a 500 Gamma, it's a very interesting ride. Bears little resemblance to a GP bike tho, apart from the fact it is a 4 cylinder 2 stroke.
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/linny999_2009/Bikes/Ian06.jpg)
That's a beauty. As its owner you are in the rarified company of owners of exotic performance motorcycles.
In your opinion, if not the Gamma, what would you consider to be the "Closest bike to a 500cc GP bike ever released to the public for road use" ?
Well, I don't think there is one really, the RG500 and RZ500 (got one of those too) don't share any parts with GP bikes (not that I'm aware of anyway) so it's hard to class them as one.
But if I had to suggest the nearest thing to a race bike on the road it would likely be the RC30 (or maybe RC45/OW01/GSXR750 Ltd)
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/linny999_2009/RC30/DSC01315.jpg)
The RC30 is the one on the left.
Sounds like you have a nice little collection there. More pics please.
Quote from: Bones on September 12, 2014, 05:27:41 PM
Sounds like you have a nice little collection there. More pics please.
Yes...Please! (popcorn)
Quote from: Sir Denis Eton-Hogg on September 12, 2014, 12:35:01 PM
But if I had to suggest the nearest thing to a race bike on the road it would likely be the RC30 (or maybe RC45/OW01/GSXR750 Ltd)
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/linny999_2009/RC30/DSC01315.jpg)
The RC30 is the one on the left.
Nice naked Wing there too Sir Denis.
Wouldn't you say the "racesque" bikes you've listed are closer to "Superbike" than GP? Of course nothing street legal resembles a GP racer so, like the "rocket-powered unicycle" comment, it is all hyperbole.
Jay Leno has a helicopter engine powered motorcycle, but I suspect your collection of uber-toys would rival his.
I have nearly as much two stroke oil in me as I do Kookaloo.....
Burns - I assure you that the H2 is in fact racy.... not a unicycle and I would say all the Kawi Triples are better than the RD's but it is all relative and subjective...
This is a 133HP Denco Cobra Drag bike I am converting back to "standard" stance for street use. Remarkably ride-able for what it is....
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_4257_2.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_4257_2.jpg.html)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_4254_2.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_4254_2.jpg.html)
I might have a few other ring dings in the shed....... 74' H1
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_0977.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_0977.jpg.html)
70' H1 in Peacock Grey
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_4382.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_4382.jpg.html)
69' A7 Avenger 350 rotary valve
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/Sohappy.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/Sohappy.jpg.html)
Tim, I'm coming to your place for a test ride!!! :good2:
Quote from: axiom-r on September 12, 2014, 06:09:10 PM
I have nearly as much two stroke oil in me as I do Kookaloo.....
Burns - I assure you that the H2 is in fact racy.... not a unicycle and I would say all the Kawi Triples are better than the RD's but it is all relative and subjective...
This is a 133HP Denco Cobra Drag bike I am converting back to "standard" stance for street use. Remarkably ride-able for what it is....
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_4257_2.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_4257_2.jpg.html)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_4254_2.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_4254_2.jpg.html)
I might have a few other ring dings in the shed....... 74' H1
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_0977.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_0977.jpg.html)
70' H1 in Peacock Grey
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/IMG_4382.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/IMG_4382.jpg.html)
69' A7 Avenger 350 rotary valve
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/backburner/Sohappy.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/backburner/media/Sohappy.jpg.html)
VERY nice collection of two strokes. Yes the Kaws are better than RD's in speed but not handling. Dave(RD nut)
The H'S absolutely have drag race credentials that put them in that Hall of Fame just as the RD's are in the Road Race Hall of Fame. "Rocket Powered Uni-Cycle" is my personal reaction to the few times I rode those triples. They demand respect.
Nice Avenger. I had one in blue and it went like stink. Started sucking air and melted a piston. Rebuilt it and sold it, biggest mistake :dash2: :dash2: I ever made. Right after I sold my 81 GS1100 E. Big R
wow Tim...what a beautiful collection!..congratulations & thanks for sharing
someone say jet unicycle
this kart was built by a bloke who's still chasing the land speed record, was never run in oz I don't think but was apparently quite the ride.
I first saw it in a motor museum as a kid, and tracked it down to a small country museum a year or so ago, was good to see the old beast again.
ahh the ole H2, they are still a strong drag bike, what they lack in the top end speed of your modern sport bikes they make up for in getting out of the box like a bullet, with their light weight and instant power delivery, they only get beaten at the top of the track.
I always had a thing for the tz750 myself, although never a road going production bike, like other tz's they were the ultimate production racer.
using a pair of tz350 barrels on a tz500 crankcase, they were apparently quite a pleasant and torquey machine compared to your typical light switch racing 2 stroke, I always wanted to licence one, but that's another fantasy that will never happen, I had a road registered cr500 crosser though.
anyone heard of the ronax, there is also a mob called the 2 stroke shop (I think) who do a lot with modern water cooled 2 stroke triples that can be road registered in production chassis.
Quote from: big r on September 12, 2014, 09:59:07 PM
Nice Avenger. I had one in blue and it went like stink. Started sucking air and melted a piston. Rebuilt it and sold it, biggest mistake :dash2: :dash2:os I ever made. Right after I sold my 81 GS1100 E. Big R
Those rotary valvers (Bridgestone made one too) had a distinct power advantage over their piston-port and reed-valve kin.
Definitely some of my favorite mosquito killers.
I'd love to have one.
I love all the two strokes really but the A7 is the one that I ride the most. It handles great and when tuned well it will trounce on the H1's....
Burns, I had a Bridgestone 350 GTO for a while but they became so valuable I sold it to an Australian collector. It had the metal rotary valves and made an amazing sound from the cases.
On the road racing front, you have to recall that the H1r and H2r - dminant road racing Kawasakis - were very close to the production series H1 and H2's. Not as much for the RD - Yamaha TD series and of course TZ series were the dominant road racers. They were farther removed from the production RD's..... different engines and frames. Those TZ's! I have a buddy that races one today....
Quote from: axiom-r on September 13, 2014, 11:03:16 AM
I love all the two strokes really but the A7 is the one that I ride the most. It handles great and when tuned well it will trounce on the H1's....
Burns, I had a Bridgestone 350 GTO for a while but they became so valuable I sold it to an Australian collector. It had the metal rotary valves and made an amazing sound from the cases.
On the road racing front, you have to recall that the H1r and H2r - dminant road racing Kawasakis - were very close to the production series H1 and H2's. Not as much for the RD - Yamaha TD series and of course TZ series were the dominant road racers. They were farther removed from the production RD's..... different engines and frames. Those TZ's! I have a buddy that races one today....
As I recall, the RD's dominated production road racing; the TZ's are direct descendants (350's share cranks/cases) and so are in the "RD family"
Of course since I rode and owned RD's (personal fav was the 400 that I two-upped with my girl friend from San Antonio to the Grand Canyon and back one summer) my "recall" could be tainted.
The H'S really can't be compared to the RD's. With 40 and 100 percent (H1,H2) displacement advantage and an extra jug they are in a different power league.
If I personally was to pick a 2-stroke town bike today I think it would be one of the 350 rotary valvers.
It would be a wonderful stable mate to the FJ's.
Quote from: Burns on September 13, 2014, 11:32:38 AMIf I personally was to pick a 2-stroke town bike today I think it would be one of the 350 rotary valvers.
It would be a wonderful stable mate to the FJ's.
It absolutely is.... I occasionally find the two of them spooning.....
Burns said, "As I recall, the RD's dominated production road racing"
That's right, but only until the Suzuki RG250s and then the RGV250s and the Aprillas (with RGV250 engines) came onto the scene.
What skews a lot of memories is that the US didn't allow any "large" 2-smokes in past about 1978, with the one year exception of the RD350LC in '81 or so.
My wife's old rz350 was the most fun a 280lb man could have on a tiny bike. Had no problem lifting the front. Even with me on it.
And the speedo saw 117 with my not so aerodynamic body on it. Wouldn't go any farther though.
Sold it to my buddy. He still has it near mint condition. As a matter of fact it's in the middle of his kitchen right now.
I had a really nice RZ350 for a few years, tuned by Moto Carrera out of California, sold it last year while thinning the herd, a great bike.
(http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/linny999_2009/Power%20valve/DSC09515_zpsd9cc5851.jpg)
Quote from: Dan Filetti on September 03, 2014, 02:59:36 PM
Super charger anyone?
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/h2-kawasakis-supercharged-ninja-confirmed?src=SOC&dom=fb (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/h2-kawasakis-supercharged-ninja-confirmed?src=SOC&dom=fb)
Dan
It's (closed course version) debut in Fatherland:
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2014/09/kawasaki-debuts-300-hp-closed-course-h2r-street-legal-model-debuts-soon/ (http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2014/09/kawasaki-debuts-300-hp-closed-course-h2r-street-legal-model-debuts-soon/)
Street version to follow in a few more days.