The Kawasaki H2R was a racing motorcycle built by Kawasaki from 1972 to 1974. It was based on the road going

Kawasaki H2 Mach IV The Kawasaki H2 Mach IV was a 750 cc 3-cylinder two-stroke production motorcycle manufactured by Kawasaki. The H2 was a Kawasaki triple sold from September 1971 through 1975. A standard, factory produced H2 was able to travel a quarter mile ...

air cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...

two stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

. In 1975 it was replaced by a

water cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and non ...

development, the

Kawasaki KR750 The Kawasaki KR750 was a racing motorcycle built by Kawasaki. It featured a liquid-cooled, three-cylinder, two-stroke engine.AMA had announced that the regulations for 1972 had been changed to allow 750 cc two strokes to compete in 750 cc class, leading Kawasaki to develop a race version of the road-going H2. The engine was powerful but fragile. The chassis of the H2R was derived from the chassis used on the H1R which had been derived from the Kawasaki 250 racers and was effectively an enlargement of the 1968 125 cc frame. This frame had been based on the Norton Featherbed. To overcome the vibration of the larger engines, the engine was rubber-mounted which affected the stiffness of the frame as the engine was no longer contributing to its rigidity. The H2 was thirsty, initially only giving 10 mpg, and would therefore need to stop to refuel in the longer races such as the

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Associati ...

. Kawasaki management felt the extra power the engine produced would negate the disadvantage of a pitstop. In an attempt to gain pre-launch publicity, a "secret" H2R test was run at an American circuit.

1972

During practice for the bikes first outing, the 1972

, it was found the chains and tyres had trouble handling the claimed 100 bhp of the machine.

Yvon Duhamel Yvon Duhamel (October 17, 1939 – August 17, 2021) was a French Canadian professional motorcycle and snowmobile racer. A six-time winner of the White Trophy, the highest award in Canadian motorcycle racing, he was one of the most accomplished ...

Gary Nixon Gary Nixon (January 25, 1941 – August 5, 2011) was an American professional motorcycle racer who most notably won the A.M.A. Grand National Championship in 1967 and 1968 as a member of the Triumph factory racing team. He was also the winner of ...

and Paul Smart all retired from the race with chain and tyre problems. The H2R was developed and improved through the season. The US Kawasaki team, Team Hanson, started work on their own frame. Although former

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

development rider Paul Smart joined the team for 1972, his experience and advice was ignored. The team preferring to listen to feedback from their number one rider Yvon Duhamel. Duhamel won at

Road Atlanta Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur spo ...

and again at

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...

, where Nixon came second. Paul Smart won at the big-money season finale at the Ontario Motor Speedway. Smart had commissioned

Colin Seeley Colin Jordan Seeley (2 January 1936 – 7 January 2020) was a British motorcycle retailer who later became a motorcycle sidecar racer, motorcycle designer, constructor and retailer of accessories. In 1992 he was involved in running the Norton Rot ...

to build a new frame for his bike for the Ontario race. This caused a disagreement with the team and his contract wasn't renewed for the following year.

1973

For 1973 the AMA changed the regulations to match the newly introduced In 1973

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

Formula 750 Formula 750 was a FIM motorcycle road racing series based on a 750 cubic centimeter engine capacity. History The series began in 1971 as a collaboration between the American Motorcyclist Association and the Auto Cycle Union. The FIM adopt ...

. The FIM regulations required the road bike cylinders to be used. Kawasaki had cast new outer cylinders for the H2R with exhaust ports pointing inwards towards the centreline to allow the fairing to be narrowed. On the road bike the ports pointed outwards. To overcome this Kawasaki swapped the outer cylinders to the opposite sides. The outer cooling fins had to be machined down to allow this which made cooling of the engine marginal leading to a number of failures over the season. Kawasaki took control of the team for 1973 and considerably increased the budget. The team for this year consisted of 5 permanent members, Yvon Duhamel, Art Baumann, Hurley Wilvert, Gary Nixon and Cliff Carr, plus an occasional guest rider. Privateers also raced the H2. The machine had been improved over the winter and was the fastest bike at Daytona's season opener. In the race Duhamel and Baumann fought for the lead until they crashed out, Nixon and Japanese rider

Masahiro Wada is a former Japanese football player and manager. His sons Atsuki Wada and Tomoki Wada are also footballer. Playing career Wada was born in Kobe on January 21, 1965. After graduating from Juntendo University, he joined Matsushita Electric (la ...

's bikes both seized leaving Kawasaki out of the results. The H2R won five of the nine AMA road races. Nixon won the

Loudon Classic The Loudon Classic, originally named the Laconia Classic, is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held during the Laconia Motorcycle Week at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Founded in 1934 when it was originally s ...

. At

Laguna Seca Laguna Seca may refer to: * Laguna Seca Formation, a geologic formation in California * Laguna Seca (Mexico), see Convention of London * Laguna Seca (Santa Clara County), a seasonal lake in California * Laguna Seca, Texas, United States * Rancho ...

, Kawasaki dominated the heats (1st, 2nd, 3rd in heat 1, 1st, 2nd, 5th in Heat 2), and ran 1, 2, 3, 4 in the race until Duhamel crashed and Baumann retired with an ignition failure. Nixon won the race and again at

Mount Pocono Mount Pocono is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It is located nearly centered in the southernmost county of five in the northeastern corner that are part of the Pocono Mountains. The ...

. Duhamel won at

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

and at Ontario season finale, Duhamel, Nixon and Baumann took the first three places. Nixon finished the season third in the AMA Grand National Standings. Duhamel, Nixon and Baumann were members of the American team in the 1973

Transatlantic Trophy The Transatlantic Trophy (initially called Anglo-American Match Races) was an annual series of motorcycle races between the United Kingdom and America held from 1971 to 1988 and again in 1991. They were mostly held over the Easter weekend at Br ...

and Duhamel scored a win, two seconds and a third in the six races on the Kawasaki. Riding H2Rs in the inaugural international 1973 FIM Formula 750 Prize, Baumann crashed whilst running second in the

Imola 200 The Imola 200 (also known as the 200 Miglia) is a motorcycle race held annually at Imola. The race originally ran as a modern motorcycle race from 1972 to 1985. In 2010, the Imola 200 Miglia Revival began as a classic bike race. Background In r ...

and Duhamel's bike caught fire during a pitstop for refuelling. Future world champion

Walter Villa Walter Villa (born 13 August 1943 - 18 June 2002) was an Italian four-time Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion. He was known for his quiet, unassuming nature off the bike who became a ruthless competitor once the races began. Moto ...

finished third in the race. At the John Player International at Silverstone,

Pat Mahoney Patrick Morgan (Pat) Mahoney, (January 20, 1929 – June 8, 2012) was a Canadian judge, politician, lawyer and businessman. Mahoney was first elected to parliament in the 1968 election as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Calgary Sou ...

finished 6th and 9th.

1974

Following the 1973 oil crisis, Kawasaki cut back its racing budget for 1974. Riders were cut back to Duhamel and Baumann as full works riders and Wilvert being supplied with a bike but not getting a salary or support from Kawasaki mechanics. Team manager Bob Hansen left and the team mechanics cut from four to one. Duhamel and Baumann used 1974 machines but Wilvert continued 1973 machine. Baumann crashed in practice for the 1974 season opener at Daytona, suffering concussion which put him out for the rest of the weekend. Duhamel's bike locked up in the second heat throwing him off, leaving Wilvert on the only Kawasaki to start the race. As the "B team" rider, Wilvert tested new parts for the team. At Daytona Wilvert's bike was fitted with a new frame which handled better than the existing frame and he finished third in the race. Duhamel and Baumann were again members of the American team for the 1974 Transatlantic Trophy, this time with Duhamel as captain. Duhamel won one of the races. At the 1974 John Player International Grand Prix at Silverstone, Duhamel finished second and

Tony Rutter Tony Rutter (24 September 1941 – 24 March 2020) was a British professional motorcycle road racer. He was a street circuit specialist, who won seven Isle of Man TT Races between 1973 and 1985. Racing career Rutter competed in the Grand Prix ...

sixth on the H2R. Although the H2 was improved for 1974, and was faster than the 1973 model, it was no match for the newly introduced

Yamaha TZ750 The Yamaha TZ750 is a series production two-stroke race motorcycle built by Yamaha to compete in the Formula 750 class in the 1970s. '' Motorcyclist'' called it "the most notorious and successful roadracing motorcycle of the 1970s". Another jour ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawasaki H2R Grand Prix motorcycles H2R Two-stroke motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1972