My Widow Maker

[Gaber]

This is my Uncle's 1972 Kawasaki 750 H2 aka "The Widow Maker". It's been sitting in my grandparent's barn for 37 years. So I decided to take it on, and restore it.

From what I've read, this thing is a beast. 2 stroker with 3 pistons of fury. It's in ok shape. I'm pretty excited about it. From what I've researched, these are pretty rare motorcycles, and were the cat's ass back in the 70's.

[Mike K]

That's cool as hell. Keep us updated on your progress with it.

[Cooter]

750 2 stroke

sounds like a handful!

[Vertnut]

The two-stroke triples were nasty! They are rare, and something to keep in mind: the middle piston would burn up in no time. The heat was really intense, and the later models were water-cooled to help combat the problem. Once those old dudes heat up, they lose a lot of thier power. With radiators, they were a little better.

*The Suzi's had the water-cooled 2 strokes, not Kawasaki. Sorry.

[Cooter]

just spend the last bit watching 3cyl vids on youtube

[SonicblueGT03]

When they ran reliably, there was nothing faster on the road back in the day.

Worst spill I ever took was on a 500 triple. We were riding out near Lake Elsinore and the bike decided to seize up right in the middle of a fast sweeper and I lowsided and slid forever. Thank God for good riding gear!

[ram57ta]

Damn that thing looks pretty clean to have been sitting for so long. Those things are beasts.

[Gaber]

It was pretty dirty, but I drove in and some rain knocked off most of the dust last night. I'm already looking for repair manuals. Parts were pretty scarce on ebay.

The tank, front wheel fender, and rear body piece need to be repainted. The tank has a small dent in it. If anyone knows of a shop that can restore these pieces, let me know. Thanks

[kingjason]

Nice.

[futant]

wow sounds cool. Not really my thing, but some serious cool factor.
I would like to hear that thing run!

[ram57ta]

It was pretty dirty, but I drove in and some rain knocked off most of the dust last night. I'm already looking for repair manuals. Parts were pretty scarce on ebay.

The tank, front wheel fender, and rear body piece need to be repainted. The tank has a small dent in it. If anyone knows of a shop that can restore these pieces, let me know. Thanks

You're probably gonna have to do a little searching on the net to find some forums or personal sites about those bikes to get sources for parts. I have restored 2 weather beaten left for dead bikes (83 Honda CB1000 Custom and an 83 Honda V45 Magna) and it was challenging finding parts locally. Your bike looks to be in MUCH better condition than the 2 I restored.

[forbes]

i know someone who has 2 of those bikes.... they havent moved in 15 years... would u be interested if he wants to off them?

[Gaber]

i know someone who has 2 of those bikes.... they havent moved in 15 years... would u be interested if he wants to off them?

For parts, absolutely.

[forbes]

For parts, absolutely.

i should talk to him tonight...

[Gaber]

i should talk to him tonight...

Please, I haven't tore into the bike just yet, but I can already tell I'm missing some much needed parts. Thanks