The motorcycle world was in the midst of an arms race in the early 1970s. Performance was king, and manufacturers were locked in a battle to build the fastest, most exhilarating machines for petrol-crazed riders. Honda had just dropped the CB750, a smooth, sophisticated four-cylinder revolution that brought superbike power to the masses. Yamaha was refining its two-stroke RD series and Suzuki had its triple-cylinder weapon in the form of the GT750—AKA the ‘Water Buffalo.’
Kawasaki wasn’t as interested in refinement. Beat to the punch on the four-cylinder, Kawasaki bet everything on two-stroke performance and set out to build the fastest bike the world had ever seen—something that would leave the competition coughing in a haze of blue smoke. The pinnacle of this effort was the 1972 Kawasaki H2 Mach IV, a 750 cc, three-cylinder two-stroke that redefined what speed meant on two wheels and permanently altered the course of the superbike segment.…