My H2 adventure started almost three years ago today. I saw an ad on
the internet....Title: 1972 H2 in good condition...Has all original parts
and runs well. But needs some TLC. Located in Trenton, NJ. Call for more info. Always wanting an H2 and this one was only about 6 hours away from where i live, which is about an hour south of (Pittsburgh,PA), I figured I'd give the guy a call about the bike. I called and heard news I didn't want to hear. The bike was about $1500 and I didn't have that much dinero to spend at the time. As you can bet I was pretty bummed out.
So, about 5 months later in I'd say November I got an email that said
'72 H2 for sale. Guess who it was????? The guy from New Jersey. He said he was moving to Albany, NY and he had to get rid of the bike quick. Much to my suprise he knocked the price down to $800. That was right in my price range. So, after packing up the truck the next day, and cash in hand, I shuffled off to New Jersey. After about 6 hours of being crammed in my aunt's micro machine Nissan, I was glad to show up at my destination. And much to my suprise I didn't get lost.
By that time it was almost dark. And I couldn't see the bike very
well. I looked to be in decent shape and it actually started up. So, I was
a happy camper. Plus, it came with a few milk crates of extra parts and
some stock exhaust pipes. After talking with the guy for a couple of hours it was time to set off for home with the one thing I had wanted for several years. On the way out of the driveway I caught him wiping the tears from his eyes. I figured triples must be an obssesion if they could make a man cry after parting with his bike. I knew from then on it would stay in my possesion forever. Now i was on my way home. I reached home and gave it a good once over. It looked good except for about 30 years of road grime on it. It also had been painted chevy engine block orange. I looked like an overgrown pumpkin. Off to the shed it went. I didn't see it til about March or April. The next couple of years were a blur so I'll just tell you what mods were made and what work was done to it. You know once you get a bike you can never leave it the same. Plus it was in dire need of an engine rebuild.
Here goes:
Engine
1.) Crank rebuild - Damon Kirkland
2.) Pistons and rings(.20 over) - Maddog
3.) Stage 1 porting - Maddog
4.) Head milling - Maddog
Chassis
1.) Frame painting - My cousin Rob Lowden
2.) Bodywork and painting - My cousin and I
3.) Tapered stem bearings - PHR
4.) Steering Damper - Pro-Flo
5.) Fork Seals - Pro-Flo
6.) Petcock - Pingel
7.) Drag bars - Flanders

All of the assembly of the engine, frame, wheels, wiring was done by my
father and I. My cousin and I did the custom gas tank cap and well as the
pant job. It was a great project and I am very happy with it. That's why I
just bought another H2 to restore. Let me know if you have any
questions.
I forgot to mention I'm 21. People ask me all of the time why I like
these old bikes. I said because all of the new bikes are for pussies. You
had to have a set of balls to ride a triple. Plus my dad used to have one
and I always wanted to fix it up but it just rusted away before i got the
chance too. What ashame.....

Hope you like the bike,
Kent Lowden
_________________
If it ain't smokin', it's broken