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When we at Team Kawasaki Road Race saw the one prototype brought to the U.S., we understood it would be identified as "H-3". We thought that "H-4" would have been more appropriate for it, and it was also slated to be made into an R series racer. The firing order was LF/RR, then 180 degrees later, RF/LR, which was the firing pattern used on almost all inline 4, square 4, and V design 4 cylinder, two stroke engines.
Although we weren't able to take this bike apart for closer inspection, we were made aware it had 4 single cylinder crankshafts, as what the Suzuki RG500 has, as both these engines, Kawasaki and Suzuki some 6 years later, were designed by the same person. The left cranks were splined into the right cranks, primary gears on the clutch end of the crank, geared together, one set (rear pair) rotated forward, the other (front pair) rearward. We were also led to believe R&D had also experimented with 4 individual cylinder (90 degree) firing order engines as well.
The engine had 2 twin cylinder heads, both side by side, one for the left cylinders, one for the right side. There were 4 carburetors, and the engine was a piston port design. This was to be carried over to the R series design that never became. We got the KR750 triple instead, which had just started its development at the same time (early 1973).
This engine was significantly heavier than the H2 engine is.
This prototype was actually ridden at Ontario the next day, by the Tech Services test riders, and we didn't make that ride. We did fire the bike up in the shop area, and it sounded GREAT.
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