Kawasaki H2 Colours by Year — A Restorer's Guide
Why Colour Matching Matters
A restored H2 with the wrong colour looks wrong. It does not take a trained eye — the shade is close enough to read as a repaint, but not close enough to read as correct. That is the worst result: not obviously wrong, just quietly off.
The H2 ran for four model years. Each year had specific factory colour offerings. The decal palette — the colours printed on the tank and side panel graphics — was matched to each of those factory body colours. Get the paint right and order the wrong decal set, and the colour registered in the stripe will still pull against the panel.
Kawasaki never published factory paint codes for the Triples. Restorers have to work the other way round — spectrometer-match an original unfaded panel, or use the aftermarket cross-references the community has built up over decades. We work from spectrometer scans of original panels in the workshop. Below is what we know about which factory colours ran in which years, with the restorer-standard cross-references where they exist.
Colour by Year
1972 — H2
Two factory colours for the 1972 H2: Pearl Candytone Blue and Pearl Candytone Gold. UK supply that year was Blue only — Agrati Sales (the UK importer until 1975) brought in 112 Blue bikes and didn't import the Gold.
Candy Brown, Candy Lime Green, and Firecracker Red are NOT documented 1972 H2 colours — do not include these as candidates.
| Colour Name | Restorer Match | Decal Palette |
|---|---|---|
| Pearl Candytone Blue | Not published — spectrometer-matched from original panels | Matched to factory blue palette |
| Pearl Candytone Gold | Not published — spectrometer-matched from original panels | Matched to factory gold palette |
1973 — H2A
Two factory colours for the 1973 H2A: Candy Gold and Candy Purple. Gold carried forward from 1972 (renamed from Pearl Candytone Gold); Purple was new for 1973. Blue was discontinued. Only 30 H2A units were officially imported to the UK that year — survivors here are unusually scarce.
| Colour Name | Restorer Match | Decal Palette |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Gold | Not published — spectrometer-matched | Matched to factory gold palette |
| Candy Purple | Not published — spectrometer-matched | Matched to factory purple palette |
1974 — H2B
Two factory colours for the 1974 H2B: Candy Lime and Candy Gold. The Gold scheme often reads as brown under aged clear coat, which is why you'll see it described as "Candy Brown" in older references. It isn't.
| Colour Name | Restorer Match | Decal Palette |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Lime | Not published. Restorer-standard aftermarket match: DuPont YM554 | Matched to factory lime palette |
| Candy Gold | Not published. Restorer-standard aftermarket match: PPG DBU2590 (for the brown-gold reading) | Matched to factory gold palette |
1975 — H2C
Two factory colours for the 1975 H2C: Candy Super Red and Candy Purple. Purple is the collector's pick.
| Colour Name | Restorer Match | Decal Palette |
|---|---|---|
| Candy Super Red | Not published. Restorer-standard aftermarket match: DuPont code for 1984 Honda Dark Red Metallic | Matched to factory red palette |
| Candy Purple | Not published. PPG custom mix (per kawatriple paintmatch reference) | Matched to factory purple palette |
We also stock Candy Green for the H2C as a made-to-order option for customers who've asked — that one isn't factory.
How We Check Colour Values
Our decal colour matching is against NOS decals or sometimes against the bike itself. We do not take colour values from a third-party reproduction or from a bike that may have been repainted at some point.
A repainted bike — even a careful repaint — can drift from the original spec over decades of exposure. A bike restored twenty years ago by someone working from memory is not a reference, it's a copy of a copy. Original spec is the reference point, not the repaint.
Matching Paint to Decals — Practical Notes
If you are spraying the tank before fitting the decals, the order matters. Apply paint first, allow full cure, then fit decals.
If you are sourcing paint from a classic-paint supplier, give them the year and the colour name rather than asking for a Kawasaki code — there isn't one to give. The good suppliers work from spectrometer scans or the same restorer-standard aftermarket cross-references. Take a test panel. The colour should match the original Kawasaki spec before you commit to the tank.
Once both paint and decals are on, a 2K clear coat protects both. Petrol and UV will work against unprotected decals and paint alike. We include a free printed sample with every order so you can test your clear coat before you spray the tank. Some clear coats react with solvent-ink decals — testing costs nothing; finding out on a finished tank is expensive.
A Note on Period Repaints
Not every H2 you will find is in its original colour. Bikes were repainted — through the 1980s especially, when many of these machines left the road and sat in garages. Candy paint fades and chips; a flat repaint was common.
A bike's original colour often survives in places paint never sees — under the seat, inside panel brackets, in the cradle behind the headstock. A small chip of factory paint gives you something to match against. That's what we do when a customer sends us a tank for spectrometer scanning.
If you cannot find a reference point, the frame number will tell you the year. From the year, you can narrow the factory colour options to two or three. We can help you identify which decal palette matches from there.
Browse the H2 Decal Range
Reproduction decals for the 1972–1975 H2 750 — each set colour-matched to NOS decals or against the bike itself. Fitting instructions are included with every set, and also available on our website.
Tell us the year and colour. We will point you at the right set.
