Reader Submittal. Outstanding Kawasaki H2 Restomod / Rescue

Joe Byrd sends in this fantastic :save: of a classic Kawasaki!  Having been down this road a few times with Kawasaki Triples myself I can attest to what a fantastic job this is.

Joe Writes:

Steve
After you posted pix of my H1A and my CR500R, you said to let you know about the next one.


My H2 750 Triple
You can see the before and after;
I purchased the "bike-in-a-box" early last fall with the intent of rebuilding it over the winter.  The build got off to a late start but by June I had it running.

I call it a rebuild and not a restoration because I just wanted a nice looking, nice running H2 to ride, I did not want a bike too nice to ride. I think it has worked out as planned.

Every part needed something. I did all the work myself with the exception  of the powder coating, some machine work (requiring special machines) and applying the paint base coat and clear coat. The painter wanted nothing to do with the decals.

I only bought new parts when I did not have the part or when I could not rebuild the existing part in a satisfactory manner.

I made a lot  parts I did not have or could not get, having access to a machine shop is a great thing.

I seemed like everything that should have taken a minute, took an hour and everything that should have taken an hour, took a week.

I replaced every bearing and seal.  I installed a rebuilt crank  and new pistons in new bores.  It got a new clutch and I had enough transmission parts to build one with minimal wear. And as always, H2 transmissions require careful  shimming.
       
I have ridden it about 600 miles so far, I have fixed a few nits and niggles. It took a while but now I have the jetting spot on. And it is running  like a strong H2 with no issues.

The first week I had it running, I rode it to a large cruiser extravaganza and entered the 750  in the bike show. Though there were quite a number of metric customs, the H2 won first place in the Asian category!