Fuel starvation 75RD350

[85RZwade]

Great result, Tim

[Economy Cycle John]

Thanks much, those are good quality reproductions.

[85RZwade]

Tim, is there a good story about how the Phoenix project got its name?

[m in sc]

if he still has the pics... its a fairly epic story.

here's a video of the initial fire up from.. 2004.    from back at my OLD house/garage. 

[Kawtriplefreak]

Yes, Mark it is an epic story...
    I have the pictures on a disc somewhere.  It was 2003.I was living in Mossy Head, FL working for FL DOC as a Correctional Officer after retirement from the USAF as an MC-130 P Flight Engineer in 2001. I had a 30x40 wooden shop and quite a variety of bikes and vehicles to include:
    A 1977 Chevrolet Blazer Chalet Camper (one of 1100 made in 77), A 1973 Ranchero GT 351 Cleveland Cobra-Jet 4 speed car loaded, with AC (last year of the Cobra-Jet and last year of the 4 speed in a Ranchero), a 1976 FLH Harley Davidson with 500 miles on a $4000 engine rebuild and a fresh paint job. A freshly refurbished 1972 H2 750 Triple with a hot rod Denco motor and pipes that I horse-traded a 74 RD 350 and some cash to get from M in SC, 6 parts triples and possible future project bikes. A 1984 VW Rabbit diesel (my back and forth to work car) and a big stereo set up that I had since the 80s that I got on Okinawa. I had the walls decorated with flying memorabilia and systems posters from my time as a flight instructor on the MC-130P and a whole bunch of tools and equipment.
    I had just backed the Ranchero into the shop to do an oil change as I was going to drive it to VA to see my Daddy and my wife was sick in bed, so I went inside to check on her. It was getting ready to storm, typical NW Florida weather for the time of year. We heard a loud thunderclap and a crash. I came out the door of the house. The flames were already billowing out of the open garage and walk in doors. Lightning had struck the shop. I ran to the shop and tried to get the bikes out, but I had a loaded 12 gauge shot gun just inside the entry door with a box of shells on a shelf beside it and the rounds started going off, so I had to run back out. 
    The shop burned to the ground in 10 minutes. All we could do was stand there and cry. It took the local fire department 20 minutes to respond. It was so hot in there that the aluminum engines in the bikes melted and made a pool of aluminum under each bike and the steel cranks and transmission gears fell onto the frame rails.  Everything in the shop and parked next to it was completely destroyed.
The only drivable vehicle we had left was my wife's Oldsmobile. I got online the next day on the old Kawasaki Triples Worldwide Forum and told everyone what happened.  Insurance settled for ¾ of the estimated value of the contents (after a long fight and subsequent cancellation of my homeowner's insurance) and I was able to build a new metal shop and replace the tools and equipment and I bought my 95 FLHR and a used Chevy Blazer.   
    I am still humbled from the response and forever grateful to everyone involved. People from all over the world read my post and sent me parts and money and donated labor and machine work to build the Phoenix Project named from the mythical bird rising from its' own ashes.  Jeff Gootblatt provided the titled 76 KH 500 frame and rolling chassis. Big Mo Jerry Stice donated a set of cases and cylinders. The late Ron Reichert of Purple Haze Racing built the Stage 2 plus H2 750 engine and back cut transmission and donated all his labor and machine work. He also sold me a pile of parts for his cost, no markup.  Kurt Wolfgang Petersen donated the 1970 AMC Signal Green paint job and prep work. Rick Brett in the UK donated the custom-made instruments that say "Phoenix" and "The Bike Built by The Board" on them. He also sent parts. There are also a host of others throughout the 2-stroke world who donated parts and money, again thank you all. Triple Ed Zunz in Sarasota provided a pile of parts and recovered the seat. I assembled the bike in the fall of 03 and winter of 04. Back then there were Two Gap meets, one in May and one in August. We decided to introduce the Phoenix at the August meet in 2004.
  M in SC integrated the 72 H2 wiring harness into the 76 H1 instruments and lights, wired the bike and took me into his home.  We did final assembly and the initial fire up, (the video above) break in, and initial jetting.  I thought we were going to get locked up the 1st time we took the Phoenix out on the road for an extremely late-night breakfast after a long day and night wrenching (for the life of me I can't remember where we ate).   
    We were enhancing community relations and caught the attention of the local police, who heard the noise and saw the smoke and promptly chased us down just knowing they had caught some heathens on unlicensed dirt bikes. Initially they weren't very friendly if memory serves but they let us go on to breakfast after we showed them our papers... Thank you so much Mark for all you do for all of us then and now.  I wouldn't have the bikes I have if not for you. 
   The Phoenix Project in the 1st of many iterations made its'1st appearance at the Fall Gap Meet in 2004 and was welcomed warmly by all. The rest as they say is history.







 

[kpke]

Yep, that's a great story all right. Can't imagine the initial feelings and emotions when the fire happened. What a great "community" build is your Phoenix machine. You've got some great friends.

[Kawtriplefreak]

Yes I do have some great friends.

[85RZwade]

I did not realize for what I was asking...that is an amazing, heart-wrenching and inspirational story, Tim. Thanks for sharing that; you have reinforced my faith in human nature. 

[Kawtriplefreak]

Re fuel starvation.
 Took it out and flogged it pretty hard today and it runs much better.We are gonna call if fixed. Back up on the lift so I can pull the cracked headlight ears off and replace them and repaint the headlight bucket.

[Striker1423]

That's a heart-wrenching, gut-punch of a story with an awesome finish!

[lowandslow]

Wow that is some story. Hopefully bad luck only strikes once. That is a lot of stuff to lose.

[2steve]

What a cool triple. No need to change anything. It's a prized history document.