Restoring an old skool 80's BMX (Kuwahara ET!)
Discussion
Christmas 1983 - I was the proud owner of a Kuwahara ET, I loved that bike more than anything & rode it everywhere, I broke the world record for front wheel hops (at the time the world record was 140 & I did 165) & over the years it was sprayed white, green & finally blue. Theres not many bits that I didnt break & up graded but the frame stayed strong.
Now its 2009 & the poor beast resides in a damp shed feeling abit sorry for its self
. Time to restore it to its former glory & get it back to its original condition. Ive been looking on ebay & most of the bits are available, suntour stem £25, Ukai wheels £149, comp 3 tyres £30 etc, total cost comes to about £420 so its certainally not an investment to make money on but i'm never going to sell it.
Anyone else attempted such a task? Any ideas apart from ebay on where to get bits?
Thanks for your ideas chaps & photos will follow.
Now its 2009 & the poor beast resides in a damp shed feeling abit sorry for its self
. Time to restore it to its former glory & get it back to its original condition. Ive been looking on ebay & most of the bits are available, suntour stem £25, Ukai wheels £149, comp 3 tyres £30 etc, total cost comes to about £420 so its certainally not an investment to make money on but i'm never going to sell it.Anyone else attempted such a task? Any ideas apart from ebay on where to get bits?
Thanks for your ideas chaps & photos will follow.
I've done a couple of Haro and a couple of Raleigh Burner BMX restorations in the past.
It's easy if you know your way around a bike and a spanner
I sourced most of the bits from eBay and some from the local indie bike shop.
If you have an old bike shop near you that's run by an old man with old fashioned shelving in the back of the shop he'll probably still have most of the bits in stock.
Mine does.
I'm toying with the idea of starting either another BMX resto or doing a retro girl's cruiser.
I've got both sat here looking at me and a Raleigh Chopper that needs some TLC too.
Do a "build thread" if you go ahead.
It's easy if you know your way around a bike and a spanner
I sourced most of the bits from eBay and some from the local indie bike shop.
If you have an old bike shop near you that's run by an old man with old fashioned shelving in the back of the shop he'll probably still have most of the bits in stock.
Mine does.
I'm toying with the idea of starting either another BMX resto or doing a retro girl's cruiser.
I've got both sat here looking at me and a Raleigh Chopper that needs some TLC too.
Do a "build thread" if you go ahead.
Good stuff, as above please make sure there's a build thread.
www.retrobike.com may yield some parts, though last time I looked it was more MTB orientated.
If it's been sprayed a number of times are you going to be stripping back to bare metal and getting it a nice new paintjob? If so, Argos in Bristol are good (if pricy) and IIRC will be able to sort out OE spec stickers too, which in some cases can be hard to get hold of.
www.retrobike.com may yield some parts, though last time I looked it was more MTB orientated.
If it's been sprayed a number of times are you going to be stripping back to bare metal and getting it a nice new paintjob? If so, Argos in Bristol are good (if pricy) and IIRC will be able to sort out OE spec stickers too, which in some cases can be hard to get hold of.
Nolar Dog said:
I've done a couple of Haro and a couple of Raleigh Burner BMX restorations in the past.
It's easy if you know your way around a bike and a spanner
I sourced most of the bits from eBay and some from the local indie bike shop.
If you have an old bike shop near you that's run by an old man with old fashioned shelving in the back of the shop he'll probably still have most of the bits in stock.
Mine does.
I'm toying with the idea of starting either another BMX resto or doing a retro girl's cruiser.
I've got both sat here looking at me and a Raleigh Chopper that needs some TLC too.
Do a "build thread" if you go ahead.
Good stuff, there must be lots of old bike shops around Bristol so I'll pop into a few & ask around. Also my parents attic probably has most of the bits that I broke stashed there as I never wanted to throw anything away!It's easy if you know your way around a bike and a spanner
I sourced most of the bits from eBay and some from the local indie bike shop.
If you have an old bike shop near you that's run by an old man with old fashioned shelving in the back of the shop he'll probably still have most of the bits in stock.
Mine does.
I'm toying with the idea of starting either another BMX resto or doing a retro girl's cruiser.
I've got both sat here looking at me and a Raleigh Chopper that needs some TLC too.
Do a "build thread" if you go ahead.
No probs doing the work myself, the bike was normally stripped & cleaned in my bedroom every week so i'm looking forward to getting dirty with it again.
pedantlewis said:
Good stuff, as above please make sure there's a build thread.
www.retrobike.com may yield some parts, though last time I looked it was more MTB orientated.
If it's been sprayed a number of times are you going to be stripping back to bare metal and getting it a nice new paintjob? If so, Argos in Bristol are good (if pricy) and IIRC will be able to sort out OE spec stickers too, which in some cases can be hard to get hold of.
Definately bare metal spray. I sprayed it the last 3 times so happy to have another crack. Good tip on Argos, they are half a mile from where I live & hadnt thought of speaking to them. I'll pop in for a chat. www.retrobike.com may yield some parts, though last time I looked it was more MTB orientated.
If it's been sprayed a number of times are you going to be stripping back to bare metal and getting it a nice new paintjob? If so, Argos in Bristol are good (if pricy) and IIRC will be able to sort out OE spec stickers too, which in some cases can be hard to get hold of.
A couple of sites that might be worth a look.....
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/index.php
http://www.bmxtalk.com/
Good look with it, wish I still had my old JMC Shadow race bike.
http://www.radbmx.co.uk/index.php
http://www.bmxtalk.com/
Good look with it, wish I still had my old JMC Shadow race bike.
I've done a couple of Burners. I had them powder coated for the kids - yes I know its not keeping them original but hey, its what they wanted!
anyway.. I spent nearly two weeks of evening pissing about assembling one of them and then I still ended up down the bike shop cos I couldnt get the brakes set right, got talking to guy there and mentioned bike number 2 still in bits at home.
"Bring it in, we'll stick it togther for you for £40 and you can have it back in a day" he said..
DONE!
One pink, one blue, both with Skyways.
anyway.. I spent nearly two weeks of evening pissing about assembling one of them and then I still ended up down the bike shop cos I couldnt get the brakes set right, got talking to guy there and mentioned bike number 2 still in bits at home.
"Bring it in, we'll stick it togther for you for £40 and you can have it back in a day" he said..
DONE!
One pink, one blue, both with Skyways.
Nurburgsingh said:
I've done a couple of Burners. I had them powder coated for the kids - yes I know its not keeping them original but hey, its what they wanted!
anyway.. I spent nearly two weeks of evening pissing about assembling one of them and then I still ended up down the bike shop cos I couldnt get the brakes set right, got talking to guy there and mentioned bike number 2 still in bits at home.
"Bring it in, we'll stick it togther for you for £40 and you can have it back in a day" he said..
DONE!
One pink, one blue, both with Skyways.
& you do have to get the brakes just right dont you! I remember mucking about for hours getting them perfect, normally one pad just stays on the rim squeaking & relly pi##es you off when riding. anyway.. I spent nearly two weeks of evening pissing about assembling one of them and then I still ended up down the bike shop cos I couldnt get the brakes set right, got talking to guy there and mentioned bike number 2 still in bits at home.
"Bring it in, we'll stick it togther for you for £40 and you can have it back in a day" he said..
DONE!
One pink, one blue, both with Skyways.
As for skyways, it has a white pair on now with a coaster brake, the front though is cracked as I tried a cowboy endo (remember them!?) about 1990 & I was a little heavier then than when I was a kid. Snap!
It was then laid to rest...
splodge s4 said:
As for skyways, it has a white pair on now with a coaster brake, the front though is cracked as I tried a cowboy endo (remember them!?) about 1990 & I was a little heavier then than when I was a kid. Snap!
20 year old picture nicked of a mates facebook page.... 
I'd hate to ride an 'old skool' bike now, I've got used to the extra strength and better angles of a 'modern' frame and wheels, but they are nice to look at.....
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=10...
Ok, this is now the build thread! This afternoon i went over to the shed & started the job. It felt like a barn find, except it wasnt a barn & I didnt find it, I knew it was there but you get the idea.
Now I've looked on Ebay, there isnt a Kuwahara ET for sale which makes me think these bikes are pretty rare now, theres a frame for sale but thats not a 'proper' ET Kuwahara, its a bottom end Apollo that was made to sell in toy shops, frame only for sale at £185 buy now.
So, heres how I found it, not seen the light of day since I bought the place in 1998.
Getting it home:
Anyone remember 'Eddies handles'
Skyway spinmaster!
Mushroom II's!
Then down to work, out with the spanners & i was amazed how easily everything came apart. the bearings well still well greased & nothing was a problem. Some bits like the haro tyres had seen better days.
I then began stripping the paint, just using a bit of wet n dry sanding paper & it came off pretty easy
The weld on the tube on the right was actually done by my Gramp at Rolls Royce. He took a break one lunch time & stopped making Tornado engines at Filton to weld a small crack that started to appear,probably the strongest bit of the frame!
So thats where we are after a few hours this afternoon. Tomorrow Im getting some more sanding paper, paint stripper, red & white spray, Kuw stickers, chrome V bars....etc.
hope it brings back as many memories as it has for me
Now I've looked on Ebay, there isnt a Kuwahara ET for sale which makes me think these bikes are pretty rare now, theres a frame for sale but thats not a 'proper' ET Kuwahara, its a bottom end Apollo that was made to sell in toy shops, frame only for sale at £185 buy now.
So, heres how I found it, not seen the light of day since I bought the place in 1998.
Getting it home:
Anyone remember 'Eddies handles'
Skyway spinmaster!
Mushroom II's!
Then down to work, out with the spanners & i was amazed how easily everything came apart. the bearings well still well greased & nothing was a problem. Some bits like the haro tyres had seen better days.
I then began stripping the paint, just using a bit of wet n dry sanding paper & it came off pretty easy
The weld on the tube on the right was actually done by my Gramp at Rolls Royce. He took a break one lunch time & stopped making Tornado engines at Filton to weld a small crack that started to appear,probably the strongest bit of the frame!
So thats where we are after a few hours this afternoon. Tomorrow Im getting some more sanding paper, paint stripper, red & white spray, Kuw stickers, chrome V bars....etc.
hope it brings back as many memories as it has for me
Edited by splodge s4 on Friday 10th July 19:32
Cracking thread and I look forward to the results. I'm in the process of renovating an old Raleigh into a single speed road bike (photo in the show us yours).
Anyhow, I stripped it like yourself and sprayed it myself. Loads of primer, colour and laquer and to be honest, for the total cost, I wish I got it powdercoated. It looks great but as I found out the other day, it's not very strong. My wife threw some carpet agains it in the garage and it scratched right down to the metal.
Anyhow, I stripped it like yourself and sprayed it myself. Loads of primer, colour and laquer and to be honest, for the total cost, I wish I got it powdercoated. It looks great but as I found out the other day, it's not very strong. My wife threw some carpet agains it in the garage and it scratched right down to the metal.
One of my mates lives and breaths 80's BMX's he's been on Radbmx.co.uk for years.
Something thing worth mentioning is that they have a meet at MK bmx track next weekend, went last year and it a real trip down memory lane, 100's of old school bikes etc on display.
Probably a really good place to source parts too, so worth going if you arent too far away :-)
Something thing worth mentioning is that they have a meet at MK bmx track next weekend, went last year and it a real trip down memory lane, 100's of old school bikes etc on display.
Probably a really good place to source parts too, so worth going if you arent too far away :-)
I ALWAYS wanted a Kuwahara ET. At the time I had a Burner and eventually managed to blag my parents into a GT Pro but always had a hankering for a Kuwa.
Best of luck with it, real coincidence but I've found a box full of old BMX Action Bike magazines this weekend and the ET is advertised in one of them.
Best of luck with it, real coincidence but I've found a box full of old BMX Action Bike magazines this weekend and the ET is advertised in one of them.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff