Author Topic: Kuwahara before ET?! (Read 4627 times)

Thejackal · « **on:** August 23, 2011, 01:31 PM »

Good afternoon

The kids were messing about at the weekend, at pulled ET out of the DVD box, so we sat down and watched it. Which they loved, BTW.

However, the point of the question is this - the bike that Elliot is riding (with ET in the basket) is obviously a Kuwahara, with the familiar red and white paint job, but isn't of course badged/ graphic'd up as an ET - so what model is it?

Thanks, and apologies if this is a dumb question

MaD-RoK · « **Reply #1 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:33 PM »

KZ1, designed by Howie Cohen specifically for the film.

markyp · « **Reply #2 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:33 PM »

its a kz1 in the film

MaD-RoK · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:35 PM »

http://www.howiebikeman.com/howie.htm

Thejackal · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:37 PM »

So, is it a cheat to get a KZ1 and have it painted with the ET colours?

Hmmm

ozone · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:40 PM »

Quote from: Thejackal on August 23, 2011, 01:37 PM

So, is it a cheat to get a KZ1 and have it painted with the ET colours? Hmmm

If you want an Elliott replica, that's the way to go. You wouldn't be the first. Strictly speaking, the bikes in the movie are KZ-2's - same frame but with lower spec parts....

MaD-RoK · « **Reply #6 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:41 PM »

No. Its the more expensive way, and true to the film. The ET 'replicas' were released for the masses on the cheap.

markyp · « **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:42 PM »

If you do an elliot replica then it will be film correct although not strictly a factory e.t. kind of makes you wonder which would be better,a factory spec e.t or the film correct which has a better frameset than the factory e.t.the kz's are full chromoly wheres as the et.s are mild steel

ozone · « **Reply #8 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:45 PM »

Quote from: markyp on August 23, 2011, 01:42 PM

If you do an elliot replica then it will be film correct although not strictly a factory e.t. kind of makes you wonder which would be better,a factory spec e.t or the film correct which has a better frameset than the factory e.t.the kz's are full chromoly wheres as the et.s are mild steel

Do both and keep the one you like best.

MaD-RoK · « **Reply #9 on:** August 23, 2011, 01:46 PM »

Or do the stripey Bob Haro one.

Massive Turndown · « **Reply #10 on:** August 23, 2011, 02:19 PM »

Hey Mark,any ideas what serial #'s for the 'Factory' E.T. were/are supposed to be?.It's just that I have heard so many conflicting viewpoints on E.T. serial #'s!.
Some say the frame(s) should be stamped as you mentioned KZ1 or KZ2, but even KE1 has been mentioned to me!!.Should the Kuwahara released complete's not read T2?.
Your's confused!

Nick.

BMX1973 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 23, 2011, 08:14 PM »

Hi
All E.T's start with a T2 serial number. E.T's came with round tubing on the forks with 4 holes above the dropout.
Some similar KYZ frames start T3, although some had a T2. The thing to check is that the little extra cable hole has not been filled in on the gusset.
Hope this helps.
Regards
BMX1973

Quote from: Massive Turndown on August 23, 2011, 02:19 PM

Hey Mark,any ideas what serial #'s for the 'Factory' E.T. were/are supposed to be?.It's just that I have heard so many conflicting viewpoints on E.T. serial #'s!.
Some say the frame(s) should be stamped as you mentioned KZ1 or KZ2, but even KE1 has been mentioned to me!!.Should the Kuwahara released complete's not read T2?.
Your's confused! Nick.

Glynnyboy · « **Reply #12 on:** August 23, 2011, 08:14 PM »

The KZ2's came out in 82 hence the 2.
As the film also came out in june 82 it's more probable that the f/f used were KZ1's as it says on jamies.
The bike scenes would have been shot before 1982.
In 2002 Kuwahara re-issued the E.T.
They used 300 existing NOS frame sets they had left over and put $hitty parts on, that bike was dubbed the KZ2.5.
So the marketed releases were "the original, the replica and the 2002 re release which used existing f/fs" (That doesn't include the toy store apollo's or the un licensed KZ1 Elliot reps that howie put out himself before universal put the kybosh on"
The frame numbers looked like this.

To be honest if i owned a KZ1 or a KZ2 f/f i would much prefer to build a KZ1 or a KZ2. The beauty of these bikes was the reason they were chosen by the kids to be in the film to start with.

GTnumber1 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 23, 2011, 08:52 PM »

Quote from: Thejackal on August 23, 2011, 01:31 PM

Good afternoon

The kids were messing about at the weekend, at pulled ET out of the DVD box, so we sat down and watched it. Which they loved, BTW.

However, the point of the question is this - the bike that Elliot is riding (with ET in the basket) is obviously a Kuwahara, with the familiar red and white paint job, but isn't of course badged/ graphic'd up as an ET - so what model is it?

Thanks, and apologies if this is a dumb question

E.T didnt have a kuwahara so to me the elliot kz1 is the only one to have but im sure everyone thinks different

ozone · « **Reply #14 on:** August 24, 2011, 07:57 AM »

Quote from: glynnyboy on August 23, 2011, 08:14 PM

The KZ2's came out in 82 hence the 2.
As the film also came out in june 82 it's more probable that the f/f used were KZ1's as it says on jamies.
The bike scenes would have been shot before 1982.

What you talkin' bout Willis? They were KZ-2's which were released at the same time as the KZ-1 in 1980. Check out this ad from 1980, lifted from Jamies site. They used dozens of bikes for the movie - do you really think that someone removed the Suntour stems, fluted posts, VX cranks from all of those bikes to furnish them with low-end parts before the cameras started rolling.

I bow down to your Burner knowledge but I'm not having that.

Old ad section from the site.

This is a two page magazine ad of the Kuwahara National and Factory team taken at the 1980 Kuwahara ABA Grand National. On the left is page one, on the right is page two.

MaD-RoK · « **Reply #15 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:26 AM »

Gonna watch this now. Pretty sure I only seen 1 piecers and slanted stems in the film. But then again I do tend to dribble over the weird little alien instead of looking at the bikes.

Gashead · « **Reply #16 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:33 AM »

I think you might find that the bikes were stipped of the decent parts ! And there were a few bikes with one piece cranks !

ozone · « **Reply #17 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:37 AM »

Quote from: Gashead on August 24, 2011, 08:33 AM

I think you might find that the bikes were stipped of the decent parts ! And there were a few bikes with one piece cranks !

All the bikes in the movie had Win stems and OPCs from what I remember. Been lots of threads on this subject...

Gashead · « **Reply #18 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:39 AM »

http://www.proteanpaper.com//scart_results.cgi?comp=howiebik&framed=0&part=ET-022&scat=1&scatord=desc&scatall=yes&skey=norm&srkeyall=&srkeywords=&srcateg=000000000000000288

Massive Turndown · « **Reply #19 on:** August 24, 2011, 07:09 PM »

Hey Nick,great little link you posted,but isn't this just the photo pictorial of Elliott's bike being delivered on set?.If we're safe to conclude that the E.T. movie bikes were KZ1/2's,then were back to square one that the movie bikes can be called Elliott 'replicas',and the Tange T2 as Glynn posted above should in theory be the 'factory' model.(I still don't know!!)...(ouch this Kuwie class hurts my head!!) lol!!
Nick.

Gashead · « **Reply #20 on:** August 24, 2011, 07:16 PM »

Agreed - but I was at work at the time of posting this and it's not the stills I thought it was

I have other evidence

And I also have pics of Elliots bike with red tuffs ! (from the film)

GTnumber1 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 24, 2011, 07:20 PM »

here is elliots bike just need to put the decals on when i can be bothered and i wont be putting any E.T stickers on it either ................. oh ye its got NOS IRC TYRES TOO

no tinsel frame here just cromoly

[img]http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums, thanks for looking but thats all your getting

]

Gashead · « **Reply #22 on:** August 24, 2011, 07:28 PM »

http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=51162.0

Happy reading

Pics are inconclusive, however some did have alternative parts

Glynnyboy · « **Reply #23 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:47 PM »

Quote from: ozone on August 24, 2011, 07:57 AM

What you talkin' bout Willis? They were KZ-2's which were released at the same time as the KZ-1 in 1980. Check out this ad from 1980, lifted from Jamies site. They used dozens of bikes for the movie - do you really think that someone removed the Suntour stems, fluted posts, VX cranks from all of those bikes to furnish them with low-end parts before the cameras started rolling.

My bad on the release mate i got my wires crossed just looking at the bottom of the kz1 history section at the frame numbers explanation and thinking it worked like the 3's and 4's. I should have brushed up a bit more 1st

I couldn't figure out where you got that it was a definitely a KZ2 because i haven't come across that, i probably missed it in my internet travels. Where did you see it?
It say's on Jamies that it's a KZ1 but i know Jamies isn't always 100%.
I thought you may have got it from the 2002 release write up which is why i mentioned that.

A member on burnerworld pm'd howie about it a while ago and from what he said they used bare stock KZ f/f's. Not sure if i read what he said properly but it looks like they didn't have to be crazy enough to strip a bike at all. That leads me to how you know it was a KZ2?
If i read what Howie said correctly then it was a KZ f/f

HOWIE SAID:

"Hi Rob,

Thanks for your nice message. Your question is a very good one. I have been asked the question several times and I am giving you the first public answer.

The reason for the frame difference between the bikes used in the movie vs the E.T. bikes sold in the after-market is:

We produced the bikes to be used in the actual filming of the movie in our Torrance, CA facility. We had Kuwahara BMX Racing Bike frames and forks in our stock (inventory) and we used these stocked frames and forks to produce the bikes for the studio. Producing the bikes to match the art-boards supplied by the studio in the very short time period was a difficult task, but we did it.

When we decided to produce E.T. Bikes to sell worldwide in the after-market, we chose the looptail frame design because it was a little less costly to produce and therefore we could keep the retail price at a little lower level.

I hope this gives you a clear explanation. I would appreciate it if you would post your question & my answer on the various BMX web sites of which you are aware. If you do make the posting(s), please send me a link so I can enjoy reading it.
Cheers, Howie"

His email to moddy also mirror's what was said in the 82 action.

Oh and you don't have bow down to me on burners. I make mistakes about those too.

I am keen to learn and help out with anything i have picked up and try point guys in the right direction if i can.
I try not to come across as though i need bowing down to..... the risk of getting something wrong is too great
and making myself look a total dick is more than i could bare.

Glynnyboy · « **Reply #24 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:55 PM »

Quote from: Massive Turndown on August 24, 2011, 07:09 PM

Hey Nick,great little link you posted,but isn't this just the photo pictorial of Elliott's bike being delivered on set?.If we're safe to conclude that the E.T. movie bikes were KZ1/2's,then were back to square one that the movie bikes can be called Elliott 'replicas',and the Tange T2 as Glynn posted above should in theory be the 'factory' model.(I still don't know!!)...(ouch this Kuwie class hurts my head!!) lol!!
Nick.

I know what you mean this pic always makes me ask why.
The Original looks nothing like Elliotts so why call it original.
The Replica.... well i get that but the why for the the original isn't clear.