Author Topic: kuwahara champion look a likes (Read 1848 times)

markyp · « **on:** July 22, 2013, 06:00 PM »

a mate of mine has just bought himself what looks like a kuwi champion,ive not seen it in the flesh but he thinks it isn't as when he looked at them on t'internet there were very very subtle differences,none that I could see though from the pic of his bike that he sent.so what looky likeys are there of this frameset??

20to26 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 22, 2013, 06:17 PM »

Primo made 'copies' of the Kuwahara Champion about two years after its release. I chatted to a bloke at Primo who'd been around since the get go and confirmed they did do a Primo version. The differences are very subtle and I've seen at least one Primo sold as a Kuwahara.

The story of the Kuwahara Champion is an interested one - an enigma - as Kuwahara in Japan didn't have anything to do with it (I emailed them too!) and Mr. Everything Bicycles can't remember them either. But there they are...

Looking at the dropouts & seat collar on my Champion and Dirtbike leads me to believe they're S&M made - IMHO...

Absolutely lovely to ride - very stable.

Check the headtube and fork dropouts.

Mine came from an old Kuwahara dealer in Texas. Apparently they were given to 400 Kuwahara dealers by the distributor.

Dannywhac · « **Reply #2 on:** July 22, 2013, 06:37 PM »

Interesting read that is

One thing though - S&M couldn't have made the frames as they didn't start in house manufacture until 2002. In all likelihood they may have been made by the same peeps that made S&M frames (and frames for a few other companies) - it was B&E that did all the building for these companies in the real early 90's

*quick edit - in fact them drops look a lot like the later MK1 and MK2 Dirtbike drops, so I reckon B&E prob. made them n'all

and another edit

Them forks drops look very Revcore/CW - I believe B&E also made schizz for the in the late 80's/early 90's.

20to26 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 22, 2013, 06:56 PM »

Aha. Yeah I meant to say a Mk1 Dirtbike dropouts - well spotted. B&E eh

ron burgundy · « **Reply #4 on:** July 22, 2013, 08:22 PM »

Has to be B&E...

Revcore, S&M, Hyper. It's all there, bottom bracket shell, head tube, seat tube, drop outs. Unfortunately it was designed by Stevie Wonder.

OrgasmDonor · « **Reply #5 on:** July 23, 2013, 12:32 PM »

Quote from: ron burgundy on July 22, 2013, 08:22 PM

Has to be B&E...

Revcore, S&M, Hyper. It's all there, bottom bracket shell, head tube, seat tube, drop outs. Unfortunately it was designed by Stevie Wonder.

B&E?

oh aye