Kuwahara ET Spec question

[mivvi]

Was the stock seat for the 'ET' build an Elina lightening bolt seat? I have a scanned copy of the original sales spec and it states that a 'Taihei Elina' seat is fitted but you see a lot of other builds using the lightening bolt seat? Im a bit confused to be honest with you???   

[Sanmarcopizza]

Wasn't it an Elina ET seat, or was that an aftermarket option. The same shape as the Lightning Boly, but had ET moulded into the textured top.

[Bananaman]

I have an Elina ET Seat that I no longer need if you are after one PM me

[dj_benice]

Dunno about spec for ET but ad for elina lightnin bolt in april 82 shows it was actually called taihei (the company that is)

[oberonspacefruit]

so, why do they have the fookin saddle bag tags on em?

[mivvi]

Good point Sanmarco. I have one of the Elina seats with the 'ET' stamped in the top but have never seen a build with one on. I think there must have been a lot of 'ET' branded parts available after the release of the bike. I might just stay with the one I got and be different to everyone else then, lol.  

Hey, dj_benice, you posted while I was writing this, hence this bit added on. Thanks for posting the ad, looks like the original build had one of those on it then. In the spec I have it doesn't have the lightening bolt type though. I expect there were a few different builds?

[oberonspacefruit]

im sure it was the standard lightning bolt seat on the spec.


check out jazzchimps build in the museum, im sure thats as correct as they come

[dj_benice]

Not too sure, from what I read into it taihei saddles (see distributors address and also in Elina logo of ad) made elina seats which isn't to helpful as elina did allsorts of seats (kashi aero style, uni one piece style etc etc) but reckon it probably was as, as previously stated by a few the E.T. Elina saddle was basically just a lightning bolt undr a nother guise.....

Just spotted ya reply oberon, tend to agree with you.....  not quite sure what you meant by saddle bags though??  they be rude tings where I is

[mivvi]

See, now this spec has no lightning bolt on it?

[danny silverstreak]

mine in the museum is like the top picture above , no lightening bolt just a plain black one

[Jazzchimp]

The UK spec one didn't have either a Lightening bolt or an ET elina to begin with, as the spec sheet from Gecko shows. The lightening bolt was standard on the US model only. The US one also had foam grips similar to grab on MX3's, if you look hard at Elliot's bike in ET you can see them.

[mivvi]

Yep, I reckon you got the right one on your bike then Danny. Great build too mate  . Thanks for the input Jazzchimp, what grips did the UK spec have then, the Tange type? I don't think im gonna build mine to spec anyhow but it was something that had be bugging me for some time. I still got a few parts to get as yet but at least we got that bit cleared up.  

[Jazzchimp]

Grips should be Tange but with the word Kuwahara on them (not Tange)

[mivvi]

Cool. I love that bike, one day mine might look something like that, lol  .  First off I need to get it painted which won't be easy but I think there was someone on here who had painted one in the past, was it 'Region11' or something like that, who knows.....I have a pair of those grips too, forgot I had them. 

[Frosty]

Check the old advert from Jamies site



and the old poster



or these seats that appear often on ebay

[mivvi]

So Frosty, I think you have cleared that up. Is the top one the US spec and the bottom UK then?

[Frosty]

The top ad is from a US mag, but the 2nd pic is the poster used all over.

Is it possible that the poster seat had ET on the top?

I think all of the seats are ok for use, although quite why blue or yellow ET seats were made I don't know!!

My preference is the gold accessories over the black version!

[Moza]

In the movie its a lightening bolt seat

[Jazzchimp]

In the movie its a lightening bolt seat

Yep but apparently the ET bikes in the film were prototypes so their spec had no relevance to the subsequent model.