Kuwahara E.T replica build, With Pics...

[GREMLIN]

Hey lads,
I picked this up off the evil-Bay yesterday  . I think i got it at a fair price. I don't know yet if it was off a Rad member 
A lad called Jason - ebay i.d Hollowayfield... ?

Scanning through the sites old threads i think i've nailed it down to once belonging to Jimwise68 (as his Elliot replica), and then Tefore ?
Maybe even more Rad members 

Any help with this lads?    Also what is the final word on model etc?  Chrome Kz2.5, Kyz etc ?



I'm not going to follow to the word the spec sheet build for an E.t. I probably will source a set of Tange Trx forks and have them painted and then decalled up to fit onto it. But the rest will be close enough 'til as and when i can find the correct parts.

I already have a bottom bracket, sugino 1pc, sugino spider, Dia compe 890 brake set in either black or highly polished, Dia compe levers, Suntour post clamp, plus these bits that are in with the auction...



So any thoughts lads? Advice etc?    Grem' 

[Stodgy]

I believe it's a Tange Hot Heart F&F with a drilled out gusset,  judging by the forks.

Looks pukka though!

[GREMLIN]

I believe it's a Tange Hot Heart F&F with a drilled out gusset,  judging by the forks.

Looks pukka though!

It's always a possibility i guess. I'll have to check the dimensions when it arrives... 
But if it is as i think Jimwise68 and Tefore's old frame and fork set i'd say it's 99.9% positive to be a Kuwahara model.  G. 

[zed4130]

love it gav     ET phone home   

[GREMLIN]

Finally traced the serial number down on the frame set. It was Tefore's at one time 
The serial matches, and the b.b to top of seat-post tube is 10" so it is a Kuwi and not a drilled out Hot Heart. Which would be 12". 
I did actually think the gusset hole was too small to be a drilled heart... So all's good 

Thanx Paul m8.  I'll get it built up soon enough and may bring it down once i'm back from my hol's     G. 

[Stodgy]

Top stuff!

[Flaz]

im not 100% about this but i think jim went round a members house recently and the bloke ad his kuwi    so i dont think thats his one  your best of asking him

[GREMLIN]

I will ask him as it'll be nice to get the history behind whatever it is.  The serial numbers match exactly tho 
Plus looking at the pics of Jim's frame set and the eBay pics they look identical.
Even down to the extended scratch on the rear drop.   G 

[jimwise68]

It was a KYZ originally, apparently they called them the "chrome" ET. It is not a drilled out Hot Heart.

Here is is as I got it:



I won if off of Ebay and it came all the way from the other side of Aberdeen. Not from a Rad member.

I got it sprayed in the ET colours and made it into an Elliot replica.

The guy you bought it from lives about 20 mins from me and he bought my Redline from me and when i dropped it round there he showed me his collection of bikes. One of which was my old Elliot Kuwahara. The guy is a member on here but can't remember his user name.

I have the missing ET decals if you want them.

[GREMLIN]

Excellent, thanx Jim. 
It's great to have some history behind my new build.
What was wrong with the original chrome then m8?  It looks sweet in the pic     G. 

[jimwise68]

Chrome wasn't that bad, but wanted to do an ET. 

Shortly after i found out about the fork difference, I researched on Jamies kuwahara sight and found out about the "chrome" ET monikor.

[GREMLIN]

Chrome wasn't that bad, but wanted to do an ET. 

Shortly after i found out about the fork difference, I researched on Jamies kuwahara sight and found out about the "chrome" ET monikor.

Cool.  I've not seen it in the flesh, but the paint job does look nice. Roll on the day it lands on my doorstep 
Thanx Jim     G. 

[jT Racing]

what's this 10" 12" rubbish. i have both frames here and there is no dimensional difference at all.  ones a brick(heavy), but that's the ET.
where oh where did you here the 10" 12" story. We are gonna need the mythbusters before long next thing will be ' if you hold the hotheart gusset up to your ear, you can here the sea but the ET sounds like mating squirrels'

[kuwahero]

this was posted on one of the US forums a while ago. Source was supposed to have something to do with Kuwahara BITD. Apparently, the ET frame is lower than that of the Tange Hot Heart. from the top of the seat tube to the bottom of the bottom bracket on an ET is 10 inches and the same measurement on a Hot Heart is 12 inches.

size matters you know 

I have a genuine ET and it measures 10 inches. I believe someone confirmed the Hot Heart size when Electro808 was having issues with the frame he bought a few months back.

Marc

[GREMLIN]

As above    G. 

[jT Racing]

i reckon there are some wonky tape measures. or maybe it was one of those moody hot hearts.
reet, if you have either bike, get you tape measure out and lets find out if there are any wierd different size bikes about.

[GREMLIN]

i reckon there are some wonky tape measures. or maybe it was one of those moody hot hearts.
reet, if you have either bike, get you tape measure out and lets find out if there are any wierd different size bikes about.

That's a good idea  . 
So you have both frame sets then J.t ?
Obviously i'm only going by what i've seen on this and other sites which have bought the differences up.

If i was unsure about the frame set i'd have done a few checks...

1. B.b to top of seat-post tube (if a size difference is a marker).
2. Weight (e.t steel etc).
3. Welds.
4. Gusset hole size.
5. Serial number (position etc).

G. 

[jT Racing]

i've had 5 hothearts, got one left, 2 sold on here, 2 given away in holland. got only one genuine ET. serial is the same, rear triangle on the ET is high ten not cro-mo, all my hothearts were full cro-mo. hole dia. is 22mm, ones a heart or if it's bigger than 22mm then is moody, if it's cro mo then it's not an ET and maybe a kuwi kz whatnot. (kyz, can't remember or be assed to look for it) but as for different sizes? WTF they were never different from each other. Everybody measur your shit and lets find out for sure.

[steve Beech TA]

hi all

Just measured my Hot heart and its 10'' exactly and the heart on the gusset measure's 20mm from the furthest points, cant remember what should be what, just letting you know. i will look on the thread and see what is what.

Cheers steve

[steve Beech TA]

Just cut out a 21 mm circle and it just covers the heart so if a HH was made into a ET if done well would measure 21-22mm, hope this helps

[GREMLIN]

Nice one.  Thanx Steve     G.

[Stodgy]

The Hot Heart I have here is 10" seattube too.

[kuwahero]

Well that stuffs that theory 

My ET measures 10inches also

[GREMLIN]

Yup 

It's not too much of an issue really anyhow, with mine being a Kuwi'. Nice to lay another myth to rest tho. 
  Grem'. 

[Glynnyboy]

Great thread i finally sort of feel like i have an answer to a question i needed answering (there's no answer  it seems). I got an e.t Kuwi of ebay US a few months ago and ended up feeling a bit of a pest trying to get an answer as to it's authenticity.
I found the thread not so long ago about the guy sold what he beleaved to be one that was'nt. I pm'd kuwahero (cheers mate for getting back) who quoted the story about the geometry difference he had seen on another site. The thing that confused me, not being up on all the correct terminology was bottom of the bb. If your looking at the serial the bottom is where the seat tube joins the  shell but if the frame is stood up the bottom is where the serial is.
So feeling a little confused and thinking it's just probably me been stupid i found the thread from the guy on OS bMX ( who owned both frames) and pm'd him. I felt my question couldn't have been read properly because the answer didn't really answer my question. I made my apologis and pm'd him again, he attempted to answer my question but ended up talking about both frames in the same sentence. I did'nt know which one he was talking about. I pm'd the guy again with this picture of mine fresh back from the painters and i put these measurements on so as no cofusion could take place but he must have just thought i was a thick  and never got back. I thought the picture asks all without confusion check it out.


The only thing i feel happy with is the frame number break down  of it been a july 82 model in time for the october release of the film and the christmas market. Also if it is another model it must have been done an awful long time ago the paint was well old,( A couple of cm's above the serial it also has 106 stamped in , I assumed this must be some sort of zip code an owner had put in after purchase because the same number is stamped in underneath the tange stamp on the trx forks). If the guy is also a member on here no disrespect intended it just he didn't get back after i posted the photo.