Author Topic: First Ever Build - Kuwahara Laserlite KZ-83 (Read 15901 times)

buzzlightyear05 · « **Reply #25 on:** April 24, 2009, 08:13 PM »

Superb job on the dropouts!! thechrome is stunning very quick turn around on it to most places take well over a month.

bodamus · « **Reply #26 on:** April 24, 2009, 08:40 PM »

Wow Rich that is looking lovely mate great chrome job

bodamus

Frosty · « **Reply #27 on:** April 24, 2009, 08:58 PM »

Wow Rich

The chrome looks great, who did you get to do it and how much (if you don't mind me asking).

You now won't be disappointed in waiting for the oem parts - it is looking the bollocks

Paul

rhino_mac · « **Reply #28 on:** April 24, 2009, 09:12 PM »

Hi Paul,

The bike is everything I wanted it to be now - I wasn't happy with the dropouts and if I'm honest, I hoped the chrome would come up better than I managed. It seemed crazy to build it up with NOS parts in the state it was in.

I got it chromed at Alderney Plating, Thrush Road, Poole. Web site is http://www.alderneyplating.co.uk/

I paid £200 cash to dechrome/ rechrome the frame, the bars and black chrome four parts of the Hatta headset (both cups, the top spacer ring and the top nut). He repaired the dropouts in house free for some reason - I didn't ask him to but he did me a favour so I was well happy.

He quoted me £300 for the whole job, but I offered him £200 cash. He warned me I would get what I paid for but to be honest the chrome is superb. The only small area not perfect (a little dull) is on the back of the bottom bracket between the rails where they can't get the mop). But it's only a 10mm patch tops and he had to point it out to me.

Honestly, I think all the chromers are really struggling at the moment but he turned it around pretty quickly (a couple of weeks). But I'm very happy and he seemed keen to do more business on frames like this - they specialise in one off jobs. He said to give them a bell to confirm prices but you can use my job as a guide - ask for Adrian.

southern andy · « **Reply #29 on:** April 24, 2009, 09:21 PM »

Looking very very nice Rich.

You sorted cranks yet mate

rhino_mac · « **Reply #30 on:** April 24, 2009, 09:23 PM »

No mate, I'm gonna have to ride it like Fred Flintstone...........................................Still on the lookout though if anyone has a set they want to swap for beer tokens

munners · « **Reply #31 on:** April 24, 2009, 09:25 PM »

That chrome looks like its wet! Nice and bling. I like a Kuwi.

Haro82 · « **Reply #32 on:** April 24, 2009, 09:29 PM »

Just read through this thread, nice resto

A real labour of love, i've done a couple like this with rechromes and the cost is massive but it's worth it in the end to get it just how you want it (you will never get your money back though lol)

Did you sort out the self centering thing for the brake ? I might have a nos one of them. LMK

Andy.

rhino_mac · « **Reply #33 on:** May 01, 2009, 07:47 PM »

Right, small update. I'm waiting on parts but have finally located a suitable crank. Should arrive from my contact in the states next week hopefully. There are advantages in doing business out there honestly!!

Haro82 has kindly provided a self centering device which means I could fit the rear brake. Sorted the flat brake bridge issue as well

I ordered a Kuwie padset from Firebird last week and it arrived in the post today. These are pukka pads and well worth the money.

I get the wheels back saturday now, crank back middle of next week pending clearance and tyres back end of next week if I can ever confirm my new card on Paypal to pay for them (should have registered the new card weeks ago really but I'm organised as ever

)

The brake cable is a little long - maybe a couple of inches. Is it OK to snip it at the back with wire cutters (the ones like pliers) or will they squash the cable. Or would it be better with a small hacksaw?

southern andy · « **Reply #34 on:** May 01, 2009, 08:17 PM »

Is that it

neiljonarcus · « **Reply #35 on:** May 01, 2009, 09:26 PM »

what a fooking good read i have totaly enjoed reading this well done on your build .....dying to see the wheels on her

Kaner · « **Reply #36 on:** May 01, 2009, 09:29 PM »

Great build Rich, I'm well impressed

, thanks for all the info so far, looking forward to seeing that crank!

I'm going to get some of them pads, just need a headset to put them on . . . and everything else . . . I feel an expensive month coming on!

Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Keep going mate . . .

rhino_mac · « **Reply #37 on:** May 01, 2009, 09:30 PM »

Thanks mate - I've followed a couple of your builds since I joined the site a few weeks ago! If mine comes out half as nice as those I'll be chuffed!

Andy - you're so not funny

rhino_mac · « **Reply #38 on:** May 01, 2009, 09:36 PM »

Hi Kaner,

I bought a Hatta MX2 which is the original headset but it was chrome so I had it dechromed, and black chromed which is much more resiliant to knocks and won't chip like paint. It looks as if it was the original finsh but it's an expensive process (I now have the worlds most expensive head set but I couldn't find a black MX2 anywhere).

Nikyo (i think that's how you spell it) do a matt black MX2 type headset and they go on Ebay for about a tenner new. Other than that, Tioga and Tange MX2's are idential to the Hatta ones.

The good thing about the Hatta is it has the correct spacers so that you can put a Headlock on - Suntour original although Tange ones are cheaper and more available. Otherwise you can just put the lock bolt from the headset set if you see what I mean.........

Mine was a box of bits until I got a headset and all of a sudden I could start putting it back together

gossa · « **Reply #39 on:** May 01, 2009, 10:21 PM »

Looking good mate, don't forget to bring it down to the shop when it's finished. Who did the wheels in the end, BMX Plus?

Clive
bikelab

rhino_mac · « **Reply #40 on:** May 01, 2009, 10:49 PM »

Hi Clive,

Yup, I took them to BMX Plus - I work about 5 minutes away from them on the Wallisdown Industrial Estate. I've got my fingers crossed because so far they've been less than impressive with service but I spoke to Ben who built the wheels up and he seemed a good guy and he's built them exactly as I asked. He's just got to true them up and I can pick them up tomorrow. They looked good on Thursday evening when I saw them.

I'll pop down one lunchtime week after next if that's OK. I work with a guy called James who is MTB mad and cycles with a couple of clubs. He's just spent £4500 building a Titanium Marin MTB and I know he's looking for some components to finish it off. He's an easy sell - all the shops love him!

Cheers

Rich

southern andy · « **Reply #41 on:** May 02, 2009, 12:32 PM »

Quote from: rhino_mac on May 01, 2009, 09:30 PM

Andy - you're so not funny

Ahh the love of a facebook quote.

Rich, are you going to MK09 mate

?? this would be a very good candidate for show and shine. Lets face it, they don't come much shinier than that.

rhino_mac · « **Reply #42 on:** May 02, 2009, 06:33 PM »

Yeah, made me chuckle that did!

Sorry mate, I'll be in Munich doing a trade show over the MK09 weekend.

Depending on how it ends up I might pop it in for May BOTM for a laugh! However, went to pick up my wheels today and they run like a couple of eggs. One of them was at least a half inch off. Not impressed at all. I was offered a discount initially but I pointed out that I'd only have to take them to be broken down and rebuilt again by another shop so they're going to have a go at it next week.

The guy that owns the shop seems a good guy but I'm not convinced by the kids he employs. I don't want to slag them off on a public forum without cause but so far they've not done anything to give me any confidence that they can actually build wheels. Hopefully, all will be well next week. Fingers crossed.

southern andy · « **Reply #43 on:** May 02, 2009, 09:43 PM »

Ouch..... sorry to hear about your wheels mate, i've had all mine built at Pijin BMX in Southampton, superb quality, can't recommend them enough. Sawzall gets his built there aswell.

rhino_mac · « **Reply #44 on:** May 02, 2009, 09:55 PM »

I'll give them until next week, otherwise I'm taking them over to Clive at Bikelab to see if his mechanics can sort them out.

The average cost of the mountain bikes in there is more than my car so if they can cope with technology like that, a 25 year old BMX wheel shouldn't cause too much problem. Should have taken them there in the first place really - I was lazy and took them to the nearest shop!

rhino_mac · « **Reply #45 on:** May 11, 2009, 11:14 PM »

Righto, nearly there. This is likely to be a longish post that's pic heacy so I apologise in advance if you nod off from my ramblings.

My original idea was to buy this and race it in the old school series in the South, but I ended up buying far too many NOS parts and as the costs mounted (and mounted and mounted) I realised I'd be mad to race it. So instead, I decided to build it up so that it looked like it had just left the shop in 1983 in a spec as near as possible to the magazine article scanned on Jaimies Kuwahara site.

Lots of parts have arrived this week, the main one being my 400 flight crank at last! I've also got the wheels back from BMX Plus and to be fair them, they were very apologetic that they'd taken a while. Having spoken to Ben there, it looks like the black spoke nipples I gave them to use were crap and kept snapping as soon as you tried to true the wheel - he had a little pile of them in front of him when I picked them up.

I've got my crank from the states at last! It's in minty mint condition. Not a single mark and has the original sealed bearing bottom bracket all stamped up Sugino as it should be. 'Scuse the finger prints on the chrome!!

NOS Sugino 44t chainring with machined teeth, mint Sugino chainring bolts, NOS Itzumi black/silver chain, mint Suntour XCII's with NOS pedal cages.

These are the wheels: Show bike fitted only Chrome Araya 7X, repro Araya decals from CBRGil (the old ones were a bit faded), NOS Asahi 194mm chrome spokes laced 4 cross, NOS Black Spoke Nipples, NOS Suntour sealed bearing hubs, NOS Suntour 16t freewheel.

Rear

Front

Excuse the white bits behind the nuts - I've got thick card washers behind them to protect the dropouts front and rear until I can find nylon washers in the right size.

This is the bike all up together:

The seat post is a bit high perhaps, but I'm 6'2"!

I've got some NOS Comp III Rainbow labels in 2.25 and 1.75 on their way - the original IRC's are nightmare to source so these will have to do until I find a set. Then it's just the Elina rub ons when CBRGil has done them, and some Suntour 9/16 decals for the bottom of the pedals from Kendo. Oh yes, and a chain adjuster for the drive side - still need to buy one of them.

It should be finished 100% next week so I'll take some decent piccies of it and post them up.

Jt · « **Reply #46 on:** May 11, 2009, 11:27 PM »

beautiful

Kaner · « **Reply #47 on:** May 11, 2009, 11:30 PM »

Its looking amazing Rich!

I'm looking forward to seeing it with the tyres on posing in the sun showing off its shiny shiny chrome work.

Brilliant job.

dan-dare · « **Reply #48 on:** May 11, 2009, 11:34 PM »

Lookin good.

Mattdub · « **Reply #49 on:** May 11, 2009, 11:53 PM »

Lookin' very good

Nice attention to detail

Author Topic: First Ever Build - Kuwahara Laserlite KZ-83 (Read 15901 times)

buzzlightyear05

Frosty

rhino_mac

rhino_mac

munners

rhino_mac

neiljonarcus

rhino_mac

rhino_mac

gossa

rhino_mac

rhino_mac

rhino_mac

rhino_mac

dan-dare