KZ-1 Project Bike
Part Four
: Cranks, pedals, sprockets, chain, pads, grips
Click below for past chapters of this project
Part one: Introduction
Part two: Wheels and
Headset
Part three: Seat, Post, Clamp, Bars, Stem and
Brakes
|
Project KZ-1
is now finally complete. Have a look at part four below for the final
chapter. Many more pictures of the completed bike can be found below
at the bottom of this page. Thank you
Not
big enough?
Click here for a super sized
picture 265K
|
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Welcome
to Part Four of my latest KZ-1 project bike. As you can tell it is really
coming along and this will be the final chapter of this project bike.
On the left hand side we have the NOS (New Old Stock) Blue Izumi chain,
16T Suntour Freewheel and a 44T Suntour chain ring. |
| One
of my good friends supplied me with a used set of Suntour VX cranks and
right after receiving them I found this brand new NOS set here in Japan
along with the Suntour dust caps and the price was just too cheap to believe.
(I'll be using my friends other VX cranks for my other project) |
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Since
I had a brand new set of cranks and the bike was coming along so well
I thought it would be a nice idea to go with a brand new Tioga Sealed
bearing kit to replace the old and worn loose ball bearings and to help
improve performance as well. Tioga is still making these kits after all
the years and the price is not too high. |
| Need
pedals to attach to the VX cranks and I always liked the original Suntour
BMX pedals from back in those days. KZ-1 bikes originally came with KKT
pedals, but they were kind of cheap and didn't work and look as well as
the Suntour pedals which cost a bit more than the KKT pedals. The Suntour
pedals spin so smoothly and forever compared to my KKT pedals. I found
a nice used set locally and replaced the cages with brand new NOS ones
in blue. |
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Here
are the cranks all assembled with the Suntour chain ring (44T), Sugino
chain bolts, Izumi chain, Tioga sealed BB kit and Suntour pedals. The
cranks really look beautiful and bring back some old memories for sure. |
| No
old school BMX bike is complete without a set of pads for the finishing
touch. Another friend (Yasser) in Singapore helped me out with a deal
on these pads. |
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Grips
are also an important part too. I was hoping to get some Blue and White
Oakley B-1B grips but I was out of luck. However, I was lucky enough to
find these brand new NOS Oakley B-2 grips in blue which work well and
give the bike a nice classic look. |
| Finally
here are some pictures of the completed KZ-1 project bike for you. Hope
you like it.... |
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Now
with the cranks on and the bike ready to ride, I needed to add those brake
cables so I could stop this bike. Brand new Dia-Compe cables in blue were
added all around. The stock Dia-Compe brake pads were retained. |
| The
Tech 2 levers from Dia-Compe work nicely with the narrower Redline V-bars.
I am still able to use both the brakes with ease and quickness. Tech 3
levers would probably be more comfortable than the Tech 2 levers for an
everyday rider, but I just love the look of those two fingered Tech 2
levers. |
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Some
people use a lot of money to restore their old rides as kids going well
into the 1,500 dollar or over range. I tried to keep this project within
a decent budget and not to spend too much money, But....... |
| Everything
turned out very nice with the bike. It is hard to believe this bike is
over 25 years old. A few of my friends thought it was brand new and had
no idea it was a vintage BMX. That put a big smile on my face. |
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This
bike is going to be ridden. I will try to keep it in good condition and
it will be maintained well as stored indoors. In fact I already test rode
the bike on the weekend and had a great time. What a blast and the KZ-1
felt really nice. I am running a used "Beater" Elina seat and
some used KKT pedals cause I would like to keep my NOS ones in NOS condition
to save for the future if I plan to display or show the bike in some local
bike shows here in Japan. |
|
Future plans
for this bike other than enjoying it and riding might see a laid back
seat post (Blue Renthall or LaserPost) and new stickers as the previous
owner who applied them after the fresh powdercoating applied them a
little off and I would like to have the bike perfect.
Not
big enough?
Click here for a super sized
picture 207K
|
 |
 |
Special thanks
to Chris B., Yasser, Showtalow and most Importantly Jim O' who was a
major part of this bike getting done on time and built correctly. Without
his help this bike would not have been possible. Thank you !!
|
More Images
| So that completes
Part Four and the final chapter of Project KZ-1. Thanks for staying tuned
in on this project that pretty much took up the entire year of 2005. I
hope you all enjoyed this project as much as I did. Thank you to everybody
for their help and support (You know who you are) Thank you and Cheers
!! |
|
Specifications
|
|
OWNER
:
|
Jamie,
Japan |
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YEAR/MODEL
:
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1980
Kuwahara KZ-1 |
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FORKS/HEADSET
:
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Kuwahara
KZ forks/ Hatta MX100 alloy headset |
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CRANKS/PEDALS/SPROCKET
:
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Suntour
VX Cranks 170mm/ Suntour BMX pedals/ Suntour 44T Chainring/ Suntour 16T
freewheel |
|
WHEELS/HUBS/TIRES
:
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Ukai
shineside rims /Suntour "Kuwahara Edition Lathed" hubs/
Asahi spokes/ Alloy nipples/ Comp III type tires (Cheng Shin) |
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BARS/STEM/GRIPS
:
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Redline
V-Bars/ Suntour stem/ Oakley B-2 grips |
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SEAT/POST/CLAMP
|
Elina
Lightning Bolt Seat/ Nagaoka fluted post/ Suntour seat post clamp |
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BRAKES
:
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Dia
Compe MX1000 front and rear brakes with Tech 2 levers |
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OTHER
:
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Izumi
Chain / Kuwahara Osaka Padset / Blue dice valve caps/ Tioga Sealed BB
kit |
Click
below for past chapters of this project
Part one: Introduction
Part two: Wheels and
Headset
Part three: Seat, Post, Clamp, Bars, Stem and
Brakes
