Technical & Reference Section > Tech and Restoration

KZ-83 Laserlite build - Finally finished!!

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Mikku:
Hi guys! I’ve already posted a few questions in this section (on Laserlite brakes, Jaguar seats, unknown bars and dodgy dropouts - thanks for the replies!) but thought I’d tie it all together here, the first time I've posted a build.  :daumenhoch:

By way of background, I’ve wanted a Laserlite since I first saw one bitd. A kid in my hometown had one and being a friend of a friend, I got to see it a few times but never rode it. When freestyle became popular he bought a CW Freestyler (which I subsequently bought from him) and the Laserlite was consigned to the back of his garage, never to be seen again (I wonder what happened to it??).

Fast forward 25 years when I started getting back into the old school bmx scene, and the memory of that bike still lingered. That feeling was heightened in 2009 when I moved to Japan, the home of Kuwahara, Tange, Araya, Suntour, Sugino and all the other famous Japanese brands. I dreamed of stumbling on an old, abandoned Laserlite (or for that matter, any old school bike) but although I saw some decent bikes in the old school bmx shops and meetings I visited, the elusive barn find remained just that. I therefore bought myself an ‘87 Haro Group 1 as my weekend rider and started looking for other bikes to satisfy that old school craving, though would always have a look at the latest Laserlite build posted on here or the Musuem.

To cut a long(er) story short, the 30 year wait is finally over, as I’ve just picked up a Tange-made KZ-83 with oval tubes.  :smitten:  This is definitely a survivor – the frame and forks show some use and abuse, with a bit of pitting and chrome loss, and a dent on the top of the right seat stay. The latter and the og sticker on the seat tube were damaged in the efforts to free a stuck seat post!  :'( That said, it's still a beautiful frame! Apart from the Laserlite decal on the top tube, most of the decals are there, if well-worn, but some of the factory parts have long gone, including the bars, rims, seat and brakes. It does however have the Suntour power stem and broken arrow clamp! Here's a pic...



So what’s the plan? Well this is going to replace my Haro as my weekend rider so I’m not too concerned about it being factory-spec – I couldn’t afford that bitd and can’t now! The dent and the missing factory parts make that an easier decision. That said, I would still like to keep it fairly era-correct and am currently looking for an early 80s Dia-compe rear brake set. I’m also thinking about replacing the no-name and battle-scarred seat post with a new Nitto one, as these look to be good quality. I may change the bars for the Laser bar look-a-like Hsin Lung ones, though my bars do have a “Japan” stamping so I’m tempted to keep them. & although the bike came with an original stem pad, I’d like a complete, matching pad set but am thinking about something a little different from the normal lightning bolt ones – I’ve always liked the pin-striped or checked Cal-lites or Zap Pads so will look out for a set of those, and possibly in red rather than black to accent the red rising sun of the decals. Apart from that, I just want to fulfill a 30 year old dream and ride the damn thing!!

Thanks for looking!

Mick

Retrodan72:
Ace story Mick, keep us updated with how this moves on buddy, we're all suckers for a good build thread on RAD.  :daumenhoch:

southern andy:
Kuwi's look great with red pads.

Here's my old one.

Mikku:

--- Quote from: southern andy on January 14, 2014, 07:29 PM --- Kuwi's look great with red pads.
--- End quote ---

Couldn't agree more! I can't quite make it out in the photo but what brake were you running?

southern andy:
DC890

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