1991ish Kona P2 forks..erm, not for sale!

[Anthony]

You guys...actually the seller did describe it as 15".
Here it is in its faded glory. Original colour was purple, now faded to blue.
I don't like the original purple or black, so may go sage/olive green...dunno yet.
Oh...about 20.75 top tube...bit short for me

Looks great to me, I far prefer the faded colour and I wouldn't dream of repainting it. It's also far nicer than the colour in the catalogue.

1991 was the first year that Konas were painted in Taiwan, and I think the painters had better ideas than Kona in some instances. The Cinder Cone shown above is a completely different colour to the one in the catalogue, and much nicer IMO. I've never seen one the colour in the catalogue, and I think the catalogue just shows early mock-ups.

Up to the 1990 range, the serial numbers started with T (for Taiwan), but I guess yours might be an F0 or F1 (F for Fairley works, 0 or 1 for frame built in 1990 or 1991), but possibly an H for Hodaka.

The T frames were made in Taiwan and shipped back to Paul Brodie's little factory, where he finished them (braze-ons etc) and painted them (preferably with artistic spatter). The F and H frames were built, finished and painted all out in Taiwan, so the 1991 range was the first time Kona had dealt with far-distant painting.

 

[Harryburgundy]

:? Mmmm...none of the above. If what I am looking at is the frame number, it is J1h 073
Actually...there is this as well
F9122784....definately a 9
and another number which I worked out to be a Police stamped postcode of where the frame came from.

 

[jez-4-bikes-max]

Are the forks available still?

 

[Harryburgundy]

Are the forks available still?

Sorry Jez, see the threads above, I have been persuaded that to sell them would be a bad move....sorry fella.

 

[Anthony]

:? Mmmm...none of the above. If what I am looking at is the frame number, it is J1h 073
Actually...there is this as well
F9122784....definitely a 9
and another number which I worked out to be a Police stamped postcode of where the frame came from.

That's not unheard of, F9 must be a department of the Fairley works, I've seen Kulas with F9 numbers too.

So F9 is the factory and 1 means 1991. So your frame was made in 1991 and as it's a 1991 model (proven by its brazed-on seat clamp), it just means it was made in the latter part of the model year. As the 91 range will have gone on sale from Autumn 1990, the majority of 91 Explosifs must have F90 numbers. I presume Fairley is a Giant factory, like Hodaka.