Re:
Bitd the LBS team used to race DH on these... At 110mm the gen 1 Bomber was the must have downhill fork when it hit the market in '97. Plus, the idea of riding XC on a full suspension rig when this was released would have been rather controversial.
That said, I tend to think of the '98 Stab (the blue and yellow one with triple clamp bombers) as the first true Kona DH bike.
Hard to call. It's your bike - build it and ride it however you please. Just one thing - I rode one of these plenty of times when new (a buddy had one). Those old fox shocks had quite a lot of bob in them, even when new. If you're riding XC on it, better practice a smooth pedalling style!