99 Hei Hei

[Anthony]

set up as a singlespeed, size 16, bit of a dent, slightly odd appearance - lacks the red front and head tube of the catalogue bike

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... otohosting

 

[Kona Paul]

Because it's from 2000 if the decals say anything...

 

[stevek]

Look like 2000 decals to me.

 

[Kona Paul]

Yup, and we should know!

 

[Anthony]

Because it's from 2000 if the decals say anything...

a. there was no Hei Hei in 2000, only the KK
b. the 2000 decals are black and white - this bike's decals have the red edge of the 1999 ones

 

[Kona Paul]

a: I don't have a 2000 catalogue, but I assumed they still offered both as they had since 96.
b: the 2000 decals have an orange edge and I can't tell if the edge is orange or red from his picture.

 

[stevek]

Hmm... I must be B then... :roll:

I believe that 1999 was the last year that Kona made the Hei Hei and it had a red head tube with the red going back to the decals, you could also see the red in the decal itself. 2000 saw a similar decal but in black and white on the KK/Score. I have also seen a similar decal to this one on a KK except - as memory serves it was more orange (it could have been the quality of the pic).

It's possible that the red paint has been removed from this Hei Hei but it doesn't look like it, also the head tube badge would have had to have been replaced, not unheard of I guess but perhaps unlikely?

Perhaps a handful of Hei Hei made it through in the latter part of '99 that were destined to be the 2000 model hence the decal change? Any other possible explanation?

 

[stevek]

Ah, Paul has said that the 2000 decals were orange edged so were there two styles of decals for that year?

 

[Kona Paul]

Both my KK's have orange trim around the b+w decals. The 99 in the catalogue does have red paint on the head tube, and it looks like his Hei Hei has red trim around the decals, not orange (but again, it could be the picture. I wasn't sure.) Definitely no Hei Hei listed in the catalogue I have found from 2000. A little Kona mystery to add to the pile ;-) Possible explanation might be that they had different decals in different countries, if say they were produced in different countries (the decals not the frames.) Early Kona's in parts of Europe were called "K mountain bikes", and sometimes the colours varied depending if it was American or Canadian, and presumabely Europe too. My KK's are from the states, so maybe yours are different because they are from the UK? And perhaps the Hei Hei was available (leftover frames perhaps?) in Europe in 2000 but not in North America. Perhaps his Hei Hei actually is a 2000 then, or a 99 or some other year whose country of origin is as yet unknown. Hmmm. The serial number could clear up the year mystery at any rate.

Kona never seem to make it easy, do they...

 

[Anthony]

Both my KK's have orange trim around the b+w decals. The 99 in the catalogue does have red paint on the head tube, and it looks like his Hei Hei has red trim around the decals, not orange (but again, it could be the picture. I wasn't sure.) Definitely no Hei Hei listed in the catalogue I have found from 2000. A little Kona mystery to add to the pile ;-) Possible explanation might be that they had different decals in different countries, if say they were produced in different countries (the decals not the frames.) Early Kona's in parts of Europe were called "K mountain bikes", and sometimes the colours varied depending if it was American or Canadian, and presumabely Europe too. My KK's are from the states, so maybe yours are different because they are from the UK? And perhaps the Hei Hei was available (leftover frames perhaps?) in Europe in 2000 but not in North America. Perhaps his Hei Hei actually is a 2000 then, or a 99 or some other year whose country of origin is as yet unknown. Hmmm. The serial number could clear up the year mystery at any rate.

Kona never seem to make it easy, do they...

It's certainly possible that the 2000 catalogue was wrong - wouldn't be the first time.

It's interesting that there is orange on your KK decals and red on this eBay Hei Hei's decals. I say it's more than a coincidence that the front of the 99 KK was orange and the front of the 99 Hei Hei was red. And that your orange is the same orange as the 99 orange. And both colours are of course Marzocchi colours - the Super Fly on the 99 KK was orange and the Atom Bomb on the 99 Hei Hei was red.

The 2000 catalogue shows no Hei Hei and shows a KK with black and white decals. Maybe the catalogue is wrong and there was a Hei Hei. Maybe they decided the 99 decals looked nicer and used them on some 2000 bikes rather than the black and white ones in the catalogue. Maybe they like being mysterious.