Hei Hei or King Kahuna? Who prefers what?

[Tallpaul]

I know you did Steve! And I agree with you, Paul. Nothing not to like. But if weight and looks (gussets etc.) are an issue, then this must be an ugly beast in the eyes of some when compared to the graceful, clean lines of the Hei Hei. But I agree with Steve: like the Hei Hei, LOVE the KK.

I think you are exaggerating the differences between the HH and KK. Yes the HH is cleaner and prettier aesthetically, but that doesn't make the KK ugly or hated.

That Score looks like it should be abused (or was designed to be, probably now too rare to really do so), I wouldn't 'abuse' any of my Konas; that's why i'll be buying an Orange Five at the end of the year

 

[Kona Paul]

I know you did Steve! And I agree with you, Paul. Nothing not to like. But if weight and looks (gussets etc.) are an issue, then this must be an ugly beast in the eyes of some when compared to the graceful, clean lines of the Hei Hei. But I agree with Steve: like the Hei Hei, LOVE the KK.

I think you are exaggerating the differences between the HH and KK. Yes the HH is cleaner and prettier aesthetically, but that doesn't make the KK ugly or hated.

That Score looks like it should be abused (or was designed to be, probably now too rare to really do so), I wouldn't 'abuse' any of my Konas; that's why i'll be buying an Orange Five at the end of the year

Actually if you read the thread from the beginning, you'll see I'm not exaggerating at all. The differences I pointed out were minor (for me): bi-oval tubing and gusseted head tube to the tune of 300 little grams. What I wrote there was in response to what others seem to think. The majority prefer the HH due to looks and weight. That said, I don't think anyone hates the KK...I tend to say a lot of tongue-in-cheek things, appropriate for a Kona fan ...and surely ugly and less pretty aren't quite the same..he he.

The Score is a bully and was made to take a pounding North Shore style. I ride mine, rare or not, and took it to the Shore last year. I can say this: it's a tough bike! Rides really well, too. And being ti, even with big tubes and gussets, very forgiving for a hardtail even in North Van terrain. This frame will last, no matter what I do, within reason. I guess if ti is like butter, then the Score is like butter that's been in the fridge. But it's still butter

 

[DM]

Love that Score

The Score is fantastic.

I have only seen 1 or 2 (Probably KonaPaul & SteveK's ?).
Although, overall, I prefer the simplicity of the HH, the Score just looks great.

I never even knew that Kona made them at the time,
How many were made? I know there weren't many.
ISTR the UK retail cost was around £1,200(?) for the standard HH by the time they stopped production. So the Score must have been quite pricey!

Rare; tough; great looks; Ti; Kona: What's not to like?

 

[Kona Paul]

Probably mine and Steve's if it was in here. They only made 100 (one source who got it from Dik at Kona: 50 small, 40 medium, 10 large), or I have this from Kona tech: "I’d peg the total run at 50-75 so you won’t be seeing too many on the trail coming the other way." You can choose the one you think is most likely. It was 1600 USD for frame only at the time. KK was 1450 USD.

 

[Anthony]

Paul, I’m sure nobody thinks the KK is ugly, maybe a bit more of a mean machine compared to the Hei Hei’s gazelle-like elegance, but all the more reason to have one of each, the better to match your mood swings!

Yes, I knew the King Kahuna started in 1996, but I don’t think it had either gussets or shaped tubing that year, I think the difference from the Hei Hei was just in it having 6-4 ti stays, which presumably made it a bit stiffer.

As for weights, the 97 technical specs say that the KK and HH both weighed 3.3lbs, which I presume must be a mistake, but the 99 specs say the KK was 3.5lbs and the HH 3.3 which is the kind of differential I was expecting. Then in 2000 there was no HH in the catalogue or specs, but the KK was quoted at 3.7lbs (but I’d guess it hadn’t got any heavier, they just got a bit more honest!) And there in the ‘out of bounds’ section is the beautiful Score, which was quoted at 4.2lbs (all weights for size 18 of course). So obviously the Score is even more over-built than the KK, as well as having geometry for a Z1 as opposed to the 80mm SID that the KK was designed for.

Surely no sane person has ever dissed your Score?

 

[Neil G]

For me it would have to be the Hei Hei

I have a 1993 model which I've just built up with old (2-3 years) XTR which is going to be raced, love riding the bike so much. Never rode the KK but I did notice the addition of the downtube gusset and some decent cable routing (93 model had that silly noodle thing) so morepractical/stronger

 

[Kona Paul]

Exactly right. The Score is more overbuilt than a KK. Like a KK on steroids And the geometry is definitely tweeked to take a 100 instead of 80mm fork. Even without reading the specs you can see it and feel it if you have both together, or ride both.

I think you're right about the 96 KK, but my picture is blurry, so it's hard to make out very much when I try to enlarge it. I guess the 6/4 stays were enough of a difference for the first year...kind of an experiment. Didn't someone put up a picture of a 96 KK in this thread? Or was that a HH? Have to look now...

 

[caspar]

Im not young......

Ok maybe if U consider 44 young !

Discs are just less maintenance , even less than the 10year old HS33 on there now(IMHO) (and Ill never go back to cable brakes)

Cheers Caspar

 

[Kona Paul]

44 is young

It's not so much about the brakes as it is the frame...but of course it's yours to do what you like with. If you want low maintenance discs, go for the new xtr's. Easy to bleed and super easy to switch pads.

 

[Anthony]

Exactly right. The Score is more overbuilt than a KK. Like a KK on steroids And the geometry is definitely tweeked to take a 100 instead of 80mm fork. Even without reading the specs you can see it and feel it if you have both together, or ride both.

I think you're right about the 96 KK, but my picture is blurry, so it's hard to make out very much when I try to enlarge it. I guess the 6/4 stays were enough of a difference for the first year...kind of an experiment. Didn't someone put up a picture of a 96 KK in this thread? Or was that a HH? Have to look now...

The owner (on mtbr) says this is a 96 KK.