Repainting A Kona Explosif - Any Rules To Follow?

[Afflicted.John]

I am starting my recon project having bought a battered Kona Explosif from eBay.


It's got a few dents which I have arranged to be repaired and after that it's off to the paint shop. I think I want it to be powder coated but I have a query regarding respray etiquette. Firstly, the decals - not a fan. I much prefer the 96 decals so is it a no no to put 96 decals on a 97 bike?

Secondly....what shade of orange should i pick?

 

[feetabix]

I am starting my recon project having bought a battered Kona Explosif from eBay.


It's got a few dents which I have arranged to be repaired and after that it's off to the paint shop. I think I want it to be powder coated but I have a query regarding respray etiquette. Firstly, the decals - not a fan. I much prefer the 96 decals so is it a no no to put 96 decals on a 97 bike?

Secondly....what shade of orange should i pick?

hi john......the way i see it is if its going for a spray up in a new colour then that wipes the slate clean, your choice of decals is just that......get it on the road and enjoy it!......honesty with any future owner is curteous of course!......as for the colour, louder the better for me!.........tango orange or no orange at all....

 

[petitpal]

I think one thing I've learnt over the past month or so of being on this site is that, "it's your bike so do what you see fit".

Personally, I've decided to stick with the old battered '96 decals on my Zaskar but that's because it's my bike that I've had from new and I like them as they are - shows it's heritage and war wounds. Wouldn't feel like my old bike without them.

This frame? It's yours - do what you see fit. If you like the look of a different set of decals to the original go with them, you can always change them later.

 

[Agency_Scum]

I'll be doing the same thing sometime later this year year with the proviso that if I'm dumb enough to sell my Kilauea I'll tell the buyer about the " older than the bike " decals ( always disliked the bright yellow jungle decals ).
One tip though, try and bung a P2 or suspension fork lowers into the powder coaters as well. To me, nothing says classy like a colour-matched fork.

 

[LeeDevelopment]

I'm also on the 'do what you see fit' brigade having completely refurbished a Kona before in a completely non-stock colour and using non-date correct decals..... it's FUN! Throw any cautions to the wind, YOU have what YOU want!

If you're after an orange, I love the hot orange and the mango/almost pastel orange myself.

 

[Major22]

Just don't paint it white

 

[Anthony]

I believe this is a genuine Kona paint scheme, designed for a very small run of 1996 team bikes.

 

[Afflicted.John]

I think I read somewhere that the 96 race team frame was made of columbus OR which was essentially what the '97 Explosif became? Could it explain why there is no model name on the orange Kona above?

 

[Anthony]

I think I read somewhere that the 96 race team frame was made of columbus OR which was essentially what the '97 Explosif became? Could it explain why there is no model name on the orange Kona above?

The Explosif was made from Columbus Max OR from 1995 to 1997, but although the main frame remained the same throughout, the stays changed each year and I believe the 1997 frames were the only ones to have Columbus stays. The orange frame above has the same very slender seat stays that were used for the main 96 production frames.

I don't know why that frame lacks an Explosif decal. The information about it came from someone selling it, so you always take things with a pinch of salt, but he said he had the frame because he was a member of the team programme and got to keep the frame at the end of the season (which is often the case).

 

[Afflicted.John]

That still looks pretty orange to me. I like orange. Authentic Kona orange....

Licking my lips now...
Thanks for your input!