A pricey line of
BMX and now
Mountain bikes. These bikes were popular and
hard to come by in the
early eighties and were the bikes used in the movie'
E.T.'.
Stephen Spielberg had gone out and queried some local youths about what was the
baddest bike around at that time and
Kuwahara was the one.
An article in BMX Action magazine at the time said that the name Kuwahara translates into 'mulberry meadow'
I was able to buy one of these bikes at a police auction for 13 bucks in the late eighties. I had accompanied my dad to the auction to look at cars and they auctioned off all the bikes first, about twenty in all. The majority of the bikes were crap, chrome K-mart specials. These were being heavily bid on by an assortment of what seemed to be pawn brokers. All the while this little red dirty bike languished in the corner, having no seat and needing tires. I could have had it for eight bucks but some smart-ass thought he would bid nine. The fight was on. My final bid of thirteen was too rich for his blood and I was the proud owner of a basket case Kuwahara. A new seat and tires and a tune up later I was riding in style.