1980 Feather Professional BMX Part 3

The decision is made. I am going with the black Ukai rims and black Sunshine hubs.

Black Ukai BMX rims and black Sunshine hubs

Hajime Kato Suntour Postcards

I’ve recently discovered that Suntour distributed a 5 pack of postcards displaying reproductions of Hajime Kato original oil paintings. These paintings were abstract renditions of bicycle racing. I have been quite taken by Kato’s ability to capture movement in all his works.

Hajime Kato artwork on Suntour Postcards

Kato was a professional keirin cyclist in Japan in the 1940’s and 50’s. He is said to be instrumental in bringing keirin cycling to the world. He later moved to Paris where he focused entirely on his art.

1980 Feather Professional BMX Part 2

I’ve got the majority of the parts laid out with a few decisions to make along the way.

1980 Fuji Feather BMX Parts

One of the very distinct parts on the Fuji Feather Professional BMX bikes is the Tange Meriter headset. These are semi-sealed and were a very high-end part in the mid and late 1970’s.

Tange Meriter MX Pro headset

When acquiring a Tange Meriter headset one of the most often damaged parts is the top-nut. I must have 10 headsets and probably 5 good top-nuts, 2 bad top-nuts, and 1 unusable. If you ever find these top-nuts at a swap, buy them!

Tange Meriter MX Pro headset top-nut

Another very distinct part to the Feather Professional BMX is the curved Ishiwata fork.

Fuji - Ishiwata BMX fork

1980 Feather Professional Black

Today I begin bringing life back into this 1980 Feather Professional BMX. I will only be cleaning; there will be no resurfacing, repainting or even removing stickers on any parts.

80-feather-black

Coming soon Fuji Design Series B5142

The Fuji Design Series is the pinnacle of classic Fuji bicycles. I was able to acquire this DS in my size; which to my understanding is quite rare. More photos and story to come soon.

Classic Fuji Design Series