A Morati in disguise: SUNN Exact Ti from around '00

fearfactoryüberalles

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Hi all,

As a broke-ass uni student some 2 decades ago I always fancied the Czech-made Morati MTBs, which were distributed in the early 2000's in Hungary for some eye-watering prices at about 1700 € for a bare frame :shock: .

Just to put this into perspective, you could buy 2 acres of very good quality arable land back then in Hungary for the same amount and these 2 acres are worth now about at least 30.000 € min., due to greedy peasants' high demand - so 1.6 kg of aerospace-grade titanium wasn't the best investment from this aspect, it seems :roll: :facepalm: :twisted:

Anyway, fast forward to 2019, when having a Marin Team Titanium from '95 - while it's a perfectly nice retro steed- left me wanting a more modern titanium ride as the Marin started to feel "dated" geometry-wise, etc. I started to save up some dough for a suitable, newer companion for my modest stable.

So off to evilbay where an used SUNN frame just popped up...for far too much money for my wallet, (always the goddamned funds, eh :facepalm: ) for a bare frame.

Luckily, the nice guy seller who is also a French bike shop owner made himself accessible via e-mail and I'd sent him an offer-asking message which was kindly replied - and a nicer deal was done on the spot.

Frame has patina, but nothing serious issue, looks unabused and is my size, too. During the last few years I was gathering parts for an " ultimate MTB buld " searching for good deals and this patient attitude has paid off as I had almost everything to make this frame into a complete ride.

Parts are a mish-mash, mainly XT & XTR, Avid Ultimate SD, some ti stuff, Manitou R7 last series with V-brake mounts, hopefully nothing flashy and with cheap & cheerful red anodised no-name stuff.

Try to upload pics soon, so bear with me!

Cheers,
Endre
 
Pics, but I can't get why it gets rotated, it seems OK when I save it on my PC :facepalm:
 

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Some parts' pics (keep rotating, doh :facepalm: :
 

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Re:

Really looking forward to seeing this built up.

I have a real soft spot for Sunn and love this frame!
 
I had one of the Sunn Morati and they are a lovely ride. Sadly mine was a tad too small so I moved it on eventually. Yours should make a great build!
 
Love the look of that frame :cool:
 
I have the same frame Sunn 000 exact t i(HC1.3) built up as a SS with Morati ti forks & stem, loads of Chris King (headset/BB/hubs/SS cog) Kooka V levers & Machine Tech V-brakes. <7kg in 19" size.
 
Talk about the Holy thread resurrection BATMAN, ehh!!!

Yeah, it seems stupidly long, but all I need is a good defence....so I was searching for a set of Morati forks with V-brake studs for about 4 years or so.

Here's why:

I'd just sold the Manitou R7 first and after that seriously considered using a set of disc-only NOS Morati forks with new front hub and Avid disc brake which were duly purchased (and are unused since:rolleyes:). I wasn't super into the front disc/rear V-brake combo, but... Somehow life got in the way, way too often, so this plan also fizzled out, got fed up and sold the NOS Morati forks in the meantime. Just lost interest of all things retro, apart from old V8 D Beemers but that's another story🛠️🔞.

Eventually I couldn't bear the sad sight of the unbuilt Sunn in the shed😩, so the hunt began for a set of more retro Morati forks, with v-brake studs of course. A couple of chanches on the market was missed and I started to think I need to give up the chase, it looked so bloody endless and tiresome🥴☠️.

Anyway, didn't budge my plan, and here comes an enormous special thanx to fellow RBer @H1v9a8c8 from the 🇺🇸 for selling me his forks, after all those hopeless search. Some scuffs, an 1" inch steerer, but beggars can't be choosers, innit? With a bit of a local lathe workshop' help, it should work well, and still crazy light.

Wheels are back at the LBS, having a weight diet of butted spokes and a lighter front hub. Rear mech changed into an M952, tires are folding Billy Bonkers (purists beware!).

Pics tomorrow, shed is unfit to work inside due to lazy owner - yours truly. Having a long heatwave ain't helpful either for motivation to clean the rubble up, but it's about time I guess... ;)
 
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As they say: Morati ti forks are like buses, waiting for one for eons, then 2 turns up.

Exactly what happened to me recently and I am still eternally grateful to @H1v9a8c8 for tipping me about the only NOS set of canti brake' 26 forks for sale in the entire goddamned Universe (thanks mate, what a dude🤩):


Morati twins.jpg

Of course I've snapped it, no way I'm gonna wait several years for one to get again. Luckily I got 3 ti frames so now I can build 2 of them into frames, so feelin' quite spoiled at the moment.
 
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