Raiders of the lost KnarF

Rene is on location today so he asked me to publish this article on his behalf.

Many of you will instantly recognise the name knarF and you will know the importance of the OSS build project associated with it. For those that are new to OSS, we need to provide  little bit of background.

On the 13th of July 2006 the OSS community lost a close friend KnarF (Frank) when he died suddenly due to freak allergic reaction to something he ate while on holiday. At the time, we only learned this sad news quite a bit later when Mr7/11 (OSS site founder) was contacted by KnarF’s family to ask “what to do with all those bike bits”. Like so many of us, Frank had been collecting parts to build his dream bike for a number of years, while still always having a fairly tricked out bike on the road, it’s a familiar OSS condition.

After getting over the initial shock of loosing a close friend ,  Mr7/11 spoke with KnarF’s family and agreed it would be a fitting tribute to try to complete and realise KnarF’s dream of a  Yoshimura GS build.  Mr7/11 came back to the OSS community and asked that we all share that commitment to build Frank’s dream bike. Mr7/11 saw this is as his and the OSS community’s obligation to Frank and his family; to posthumously build the bike Frank had been dreaming of but would sadly now never  have the opportunity to complete.

Thus the  KnarF GS build began. The project  got it’s own  board on the forum and a legend was born. Parts were gathered from all over the world and the whole of OSS community  rose to the occasion lending their support  through parts, engineering, painting, powder coating, tuning, expertise , know how, encouragement and enthusiasm.

Mr7/11 led the project, with a lot of help from many generous site members. We all watched as Frank’s dream bike took shape before our very eyes. The KnarF GS was finished in 2007 in time for the deadline and revealed to the world at Circuit Park Zandvoort .

The bike was track tested at Assen and I still remember standing in awe as the bike went through the pit lane at onto the track to do what is was made to do. I watched with a sense of great pride as it promptly slaughtered a H#nda Fireblade on its maiden laps.

After the KnarF GS  first appeared at Assen , it was campaigned for a good year or so as a proper classic racer by a site member Ron. After a while news  of Ron and the KnarF GS went quiet. Ron went missing and with him the Knarf.

I never gave up hope of finding the KnarF GS again and over the years I picked up  rumours and snippets of information about it’s whereabouts and it’s well being. More recently there were talks about  it being found and returned but as it so often  goes with some things, for one reason or another they were never followed through. I kept hoping  that it would one day magically turn up.

Those hopes finally  became a reality when I recently got a message from  Fred on my phone; “call this number”. When I did I found my self speaking to a guy  who I don’t personally know but who appeared to be familiar  with all things OSS. Most importantly he told  me he knew where the KnarF bike was.

In the end it turned out it ended up in the hands of a mutual friend, who was unaware of what the bike was and what it meant to a lot of people. Most importantly he agreed to return the bike to the OSS community.

So today marks the return  of a long lost friend and the story of this bike and the community of OSS, who built it continues.