homemade a-arms?

[400sEXridr]

ok i know its not recommended to make your own a-arms, but i was wondering if i were to use the same chromoly that manufacturer's use, and have it tig welded by a professional welding shop, what would be the difference between a homemade front end like this and an expensive "high quality" front end?

[tim colston]

check your other post, with the ps pics in it.

[400sEXridr]

here im not talking about just modifying stock a- arms. im talking about making an exact(hopefully) copy of a set of jb racing a-arms with the same dimensions and materials

[stumpleg]

Originally posted by 400sEXridr
here im not talking about just modifying stock a- arms. im talking about making an exact(hopefully) copy of a set of jb racing a-arms with the same dimensions and materials

I feel a copyright lawsuit may happen.

[Fred55]

copyright laws would not apply unless you plan on selling them

[fandl450r]

Originally posted by Fred55
copyright laws would not apply unless you plan on selling them

True but the design of the arm is copyrighted nonetheless.

you wont get sued if they are just for you, and who would ever know?

as far as getting somebody to just weld them they will proably be doing more than that, they have to desgin the part, get materials, fabricate the pieces, and then weld them...you'd proably end up paying just as much as new ones, most machine shops are at least 60 bux an hour, for easy projects on a flexible tmie schedual.

[fandl450r]

Originally posted by the gangsta
you wont get sued if they are just for you, and who would ever know?

as far as getting somebody to just weld them they will proably be doing more than that, they have to desgin the part, get materials, fabricate the pieces, and then weld them...you'd proably end up paying just as much as new ones, most machine shops are at least 60 bux an hour, for easy projects on a flexible tmie schedual.

True, but its the principle. This sport is expensive. But you're trying to save money in the wrong way. Buy used, save up, but building some "custom a-arms" is not going to be smart in the long run. Ultimately all you're going to do is get yourself hurt.

[Moto250X_Rider]

i agree with fandl450r on that one...go on e-bay i just got +2 a-arms and a set of 250r front shocks for 106$ and they are great i just put them on 2 days ago....106$ can't beat that deal...ebay is great for good parts cheap...that or find someone that races alot and see what they might have sitting around thats how i get my holeshots 20$ a pair off my friend he gets them for nothing and sells some to his friend cheap....there is always ways to cut corners....just don't build something like a-arms thats just not a good idea

all a arms look the same how could there be a copywrite on design

[fandl450r]

Originally posted by 89honda 250x
all a arms look the same how could there be a copywrite on design

Are you kidding me? Just about everything out there manufactured or produced is copyrighter/patented. So someone can't just say "Oh I'm going to copy his design, and sell it for cheaper." :rolleyes:

but you cant make a arms look different
they have to be an A

[fandl450r]

Originally posted by 89honda 250x
but you cant make a arms look different
they have to be an A

Oh really? I didn't know that, wow. :rolleyes: If you honestly don't know the answer to this question it's not even worth the time of day.

[Flynbryan19]

Originally posted by 89honda 250x
but you cant make a arms look different
they have to be an A

Theres MANY subtle differences involved other than just making an "A".........

[400sEXridr]

consider that cost will be very minimal since i can get material for very cheap and my dad knows a guy who works at a welding shop who has welded stuff for us in the past. if the same material is used and the same design as a mass-distributed product is used then i dont see the problem with the integrity of the a-arms. i may be wrong here just trying to understand why you guys think it wont work.

[bradley300]

do you have a set to copy off of? if not, where are you putting the shock mount?are the arms foward at all? any idea what the stroke will be?whats your motion ratio? how much camber will you build into the a-arms? balljoints or heims? outside diameter of the tubing? where will you gusset?poly bushings, or geasable?gullwing, straight or reverse gullwing?if they are gull wings, where are you going to make the bends?
i think you probably dont know quite what your getting into. a-arms might all look the same, or similar but there is alot more under the surface and you will go thru quite a few protoype sets before you get them right. so in the end, it would have been cheaper to buy from an a-arm company thats already done all the work

[spent21]

but you cant make a arms look different



uh................BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[yamablaster24]

buddy made me these, they are almost a walsh clone with some subtle differences

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/yamablastermx/LongTravel4-29-06024.jpg

[400sEXridr]

yes i do have a set to copy

http://the-mite.com/mite10.htm

[Ex_Rider43]

Originally posted by yamablaster24
buddy made me these, they are almost a walsh clone with some subtle differences

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/yamablastermx/LongTravel4-29-06024.jpg


Heres my walsh a-arms , yours are identical , yeah.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/ex_rider52/rebuild114.jpg

for 80 dollars id rather ride on home made A arms rather then 800-1100 A arms, alot of people cannot afford the nicer and more expesive things...but just because something costs more dont mean it is better either :D and there are many cases of that

[wvspeedfreak]

It can certainly be done and if done by a competent trusted fabricator I would have no problem running a set.Hell,I ran a homemade extended swingarm years ago on my old 250x and beat the crap out of it without any problems.The biggest concern I would have is finding someone you know with the skill to build them right.If you don't have 100% faith in them doing it correctly........forget it.

[IOWAracer]

Originally posted by 89honda 250x
all a arms look the same how could there be a copywrite on design

like they said almost everything has a patent copyright law now days look at all the tooth brushes:D the design is all the same just that extra little touch makes it diffrent from the rest

[2stroketwin]

Go For It Man!! I did.
I bought some Wicked a-arms, their fit and welds sucked. Then I tried another brand from a local guy (I'll leave his name out since he made things right) that makes arms for racers nationally. They, lets say, they had issuses before I even tried to bolt them on. I was frustrated so I put the energy into building a set.

Originally posted by 2stroketwin
Go For It Man!! I did.
I bought some Wicked a-arms, their fit and welds sucked. Then I tried another brand from a local guy (I'll leave his name out since he made things right) that makes arms for racers nationally. They, lets say, they had issuses before I even tried to bolt them on. I was frustrated so I put the energy into building a set.

pic isnt working 4 me i can only see the handlebars :(

[TBD]

I would like to see someone build a set of a-arms for $80.00. The chromolly alone will cost that.
The reason a-arms are so expensive is because they are built by business that have overhead cost (rent, phones, electricity, equipment and welding supplies), design cost and testing cost. At least that is what happens with legit business. I also forgot labor cost and insurance. I've heard that you can build a TV for about $100.00 so does that mean you are going to complain that they are getting too much money for there TV's and build your own? I agree that some of the suspension companys are getting too much for there product and living off there name alone. If someone is going to buy it why not.
Some of us that build suspension components for a living put a lot of time into the first design. There is a lot of trial and error before the product is ready for production. I've spent many years learning the math and geometry characteristics that make it work so yes I want to get compensated for that.
Build your homemade arms but do it with some morals and don't copy someone elses arms. Do the homework and figure out where the best place is for the shock mount and why. Figure out yourself why you might want to go forward with an arm or not.

[2stroketwin]

Yep chromoly is expensive compared to mild steel. Buy it at Wicks Aircraft Supply, they have the most sizes and shapes you'll ever need at a good price. The best a-arms to copy is the stockers then put the changes you want from there. It isn't like rocket science you have to work with the frame, and shock mounts you have to bolt them to. If you want them perfect you would start at the motor mounts and work out. Do your research on what is out there and what is working and where the problems are and you come up with a design of what you think will work for you. If you look at mine you'll see parts of them that look similar to Lonestar and Roll Design with stock Yamaha YFZ ball joints and my geometry. I'll share my info with anyone nobody is going to get rich selling quality a-arms for $800 when there is cheap P.O.S. arms out there for $400.