CRF & EX Frame updates

[Jnine]

Hello GUys:

I thought I would let you know how we are coming on the CRF & EX frame projects

The design has been completed and the material is being bent & lasered, and we are also turning all the CNC machined pieces. We'll probably be at this for a couple weeks. After all, it takes several thousand laser parts & machined parts to make 100 frames. (There are 1000 a-arm & shock brackets alone!) While those are being done we will be working on the welding fixtures. After we get all the parts together it will probably take me a week to do all the robotic programming and then we can start welding. I'm hoping to be welding in 4 weeks. Once we get to the welding part it is very easy. It's all the buildup before you begin welding that takes all the time (And a lot of money).

For the CRF guys we have a GREAT radiator that will come with the frame. This is not one of those half --- & over priced "built in somebodys garage" radiators like everyone else in the industry uses. This unit was designed strictly for the new frame, and for this radiator we mounted the tanks on the side, and the core runs in the other direction. The advantage is it cools MUCH better that way, and the weight is a little lower & more balanced from side to side. The CAD thermal imaging shows a much greater cooling capacity than anything else being used, and it is extremely professional. We even used the Honda paint so it looks great! To kill 2 birds with 1 stone we also made it so it will fit a 250R. We also extended a leading edge on each fin for both front & rear protection. I promise you it WILL be the best available anywhere in terms of quality, thermal radiation (cooling) capability, and price. We'll have them in 3 weeks for both the "R" and the CRF.

For the EX motor guys, we have a surprise for you too, and we're test fitting the prototype this afternoon. You will like it!

Talk to you later!

JA

[Taco]

OH the suspense:mad:

[racerx573]

Are you going to make some trick scoops to match the radiator?

[QuadTrix6]

any idea on how much the EX frame is gonna cost yet i am very intrested :devil

[Guy400]

John, tell me how my parts--err, I mean, THE parts fit:D j/k

[400exBro]

John how are the LT a arms going for the 400ex??

i might be interseted in the crf/ex frame, i wanna see this surprise...

thanks, Keep up the good work

[Rip_Tear]

Sounds like something good is going on... If one showed up on my door step I wouldnt complain :D :blah

[Ben]

I talked with John today and he filled me in on a couple of the great products he is going to be releasing for the EX and all I can say is WOW :D He has many trick new products coming out that are going to revolutionize the ATV industry in terms of functionality, reliabilty, aesthetics, and cost! It is finally going to be affordable to buy the slickest new parts for our quads! :D

Ben

[racerx573]

Would there be a way to make it so you can run 250R or 400EX body work, depending upon which you choose? Sorta like how the frame is for a 450F or a 400EX...
Also, any plans of making it so it can accept a YZ motor as well?

[racerx573]

Also whats the price on the radiators? You said its not gonna be overpriced. so does that mean its gonna be under $300??

[Pappy]

what about the nerfs:confused: ive been holdin off buyin a set...but its time to button this puppy up:macho any way of gettin me a set snuck out before hand:p

[Guy400]

Originally posted by Pappy
what about the nerfs:confused: ive been holdin off buyin a set...but its time to button this puppy up:macho any way of gettin me a set snuck out before hand:p Get in line....behind me:D


John told me hopefully they should be done within the next week or so.

[Pappy]

hey....ill drive out there and pick the mofo's up:devil i really want all new on this quad...john...dont make me use another brand:mad: :blah

[Dave400ex]

The Frame sounds like it is coming along very well. I can't wait to see the final product. How are the A-Arms and new Swingarm design coming along? I think I remember reading you were going to get the Frame done before you worried about the other stuff. Also a cheap, high quality radaitor is a plus for most guys, and you should sell many of them. I am very excited to see all the new products, and can't wait to hear about the new stuff for the EX you are making...

[trx400ex]

Price?

Also you cant leave us on the surprise note man,, just spill it:p

[REC]

Hey guys, what is the company name that all this cool stuff is coming from?
Thanks

[Ben]

Originally posted by REC
Hey guys, what is the company name that all this cool stuff is coming from?
Thanks

REC - these products are all going to be released by Arens Brothers, one of our site sponsors and one of the most respected companies in the ATV industry.

Ben

[REC]

Thats great, I was just checking their site out yesterday. Looks like state of the art operation. I love to see people making the stuff that the factories should be making.
Kudo's to Arens!!

[Quad18star]

Shoot us out an expected price . You make some pretty sweet products John . I hope your pirces are cheaper than all the other frame builders.

[2 QuicK]

All I see in the future is that Arens is gonna be the bomb. And everyone else is gonna have to step up and come out with better stuff and cheaper prices or else they'll be screwed. I dunno about u guys but I can't wait.:D

[Chef]

Hey John, how thick are you planning on your radiator to be? How thick are the cooling fins going to be? Hopefully less than 3 thousandths for the fins, and a good 5 inches thick for the whole radiator...and if its not, then its over priced garage built junk I guess :o

[Chef]

Heh, I guess this Janssen Radiator is junk too...I will admit it isnt nearly the Pro Series, it is definitely a nice radiator for someone without 425cc's of R motor.

[Guy400]

Chef, nobody called your radiator junk. If you could buy a Mustang for $25,000 or a Ferrari for $18,000--which would you spend your money on?

I respect what John's doing for the sport of ATV'ing. He's proving that the highest quality parts can be made without gouging the consumer. I just read where a set of Gibson LT a-arms cost $1100?! Why's that? There's only a couple more inches of steel used to make them and the shock mount has been relocated. Explain why LT arms are so much more than standard travel arms?

[CBRSLIDER]

Guy,

even more so why are aftermarket a-arms so expensive to begin with? i understand that the material is better quality and the r&d must be paid for but the prices some of these other companies want is just short of being a crime. i am not looking for any aftermarket frame parts but have kept an eye on what John has been doing and explaining. sounds to me like he is one heck of a stand up guy. one that the rest of us should be proud to have among our community here. especially since he is going to help us out. and IF and WHEN it comes down to me needing an aftermarket frame part, john will be getting my money.

Ray

[Chef]

Originally posted by Jnine


For the CRF guys we have a GREAT radiator that will come with the frame. This is not one of those half --- & over priced "built in somebodys garage" radiators like everyone else in the industry uses.

JA

To me, "everyone else in the industry" means that no matter who it is, they fall under this category. I'm sure the Arens radiator will be nice, all aluminum ones are, but he cant really call a radiator like the Pro Series junk.

[Chef]

Well, actually, now that I re-read his post, it doesnt sound like its aluminum at all?:confused:

[Guy400]

I talked to John personally and I'm 99% certain it's an aluminum radiator (don't quote me on that however). I do know the tanks are going to be mounted on the side of the radiator rather than on the top and bottom. This results in much better cooling and wait til you guys get the price on these beauties:) The consumer's will be ecstatic, the competition won't be.

[Chef]

I noticed that it said they used Honda paint on it...there is no need to paint an aluminum radiator though :confused:

[Guy400]

He told me they were using Honda paint so the radiator looks as OEM as possible. I'm sure when John reads this he'll give a definitive answer because I don't want to speak for him. I'm just relaying what I gathered from discussing the radiator with him.

[d-14 rider 27]

i know for a fact that johns products are A+++, but its just the way hes tryin to promote it, he dont have to talk chit about the other guys, just say why his is good, and less costly, theres people on here that will do the chit talkin for him.

[Mxbubs]

I got the Jansen radiator. 300$ shipped to my door. So far, I really like it. My YZ motor never runs hot. Except when I drain the radiator and forget to put the water back into it.:D

[jaspurx]

what are you doing for the ex? it sounds like you have my dream job. i`m working on a little " project " to be an " ex " part also. i hope you are working on something different!

[Dave400ex]

Well all this radiator talk is very interesting. I want to see how the Arens compares to the other's now. You guys never know, maybe it is much better...
Also the thing I like most about what John is doing is, he is asking what WE want and taking that into consideration when he is making these new parts. I myself am very excited to see the New Frame, A-Arms, Swingarm, and the other products he is making that is unknown to some of us. Plus not only are they top notch, price is down. There is no reason why we can't buy a standard travel set of a-arms for under $500. Not many companies offer that. We need the best of both worlds, top notch, and low price!

[Jnine]

Hello guys:

I wanted to respond yesterday, but believe it or not we had an ICE STORM, (Da-- Michigan weather) and I had no power until saturday afternoon! Anyway, I'll try to answer as many questions as I can remember:

FRAME Prices: A couple guys asked about the prices on our frames. Our 250R frames have always been WELL below any of the other major frame makers. Most of the major guys are about $2400/2500, and we sell ours for $1800. The EX frame will be way under that. We are going to retail the EX frame for $1250. Thats fair. The CRF frame will come with the extra necessary parts like the air intake, motor mounts, radiator, etc, and it will be about $2000. I don't want to go over that. However, if you check ANY other CRF frame made that I know of, it will cost you at least $2500, and then you get to buy the extra parts like the radiator and intake tract. The reason we can do it for less is that we're more efficient. I'm building 100 of them right now. Our input costs are way less.

RADIATOR: I noticed a couple guys picked up on a statement I made about some other radiators on the market. You know what? When I typed that statement about the "garage built parts", I almost changed it because it is a little strong, but then I thought, "Tell them what you really think", so I hit enter. I stand by the statement. Frankly, some of the guys making parts aren't qualified to build a wheelbarrow. I would love to give names, but I NEVER do that, even on the phone. That is bad practice. However, I have caught other companies slamming my parts and they are da-- surprised when it is me on the phone asking the quesitions. A little work from my legal girl usually cures that. Anyway, I will tell you what to look for in a good design, and what to watch out for that can get you hurt. There are some very good companies making nice parts in this industry. I like the Doug Roll stuff, Laeger has proven very reliable, Scott Butler has done great work at Lonestar.... I haven't ever seen any Houser stuff up close, but I do like some of the designs. Anyway, I'm a rider too, and I want all of us to have quality stuff, regardless of where it comes from!

BACK TO RADIATORS: A radiators cooling ability depends on much more than fin & tank size. In fact, I will give you the cooling data on our new radiator, and we will beat anything else. Get me the engineering thermal radiation data on whatever is being built and we'll have a little comparison. The numbers will always be on our side. We also a have a few other tricks built into ours, but I'll do a full product data sheet when we release it. It is professionally built, fits perfect, and we are planning on a $300 price range. By the way, the surface coating DOES matter. It's more than paint.

A-ARMS: Andrew is finishing up the A-arm design this week, and we'll be doing some CNC work also. This design is for the 19 "long travel" setup. Material is all 4130 Chromoly. I'll give you actual design numbers, but I don't have them in front of me. Heres one number for you.. Cost = $600. Probably be 4 weeks before they go on sale however.

SPEAKING of SALES: I plan to offer one of our new parts here on EXriders first before we send them out to the magazines. What we are going to do is have an EXriders sale, and we'll offer a discount to the readers of the site. We'll get that going by the middle of the week. The part will be our new polished nerfs. In fact, I think each time we bring our a new part we'll have a similar intro sale.

Hope that answers all of your questions. Talk to you later!

[Dave400ex]

John I got one more question, will you be making a 16" LT setup like Houser does? Chad Duvall ran that last year in GNCC and that's what I was wanting...
Oh and while I remember, can you PM me a price on one of your Stems, mine is bent... Thanks

[Pappy]

Originally posted by Jnine
The part will be our new polished nerfs. In fact, I think each time we bring our a new part we'll have a similar intro sale.



ok...mid week....ill take nerf bar set #0001:cool: should i call monday:o :macho :p

[Sick0]

I thinking about making a crf450 for next year. Can you still use the 400ex motor in the crf450 frame.

[trx400ex]

John, I really want to buy one of your frames (400ex)later this year, but i also want to keep running my LT rear shock. Is there anyway you might be able to just have one frame done and then hand weld the shock mount up an inch for me. Id really hate to buy one of your frames and then have to chop it up. Let me know, but like i said it wont be for a few months because i just got a new frame. Thanks

[crashinmatt]

Originally posted by Jnine
SPEAKING of SALES: I plan to offer one of our new parts here on EXriders first before we send them out to the magazines. What we are going to do is have an EXriders sale, and we'll offer a discount to the readers of the site. We'll get that going by the middle of the week. The part will be our new polished nerfs. In fact, I think each time we bring our a new part we'll have a similar intro sale.


does this mean that there will only be a discount durin a certain time period, or do exrider members get discount the whole time? im gonna be gettin a LT set up this comin fall/winter, and was really wantin ur set-up, but cant afford it till late summer early fall, and dont wanna miss out. thanks.

[Rip_Tear]

It figures, I am going off to school next year and need to save my $$'s up and then these great deals come along and I cant jump all over them! It makes me so mad!

Jnine, I just wanted to mention I am going into CNC! I live in Canada, I hope to get a cool job like building A-arms and stuff! I am going to try and make a few parts for my quad during my schooling, the profs said that would be cool :D

[Jnine]

Hello guys:

I hadn't really thought about the long shock/short A-arm setup. I didn't know what Chad (Duvall) was running. There are so many combinations of A-arms to make sometimes it's hard to decide which ones to go after. To be honest, most of our parts are designed to be built in a limited or short production run operation. We want to build the same part 100 times or more. Thats how I can keep the price down, and it also makes our stuff very good dimensionally because our welding fixtures are built to make only 1 part. We know the parts will fit very well out of those fixtures. However, that is also where the builders like Lonestar, Houser, etc have an advantage. They are much better at the highly specialized stuff, and there is a definite need for that.

Back to the frames. The frame is designed so it will accept either motor, so you cold run an EX motor this season, and then transfer to a CRF motor for next year. I think we have all heard rumors of Honda doing somthing in a year or so, but IF they ever do, it will be so watered down that it will never touch the exisiting bike motor for power. They ALWAYS do it that way because their requirements for the ATV reliability are much higher than they are for the bikes. The way they get the reliability up is to de-tune the motors. That means the bikes will always have the better motor. The CRF motor will be the one to own for years to come, regardless of whatever comes out.

On the discounts, I hadn't really thought about how long to run them, although Ben and I had talked about a deal for EXriders.com members as an ongoing special.

Talk to you later!

[QuadTrix6]

Originally posted by Jnine
SPEAKING of SALES: I plan to offer one of our new parts here on EXriders first before we send them out to the magazines. What we are going to do is have an EXriders sale, and we'll offer a discount to the readers of the site. We'll get that going by the middle of the week. The part will be our new polished nerfs. In fact, I think each time we bring our a new part we'll have a similar intro sale.


thats a very good idea, i can't wait :cool:

[Dave400ex]

John I was just wondering about the 16" LT setup because I already have Elka's and don't have the money to buy new LT Shocks and A-Arms so I figured a 16" setup would be good. If not, I guess I could just go with +1 standard arms. Will the standard arms have the same ball joints and features as the LT except the main difference being for standard shocks?

[Sick0]

I would think if you go with the 16" lt arms you would have to get the shocks revalved for the diffrent levage ratio. that woulds coust a couple of hunred bucks. So you could probly sell your shocks and buy new ones lt for a little more money than to have your to the old shocks revavled. But you would have a better set up and new shocks.

[ROGERS]

""The EX frame will be way under that. We are going to retail the EX frame for $1250. """
__________________________________________________ __


Is this the one I can switch to the CRF motor later on and keep the same frame?

Thanks,
-Josh

[Dave400ex]

To help John out, that is the Frame you can switch to the CRF motor down the road...
Ben changed my name... :D

[ROGERS]

Copy that. Wasn't sure if it was the $1250 one or the $2000 one he mentioned. Clear as mud now!:D

Thanks,
-Josh

[Dave400ex]

The $1250 one is for the EX motor now, but if you already have a CRF you can get the $2000 one and it includes all the parts you need to convert to a CRF. You will be able to put the CRF in the EX frame, but you will have to get the Radaitor and other needed parts to finsh the conversion...

hey, save one of those frames for me, ive realy been thinkin hard lately about getting a crf engine and doing the conversion myself, and that crf frame is a great deal, and that way i don have to go through the hassle of contacting a binch of places to get the seperate parts, if i do this though it will late in the summer, i gota get a job then save up the money etc, maybe by then there will be an exriders deal on those:)

[Tommy 17]

john will a stk 450f exhaust and carb mount up with this frame... what all comes with the 450f frame instead of the 400 frame... thanks... hopefully i'll have one of the 1st ones out...:devil

[Quadfather]

John:


I have been thinking about a 450 project. I have all aftermarket suspension components on my 400EX (a-arms, swing arm, Elka shocks ect....) will these items fit on the 450 frame?

[Tommy 17]

quad father i'm under the impression that they will bolt right up... by the way i read its a REPLACEMENT frame for a 400ex that also holds a 450f motor... so i think everything should bolt up fine... thats what i'm wondering now... what all else do we have to get with it... pipes, carbs, etc... i think the 2,000$ crf frame comes with everything else u need though to run the 450f motor...

correct me if i'm worng though... but that what i think john is saying...

[Pappy]

well i placed my order for the nerfs today.....and if the timing is right on the frame...ill take one of them too

[RideRed400StYlE]

I might be interested in a 450F frame also. I just need to pay off all my bills for the ol 400 this year, Then I wanted to start a new project and a 450f is right up my alley.

[Dave400ex]

Tommy is right all the 400ex parts will bolt right up to the CRF Frame. The frame is built to hold both motors, but the CRF frame comes with all parts needed for the CRF conversion. All you should need besides the crf frame and everything that comes with it is the motor, electrics, carb, and pipe...

[Tommy 17]

i was doin a search and found this... its a 400 copy frame... so chassis parts will work... heres what john said in a differnt thread....



New Frame
Hello guys:

How do you guys find some of this stuff? Guess there are no secrets in cyber space!

That is the new frame we are working on. I know some of you have speculated on what this frame will fit, and I promise you it WILL FIT both the EX & the CRF motor. The angle of the drawing doesn't give away all the secrets, but it is modeled off the stock 400EX frame. I wanted all those components to fit because most of us already have them, and the price is very reasonable compared to the 250R stuff. We did have to make room for the radiator, and that is why you don't recognize some of the tube locations. You will like the finished product however.

Talk to you later.

[Sick0]

I was wondering. Some poeple are doing the long travel to the rear of the 400ex by moving the shock mount. I was wondering if the mount would be in the stock postion or will you have a diffrent design than stock. When I buy an aftermarket frame I would I want it fix some of the problems tha s a 400ex has. From whats I've read, The design or the rear of the 400ex could be better. If I buy a long travel front I would also like to have a rear end that matches. Thansk.

[d-14 rider 27]

i think john will make his 400ex swingarms work on both chassis, but if your running a different aftermarket, you'll have to shave the left side down some to allow the motor to move over for chain alignment.

[smith]

I believe that d-14 rider 27 is correct, Arens will have HIS swing-arm so that it fits, but can make no gaurantee that any of the other aftermarket companies products bolt right up to his designs for this project. I'm sure other EX products will work, it's just in the case of the CRF that another companies "CRF swing-arm" may not be set up the same. It'll be safest to consult with Arens when ordering.

[Ralph]

i hope stock 400ex componenents fot cause im not selling my lsr swingarm..

[forum]

John. I'd like to know a few things about your frames. What is the weight of you 250r frames?? and were your earlyier frames heavier?? or are your newer frames heaveir. By heavier i mean in weight and stregth. I race with two guys that have arens frames. One of them was the one that went on a 3000 mile baja and was tested by dirtwheels against the lonestar. It has YET to crack! If your wondering about your old friend hehe. But the other guy bought his , I think new but im not sure. He's not having as good of luck with his. Mind you he's had it for a few years but it's developing cracks that he has welded. Not to bash your product because most frame will crack after a year or so of mx. That said. Compareing to a wlash or a roll, another guy i know hasn't cracked his roll. BUt both wlash and roll's frame are very heavy. i heard the rolls were around 47 lbs while the wlashe's were 52 lbs. and that yours are around 35 lbs. THats is a significant weight savings. I would take the weight savings and fix a few crack every 18 months then run a heavy frame. Cause if your serious enough to run an aftermaket frame then you are serious enough to fix and maintain your machine regualy.

[Jnine]

Hello guys:

Sounds like you have figured out that the frame we are making WILL FIT the stock EX components. One of the posts got it exactly right when they stated that it would fit the stock parts, and our own. In that case, they should fit all the other aftermarket parts designed for a stock EX frame also. I can't promise that with every aftermarket part however, because we all know some of them don't fit anything very well, and I don't know what kind of tolerances they hold if any.

As for the 250R frame weight, they are about 39 1/2 pounds, and we really haven't changed them much over time. Each year I tweak them a little bit, sometimes for manufacturing reasons, sometimes for performance, but I really can't change them too much because I have to make them so everyones stock parts fit. I have built over 500 of them in the last few years, and as a whole they do hold up extremely well. You mentioned the magazine test frame, and that actually went 6000 miles without any failures or problems the last I knew of it, and I'm glad to hear it is still going. Actually I never knew they were even doing a test until people started reading about it and then calling me. I didn't know what they were all asking about. Then I got my issue and it started to make sense. I also understand you know someone who has cracked his. I don't know what to say about that except that it can be done on my frames or anyone elses. Heres what I really believe is the biggest key to making your parts last... GET GOOD SUSPENSION and make sure it is working properly! If your shocks are not very good or you constantly bottom them, you will wreck parts. Think of it like this. Every time you launch it off a big jump it gets slammed back to the ground. That force has to go somewhere, and hopefully your shocks soak up the impact. If you are bottoming you are transfering the force directly into the frame, and you can only pound on it so many times before it gives up. Suspension is the key to everything. Also, try not to flatland every jump. If there is a landing area on the back of the doubles or tabletop use it. It's way easier on you and the quad. Besides, it looks better too!

Talk to you later.

[racerx573]

I was wondering if there would be any way the frames could accept 400EX or 250R plastic/body work...I dont think it would be that hard or even require frame modification, just some new bolt-on brackets.. Only thing I can think of is the subframe seat rollers are different on the quads...but what if you made your 250R and 400EX subframes interchangable, so the R guys would run EX plastic if they wanted, and visa versa w/ the EX guys... just a thought...

[smith]

This seems like a dumb question....but why would you want to spend $500 and run 250r plastic when you can buy almost 2 1/2 sets of 400ex plastic for that same price!! Don't get me wrong, the 250r has nice styling, but we've seen it for 17 years now! It is sort of refreshing to see new styling for once (ex) ! I guess this is a question that I've been wondering for quite a while, I guess I don't see the reasoning to spend over twice as much for the R plastic.

[Jnine]

Hello guys:

Don't worry about running 250R plastic, subframes, or anything else on the 400EX or CRF frame we make. It's NEVER GOING to happen. The two are competely different. (Unless somebody wants to cobble it up themselves) There is no point in even trying to make any of it work, and as the last post mentioned, it's too da-- expensive anyway. It's about like saying, "Hey, since I have the third door option on my Chevy truck, and somebody smashed in the door on the BMW, I'll just bolt that on instead!" It ain't going to happen!

the crf frames will still be availible when winter starts next year right around winter, and what all comes with them besides the radiator and engine mounts, does the crf exhasut come with it or not, and how much are your swingarms

[ChadEXer]

John, do you ever plan to build drag frames and chassis's???

[JHF219]

I am the proud owner of an Arens chassis !! this thing is sweet i havent gotten to ride on it yet but so far the fitment and quality of the frame are some of the best that i have seen !!

John,

I called and left you a message about a week ago and im still waiting on a call back?? maybe i can get ahold of you on here ?! i hope that you will reply !! i noticed that your chassis does not have serial numbers on them !! is there any way that you can provide me with a serial number?? My insurance company is really giving me a hard way to go about covering the quad without a serial number and im getting mad about not being able to get insurance. could you please help me in this matter??!!

Thanks
John H. Forman

[forum]

thanks for the reply john. THey were both using pep. then switched to elka's. and are both curently using them. While the guy with the cracked frame was down at east coast atv, they said the reason his frame was cracking was because of the elka shocks. Alot of shops don't like elka, and swear by axis. I think they are just ignorant. but my point is both frames are running elka's so screw you eca! lol. j/k

[Jnine]

Hello John Forman:

Sure I'll get you a document stating the frame you own was built by my company. Heres what you can do:

Email me at my company address jarens@arensbros.com, and give me your full name and address. I'll put together a document on my letterhead, and then I'll email it back to you.

That should do it!

[JHF219]

John,

Will this document come with a sticker or plate i can pop rivet to the frame or anything of that nature??

Thanks,
John


P.S. keep up the good work !! how much longer on the long travel? thats my next upgrade !!

how much are your swingarms?

[phatswinn]

john,

All i have to say about you and your company in helping us out is thank you (even if there arent any cool things for the 300ex) i think its awsome that ur helping the site and especially the sport grow, factory sponsership isnt coming our way in the sport at all and i think maybe as the manufacturer's see that companys like yours are making after market frames to fit MX dirtbike motors,
extended a-arms,swingarms ect.. they will figure out that the racers in our sport are just as competive and as high in marketing for names such as honda and yamaha, they will want to join the band wagon in racing sponserships and maybe put some race-worthy quads on the line

so.. whens there gunna be an aluminum frame for the 300ex? cuz by golly id buy one in a minute, have it andonized red and make me a cool 300ex

[Jnine]

I don't mind answering questions about the parts we make, or even parts made by someone else if I can help out.

As for the long travel A-arms, we are doing the CNC work next week, welding a week after that, and then powdercoating. They'll be nice!

Talk to you later!

[Quad18star]

John , what kind of schooling did you do that helped in your frame building and design?? Im taking Civil Engineering right now in College and I can somehow see how building highrises can somehow relate to the engineering that goes into making your frames . Is there a particular program that would help the most??? I'm just getting started with Auto CAD and I am learning the basics of it ( pretty sweet program) . What kind of course / programs would you recommend ??

how much are the Arens swingarms?

[Dave400ex]

John when will the new standard travel arms come out that are just like the LT, but for standard shocks?
Also I believe the swingarms are around $500-$550...

[MillerTime]

Quad18star
for civil engineering, autocad is probably all you need, if you want to get into designing something michanical you are going to want to get into solidworks, or Pro-E some 3-d package, that is were every body is going these days, not sure on the engineering of the frames on johns part sounds like hes a natural like jessy james is a natural at building choppers.:cool:

[Tommy 17]

inventor is a very good program to design mechanical parts..

i am using autocadd architecture 3.3 right now for my architecture clases...

[Jnine]

Hello Guys:

The post about the price of the swingarms is correct. The normal cost for those is $535, and that comes with all bearings, a new dual O-ring seal system we use, new pivot sleeves that are hardened to bearing specs, and a front chain slider. However, for this site we will probably be offering them a little cheaper in the next 3 weeks. Those parts are just getting lasered out now.

As for the drag chassis or an aluminum chassis, I can't see us doing either anytime too soon. I've got so many parts between the design and pre-production stage right now it is hard enough to keep track of things. Also, like the person in the previous post, my background is in civil engineering. I used to do lots of design on bridges, apartment buildings, malls, and utility & hydro work (Water systems & gas flow systems) Designing quad parts and this type of work is clearly more mechanical engineering than anything else. Actually, after leaving the civil engineering place, like many people in Michigan I ended up working on some automotive projects, and actually designed and built some destructive testing equipment for the big 3. It was interesting, but not really my goal however, and since then I have done nothing but ATV stuff. And here we are now... In many ways the auto experience gave me some very good capabilites that I have carried over to the ATV business, and some of those sources have helped me build parts very efficiently, which keeps the cost down for all of us. I've got some pretty nice parts coming that are a direct result of some of those manufacturing experiences, and as a result they will be at a very good price.

[TagRider]

John - what is the update on your 400ex frame/subframe and a-arms? I need a chassis ASAP and have been waiting on your stuff for months now because I know it will be top knotch. Can you please give us a date by which time we can purchase your frame, subframe, and a-arms? If it is in two weeks that is fine, if it is in 3 months that is fine too - but I really need a valid date so I know if I have to look elsewhere for my current chassis needs. I know many people who are very interested in buying your a-arms and frame/subframe, and we are all ok to wait, but we need to know exactly how long we are waiting - I know your word is gold so I'll take any date you say to the bank :)

Thanks, TagRider