new tecate durablue axles

[scottyms]

ok i have been talking with gary from durablue axles about remaking the 86 / 87 axles. i need to know if there is any body else out there that would be willing to buy one, i would expect around 400 dollars. this may be the last chance to get a brand new axle for thes machines.

let me know if you are willing, 4 real not a maybe.

scott

[deathman53]

good luck, I don't have a 86/87 tecate, but if more axles are made and sold. Maybe maier will make plastic again, and more parts for other model trikes will come around. I have a hard time to see happen though, many won't pay the $490 for 83/84 250r and 83-85 200x axles, what makes you think they will pay the same for a tecate axle?? I really hope I am wrong here, but when I ordered a durablue for 83/84 250r, the guy said "I didn't have anybody whom ordered one in awhile, they wouldn't pay the money for it"

[DixiePlowboy]

I would buy an extended Dura Blue for a first generation Tecate within 3 months of today. Heck, I would buy another within a year.

[scooterroo]

yeah, i would be very interested if the make an extended axle for the 84-85 t3. i'd pay what i had to just so i could have one. better keep dreaming though.

[scottyms]

i have talked to gary a few times on this subject. bottom line comes down to simple economics, it costs them money to set up the machine to make them. they have to sell X number of axles to make it worth it to them. i will have to make the order all at one time. he said point blank that he will not make any for them to keep in stock. he's afraid they would be stuck with them, as a business owner i understand him completly. he is more than willing to make them if i order enough of them, right now that number is 12 to 18 axles. i dont know if there are that many people willing to buy an axle but i am trying. if you are interested let me know. i'm sure they would be willing to make axles for the earlier tecates also, but that would be another 12 to 18 axles.

scott

[nd4speed]

Can't one just put the 86-87 carrier and axle setup on your 84-85?

[Billy Golightly]

I'm gonna move this to the R& D forum, hopefully you'll get more interest with it in there. I don't have a KXT but if I did I'd be all over this, and I'm thinking about even though I dont have one :D I hope you can get something worked out.

[BigGreenMachine]

That'd be almost $550 - $600 CDN for an axle.

Hagen/Greenboy will make billet aluminum axles for the Tecate already, he had said that ages ago. $400

[OZQUAD44]

I would be very interested in an Axle for an 86/7 Tecate, but postage to Australia is going to kill me.

I'd have to get a firm price on postage and the Axle before I could commit.

Aussieduner could possibly be interested also.

The 86/87 Axle swingarm combo is becoming a headache to set up due to lack of options.

If the Axle was $400USD and the postage $100USD, that would equate to about $715AU.

[Maico]

I'm all for it. Put me down for 1.

[Aussieduner]

I would be very interested in an Axle for an 86/7 Tecate, but postage to Australia is going to kill me.

I'd have to get a firm price on postage and the Axle before I could commit.

Aussieduner could possibly be interested also.

The 86/87 Axle swingarm combo is becoming a headache to set up due to lack of options.

If the Axle was $400USD and the postage $100USD, that would equate to about $715AU.

I agree with Jase here we both would love to slot a brand new extended axle in our T3's but the $ conversion and shipping would kill us to at least $800AUD,cheaper to go wheel spacers im afraid.

Aussie

[DixiePlowboy]

I know how much cheaper wheels spacers are, but they greatly compromise axle strength. I'm going to run a set of spacers on my flattracker, but bottoming the suspension hard....or trading rubber with a tree will have me using a sledgehammer(flogging iron) or looking for a replacement.

A Dura Blue axle is a lot stronger.

[scooterroo]

well i am running spacers for now, when i hear that they will do the 84-85 axles, put me down for one for sure. will an 86-87 bearing carrier fit on the 84-85? if it does maybe , just maybe i will have to go that way then.

[BigGreenMachine]

Thhe 86/87 carrier bolts right on. You need everything though, brakes and all.

[DixiePlowboy]

It's just a simple leverage issue.

I've used wheel spacers on a 350X, Tri-Z, 250SX, YTM 225, '85R, 200X, and probably one or two that don't immediately come to mind. You can use them with success, don't get me wrong....but in some circumstances you are more likely to warp an axle with them.

I've bent several. Two while jumping and one in an altercation with a tree. Then again, I may have pushed the limits a little...

I will use spacers on mine as options are limited, but it will see limited air time. I would definitely opt for a stronger/wider aftermarket axle even though MX isn't my goal.

[digity x]

well my jumping high days are over cause of the knee but wheel spacers are gonna go on my t3, a nice axle would be nice thou'' +2 chrome real nice oohhhh''

[Curtis-Tecate3]

Scott,

I have also talked to Gary like 5 years ago with no luck. I am glad he is entertaining the thought of a limited production run. I guess his mental scrapbook of the calls that he has had to no quote over the years have finally added up so he can consider building some.

I do have a question first before I will commit to anything. Which style of axle and what length (+2", +4", +6" ?) will he build. Since it will be a custom run I can only assume that it will be one length only. The eliminator style would be nice as it is adjustable from +2" to +4".

I guess let us know what you find out.

Curtis.

[DixiePlowboy]

Good point, Curtis.

I assumed it would be an Eliminator adjustable to +4"(which is good), but I personally would prefer a +6" length(better for me on the 1st gen) like the old Finish Line axle.

If a few of us want these as I do, maybe it's time for each of us that want one to give them a call.

[Lomax]

Crazy to see this thread. Me and a buddy of mine have been in contact with durablue already about having the First gen Tecate axle's remade. We both agreed that having a +2 or +4 would be a nice addition and I am sure that there are other people out there that would be interested in this as well. Not to mention it seems to be kinda difficult to find a straight OEM one. If I had an 86-87 I wouild be interested in the near future. I think we might deal with this 84-85 deal in a few months ourselves

[Curtis-Tecate3]

FYI. The "Gary" that you guys are talking to at Dura Blue is Gary Trautloff who happens to be the owner......

I seem to remember in my quest 5 years ago (after Gary said he would not make an axle for me) that I spoke to someone who referred me to RPM. Well my memory is fuzzy but I am 99% sure it was RPM. Anyway I was told that RPM took over all of the inventory from the old JP / Finish Line company. To make a long story short I just called RPM and no luck.

Looks like Dura Blue is the only option unless Hagen in Germany has an option.

Curtis.

[scottyms]

i will post up any and all info i get from gary, we have not realy discused what length or style axle just the possability if doing it. with enough people coughing up some money i'm sure we can get them made. i will probibaly end up buying 2 or 3 for my self but no more than that. i know its a lot of money but we are going to run out of good used axles eventualy. my other thought on this subject is making a new swingarm to hold a 250r carrier. im sure that will be more expensixe to do than a replacement axle. how ever if i cant get enough people to commit to buying axles that is the route i will be going, i would rather go axle. we will see where this goes.

scott

[250rulzes]

I would be interest in one for both years...

[Meat-BoX]

I allso talked with DuraBlue about a year ago. He said he would make them if I bought like 15 of them. I didnt get enough interest from the people here so I gave up. I allso talked with Rad Mfg. about their sweet bearing carriers. They used to make 1st Gen. Tecate carriers but stopped. They still have the print and can tool up but they need to sell like 15 of them also. I would love a nice Dual Row Carrier and an extended axle but money talks and B.S. walks. As this site gets more popular maybe there will be a demand. But for now it looks like im running my spacers and stock carrier.
Now if we could get up the money for the Rad Mfg. Carriers I would jump on that right away. They would cost about half of what the axles go for and would be real nice to have. Is anyone interested in spending around $200 for a Bearing Carrier if so Chime in and lets get Rad. to bust some of them out again. I see alot of 1st gen Tecate owners here. I'd go with a sweet carrier and some wheel spacers.:w00t:
Cant find the old thread.

[DixiePlowboy]

scottyms is 100% right!

We ARE going to run out of good stock axles in the future. Everyone that loves their Tecate decide now how long you want to be able to ride them. Give Gary at Dura Blue a call and tell him about this resurgence in interest.... and how we want to keep them on the trail/track.

I have spacers, but with no axle how much good is my Tecate?

[Maico]

i will post up any and all info i get from gary, we have not realy discused what length or style axle just the possability if doing it. with enough people coughing up some money i'm sure we can get them made. i will probibaly end up buying 2 or 3 for my self but no more than that. i know its a lot of money but we are going to run out of good used axles eventualy. my other thought on this subject is making a new swingarm to hold a 250r carrier. im sure that will be more expensixe to do than a replacement axle. how ever if i cant get enough people to commit to buying axles that is the route i will be going, i would rather go axle. we will see where this goes.

scott

Put me down for a custom swing arm too. I think a swinger using existing Honda ATC/TRX aftermarket parts would be an ideal way to go. Sure... the intitial cost would be nearly double the price but at least there would be readily available parts.

[scottyms]

just talked with gary and the number is 18. ive got 6 spoken for so far. i should have pricing next week, i would be buying them all and then reselling. thats the only way he'll do it, this may be a dead issue. 18 axles at 400 each = $7200 bucks upfront, i'm willing to lay out the upfront money if i can get enough people to commit to buying. just think how much harder its going to be 5 years from now to find good parts. ah remember the days when parts were just a phone call away.

[Billy Golightly]

This is just a suggestion, so don't take it as I'm making you do it anything, its just how I've seen it done elsewhere. At other sites I'm a member of, when theres group interest in a particular part to either get it made or get a discount on the part from bulk (AKA group buy) what they normally do is have one initiral contact person for the group, like you. Then they get everyone that is interested in purchasing an item to call up the manufacturer/seller directly and put the money upfront with the knowldge and understanding that if there isn't x amount of other people within a certain time frame (usually like 90 days from what Iv'e seen elsewhere) that they wont get a product, and will get there money back. It'll save you the trouble of possibly getting stuck with a bunch of axles (or whatever) and not being able to get rid of them. You might run it by Gary and see if he'd be up for some type of an arrangement like that. Keep a general list of people who have already laid down the money for a spot on the list.

[TRIZTUNES]

Hey!!


Hi I do not want to bust your bubble here.

I doubt you will get enough to committ.It has been tried before with swing arms.They all want one till it comes to money.

you should work on the 84-85 model.

AS for the 86+87 you can use a tecate 4 axle.

I have been keep this under my hat for alittle while,after that ordeal with the decals I swore I'd never help this stite again.I give you 1 more chance.

there are 2 things you need to know.

first: you can only use the eliminator axles.the tecate 4 is shorter then the tecate 3.so a plus 4 is only going to be +2 or stock.

second: you must use a rad lock nut there is not enough threads for double nuts.


THANKS TRIZTUNES!!!!!!

[Maico]

Hey!!


Hi I do not want to bust your bubble here.

I doubt you will get enough to committ.It has been tried before with swing arms.They all want one till it comes to money.

When I say put me down for 1...I'll pay for it when the time comes.

[BigGreenMachine]

Ok cool info TUNES!

You re-use the 86/87 brake and sprocket hubs right?

Is there a +6 available for the Tecate 4?

James

[scottyms]

hey everybody latest info from durablue. dont know if we can make this happen, i would have to buy 18 he wants one person to deal with on his end. anybody who is serious and would buy one of these axles please send me a pm.

scotty


"They would be $298.14 each and must be prepaid. There would be no warrantee because I would not be stocking any to support a warrantee program."



Gary

[OZQUAD44]

Hey!!


Hi I do not want to bust your bubble here.

I doubt you will get enough to committ.It has been tried before with swing arms.They all want one till it comes to money.

you should work on the 84-85 model.

AS for the 86+87 you can use a tecate 4 axle.

I have been keep this under my hat for alittle while,after that ordeal with the decals I swore I'd never help this stite again.I give you 1 more chance.

there are 2 things you need to know.

first: you can only use the eliminator axles.the tecate 4 is shorter then the tecate 3.so a plus 4 is only going to be +2 or stock.

second: you must use a rad lock nut there is not enough threads for double nuts.


THANKS TRIZTUNES!!!!!!

C'MON TRIZTUNES, don't put us all in the bad apple basket mate. Hows a Tecate nut from down under suppose to get the good oil on his grean machine if you hold out on us????

Have you got a photo of a second gen T3 with the T4 axle mounted?

As for the Axle thing, no warantee sounds a bit off. You pay top dollar for some work and the guy won't even stand behind his product.

Why don't you bite the bullet and get a swing arm made to accept a different type of axle. The amount of swing arm builders in your country is nuts. I'll count the ones in Australia for you. Ready......... 0, zip, nada, none, bugger all, ziltch.

[GreenBoy]

If you want a really good axle for your 86/87 Tecate, get one made at the local machine shop.
The biggest advantage is that you can choose the material (chromoly 4130 or better), diameter and width (probably adjustable) of your axle, so you know what you get !!!

On many aftermarket axles the places where the bearings sit, are too small in diameter from the beginning on. This kills every axle after a while. Same with splines, the big companies seem the use universal splines for their axles. That´s what I can tell from my DB and Rocky Mountain axle.

My T3 axle cost 150$ for the chromoly, 3 hours on the CNC lathe, 4 hours on the CNC milling machine and 150$ for the chrome.

If a mechanic knows how to work with his milling machine, he can make you PERFECT splines for your T3 axle without $$$ special tools.

Just my 2 cents......

[Aussieduner]

If you want a really good axle for your 86/87 Tecate, get one made at the local machine shop.
The biggest advantage is that you can choose the material (chromoly 4130 or better), diameter and width (probably adjustable) of your axle, so you know what you get !!!

On many aftermarket axles the places where the bearings sit, are too small in diameter from the beginning on. This kills every axle after a while. Same with splines, the big companies seem the use universal splines for their axles. That´s what I can tell from my DB and Rocky Mountain axle.

My T3 axle cost 150$ for the chromoly, 3 hours on the CNC lathe, 4 hours on the CNC milling machine and 150$ for the chrome.

If a mechanic knows how to work with his milling machine, he can make you PERFECT splines for your T3 axle without $$$ special tools.

Just my 2 cents......

Hello Hagan
Where you been hiding ? ive been wanting to ask you about the 87 T3 rear fender brace,im told you make those ?

Aussieduner

[tecat-z]

I would consider one very seriously for first gen tecates, stock width to +2 or +4. In a perfect world we would just go back to the 80s and have our pick of many different brands and widths, however it seems for us first geners out here, there is no option as an alternative fit. It's to bad big green had to change designs for all 3 generations of the tecate (t4) included. But seriously, i would love to have a brand new durablue, and would gladly pay $300 for one. In the day of $700 aftermarket four stroke exhaust systems, $300 seems downright paltry. And you're right if they see that there is still a market for these axles, they would be more eager to produce other trike axles. And ebay is also a viable selling tool for them as well to get out their product. Tax return time is here so all you 2nd gen tecate riders rally together and see if this can be done. It's way cheaper than what an oem axle would have cost, and the same as what you would expect to pay for any new quad axle today. Get itttttttttt.

[scottyms]

thanks tecat-z i feel exactly the same. final word from gary is 18 axles. i dont expect that there will be enough people willing to get it done, its a shame. we all are willing to buy used axles that look like crap might be bent or have loose bearings and splines for 150 bucks but cant get together to get new ones made . i have talked to a local machinest who can and will make me what ever i want, the cost is astronomical. he estimated 6 to 7 hours of machining at $ 70 bucks an hour + materials costs = a lot more than 300 bucks. i am going to start working on building a swingarm that will hold a trx250r rear end, it will surly cost me a hell of a lot more than 300 dollars. i hope im wrong, im begging anybody out there that has a tecate 2 pony up your going to need or want an axle some day. can you imagine what a new old stock durablue axle would bring on ebay?

scotty

[Maico]

I'm ready to pony up the cash. Too bad Gary wants 18 instead of a dozen. I think you're better off in the direction of a custom swinger using the R essentials. A swinger for both the 1st and 2nd gen Tecates using R parts.

[scottyms]

I'm ready to pony up the cash. Too bad Gary wants 18 instead of a dozen. I think you're better off in the direction of a custom swinger using the R essentials. A swinger for both the 1st and 2nd gen Tecates using R parts.


i do believe you are rite. i have not had any body contact me and say they want one yet, although 4 or 5 people have said they would on this thread. that said i have decided to go the swing arm route, im going trx450r rear set up. i already have a brand new axle with the brake and sprocket hubs and a brand new rear caliper and brake stay. i still need to get a carrier, wheel hubs, brake disc, and sprocket. i figure i will have about 4 bills in to all the parts by the time im done. i'll start a new thread once i start fabing up the swing arm.

scotty

[OZQUAD44]

I know this is an old thread but how did it go Scottyms?

[Nightbiker07]

hey, if i had the upfront cash, id buy 18 and just list on ebay and on this site.....you might not sell all of them right away, but they will eventually all be sold.
most of the time, people would buy one of they had the time to save up.....the problem is that some people want it now, and some cant have it now, causing it to fall through. if they were just THERE, people would come and buy them bit by bit.

[Klondike1020]

Where could somone have a custom axle made.... somthing like a durablue but custom lenghts and threads ect ...????

[cr480r]

With a custom swingarm you could buy brand new replacement axles all day long... and not be stuck with retarded odd-ball bolt patterns and splines... its not as difficult as everyone likes to make it sound...