Gauging interest in building suspension components

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Jon, I know exactly what your speaking of, and the point your trying to get across. I have been welding for about 6 years now, stick, tig, mig, smaw, and some orbital.
-I know when I would go in to cover someone's shift, i would have to inspect, grind out, and clean the majority of the welds that were already in progress if he wasn't able to finish the project due to time constraints (ohsa shift regulations at 16 hours per day kind of thing) Just because I didn't know what the work was like on the inside.
-I don't want to find out the hard way that someone was having a rough day, or is hungover while welding up my left a-arm, and the guy doing the right one is going through a divorce or something like that...
-I would Much rather spend my coin on something I know was hand fab'd by one person, knowing each and every detail about each one he sends out, not just cookie cutter products, that could have some flaws like slag inlays, perocity and things of that nature. If I was keeping my warr, I would be one of the first in line to buy a set.
-Mind you, if it will ease your mind, go ahead and buy a set from a larger company. I wouldn't want to sell anything i'm making to someone who didn't trust it, and make the riding any less enjoyable.
-But just so you know from one person in a similiar work enviroment, Jon sounds like a Very well trained, experienced fabricator, and I personally would have no reservations about buying, riding, and most of all Trusting, a set of a-arms, or any other part, made by Jon.

-This is just how I feel about it. I don't really want to make it seem like I'm trying to sway anyones vote, just putting in my 2 cents. Sorry this was so long. By the way good luck on your new venture Jon (if it comes to be).
~Bill
 
[quote:b2flzg0e]If he is able to make a set for an 88- I would buy them in a heartbeat.
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86 to 04 are all the same, only the 86 to 88 had the square headlight mounted further down than the one's on the 89 and up. They also stuck with the square headlight from 86 to 92 then went to the round style in 1993. Everything is the same beside's the Headlight Mount and Hound from 86 to 04.

To get down deeper into it, when i e-mailed LeoVince for sponsorship, i got a reply saying they don't make an exhaust for a 1998 Warrior, so i then put pic of a 1986 frame and a pic of a 2004 frame side by side, exact same angel's and sent to them saying their all the same. So they then offered sponsorship just for correcting that.

Some part's might not look identical from a 86 to 92 compaired to a 93 to 04, but everything still bolt's up the same beside's the Hood and Headlight.[/quote:b2flzg0e]

BULLSHIT. Explain why an 86, 87, and 88 front arms all are 1" WIDER at the frame mounting points then an 89? Want to see Proof? when I bought the front end for my 87, the seller sent me an 87 and an 89 lower arms. Guess which ones did not fit on my Warrior.
 
I think you should target a more expensive bike such as the Raptor 700r or YFZ and I guarantee your reception will be much better. Generally speaking not as many people are going to want to sink a lot of money in a 350. The 350 is usually not built up by many people for racing with wider a-arms like the 450 class of bike is. But you offer a good quality set of a-arms for the price you are asking to the 700 or YFZ owners (or any of the 450 class bikes) and they are going to eat them up.

Go to Raptorforum.com and look at some of the money these guys are dropping on those 700's. You show them the quality you can build for the price you are asking and you will pay your machines off in no time.
 
[quote:6o464lur]

86 to 04 are all the same, only the 86 to 88 had the square headlight mounted further down than the one's on the 89 and up. They also stuck with the square headlight from 86 to 92 then went to the round style in 1993. Everything is the same beside's the Headlight Mount and Hound from 86 to 04.

To get down deeper into it, when i e-mailed LeoVince for sponsorship, i got a reply saying they don't make an exhaust for a 1998 Warrior, so i then put pic of a 1986 frame and a pic of a 2004 frame side by side, exact same angel's and sent to them saying their all the same. So they then offered sponsorship just for correcting that.

Some part's might not look identical from a 86 to 92 compaired to a 93 to 04, but everything still bolt's up the same beside's the Hood and Headlight.
Click to expand...

BULLSHIT. Explain why an 86, 87, and 88 front arms all are 1" WIDER at the frame mounting points then an 89? Want to see Proof? when I bought the front end for my 87, the seller sent me an 87 and an 89 lower arms. Guess which ones did not fit on my Warrior.[/quote:6o464lur]

That's what I thought too, but I didn't say anything because I never measured it myself. I know the entire front half of the frame is completely different on the 87-88s.
 
I think you should target a more expensive bike such as the Raptor 700r or YFZ and I guarantee your reception will be much better. Generally speaking not as many people are going to want to sink a lot of money in a 350. The 350 is usually not built up by many people for racing with wider a-arms like the 450 class of bike is. But you offer a good quality set of a-arms for the price you are asking to the 700 or YFZ owners (or any of the 450 class bikes) and they are going to eat them up.

Go to Raptorforum.com and look at some of the money these guys are dropping on those 700's. You show them the quality you can build for the price you are asking and you will pay your machines off in no time.
Click to expand...

I would definitely like to, but I need a "test" machine first, so Ill be looking around for someones to borrow as time goes on.
 
I would deff buy a set of + 3" ,if you could make them for my 87.I have had a guy bid to build me a set for $750-unpainted.I am shure you could do much better.Sounds like you are on it,bro.
 
i think ya got a great thing going here. where can ya find a a-arm with that many adj. on it. no where unless it is home brewed. i wish i thought of that when i tried my hand at makeing some a-arms. some times the best things made are home made.
 
Can one of the mods please delete the post above mine? I think it's safe to say we don't want this thread being derailed by someone who wants to act a little childish.
~Bill
 
what are you(imtarnished) talking about being childish. i was giving the man a compliment on his product
 
what are you(imtarnished) talking about being childish. i was giving the man a compliment on his product
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Dont worry about it, the post he was talking about already got deleted.
 
No one seems to believe me that my cost alone is close to $200. Then the fact that even though its my own venture, my time is worth money and these take a good while to make, so Im not going to give you labor for free and make zero money, why would I do that?

Then, even if I could make the materials cost less, I dont have the resources to produce enough of them to supply people if they sell like crazy.

And finally, you make it sound like Im undercutting the big name companies by a few bucks, were talking several hundred dollars that a comparable set would cost you. I understand you saying you dont think you can trust me, but why would you trust anyone else with your life instead? Whos to say the guy welding wickeds or lonestars arms isnt a moron having a bad day? Id rather buy from a company where its one person doing all the work, straight from raw material to finished product, not 10 different people making each part then someone else welding it up.
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Thats not what im sayin dude. All im sayin is that your wanting almost as much $$ in labor as you pay for the materials. And yes, i do trust the bigger name companies more. Im not trying to bash on your welding/construction abilities at all. But their central focus is on a-arms and they produce thousands every day, and produce an almost perfect item every time. And im sure they have a bad set once in a while. But thats mass production for ya. But if you had $350 and you could choose between Wickeds or a-arms that someone made, im sure you would pick the wickeds. Once again man, im not trying to make enemies or pick fights.
 
Well, that will have to be the case then. Because for now it is impossible to offer these for any less than I have quoted, or it would make no sense for me to do this from a financial standpoint. You have to remember that parts arent all that go into pricing things. I have to pay for a lot of stuff with what I earn from the sale (equipment, consumables, electricity, etc).

Maybe eventually I will be able to make a nonadjustable set without so many heim joints that will make them a little bit cheaper, but the way I see it now is you are getting an $800 set for half the price. Remember, you cant touch a set with all heims for less than.. Im guessing $700.
 
[quote:ksozfn8o]No one seems to believe me that my cost alone is close to $200. Then the fact that even though its my own venture, my time is worth money and these take a good while to make, so Im not going to give you labor for free and make zero money, why would I do that?

Then, even if I could make the materials cost less, I dont have the resources to produce enough of them to supply people if they sell like crazy.

And finally, you make it sound like Im undercutting the big name companies by a few bucks, were talking several hundred dollars that a comparable set would cost you. I understand you saying you dont think you can trust me, but why would you trust anyone else with your life instead? Whos to say the guy welding wickeds or lonestars arms isnt a moron having a bad day? Id rather buy from a company where its one person doing all the work, straight from raw material to finished product, not 10 different people making each part then someone else welding it up.
Click to expand...


Thats not what im sayin dude. All im sayin is that your wanting almost as much $$ in labor as you pay for the materials. And yes, i do trust the bigger name companies more. Im not trying to bash on your welding/construction abilities at all. But their central focus is on a-arms and they produce thousands every day, and produce an almost perfect item every time. And im sure they have a bad set once in a while. But thats mass production for ya. But if you had $350 and you could choose between Wickeds or a-arms that someone made, im sure you would pick the wickeds. Once again man, im not trying to make enemies or pick fights. [/quote:ksozfn8o]

What you're forgetting though is that each set is custom made. You aren't going to get wicked or any of the other big companies to custom make them to work with anything other than stock length shocks, especially for $350. $350 for a set of a-arms that are custom made to work with shocks from a yfz, raptor 700, etc is a hell of a deal if you ask me. I got a big discount, but the Burgard a-arms I have normally sell for $450, that's run of the mill for standard length shocks and no heim joints. HSD Strongarm is the only company i know that will custom make them for a 350, and theirs sell for way more than $350, actually theirs are over $750 for custom made ones, and i don't think those have heims, at least not all heims for that price.

If I didn't already have my Burgard a-arms and works shocks, I would be the first one in line for a set of Jon's a-arms made to fit yfz shocks.
 
What are everyones opinions on ride height? would you be wanting stock height, higher, lower? those kind of options Im probably going to have to make standard, it will be too difficult to adjust that dimension for each set.

Also, Im still waiting for someone to email/pm me for the first set @ $200 +ship. THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST SET, I WILL POST WHEN THIS OFFER IS OVER. PM me what you want, width, shock length (not type of shock, I dont have those numbers).
 
[quote:2kgo685v]


Thats not what im sayin dude. All im sayin is that your wanting almost as much $$ in labor as you pay for the materials. And yes, i do trust the bigger name companies more. Im not trying to bash on your welding/construction abilities at all. But their central focus is on a-arms and they produce thousands every day, and produce an almost perfect item every time. And im sure they have a bad set once in a while. But thats mass production for ya. But if you had $350 and you could choose between Wickeds or a-arms that someone made, im sure you would pick the wickeds. Once again man, im not trying to make enemies or pick fights.
Click to expand...

What you're forgetting though is that each set is custom made. You aren't going to get wicked or any of the other big companies to custom make them to work with anything other than stock length shocks, especially for $350. $350 for a set of a-arms that are custom made to work with shocks from a yfz, raptor 700, etc is a hell of a deal if you ask me. I got a big discount, but the Burgard a-arms I have normally sell for $450, that's run of the mill for standard length shocks and no heim joints. HSD Strongarm is the only company i know that will custom make them for a 350, and theirs sell for way more than $350, actually theirs are over $750 for custom made ones, and i don't think those have heims, at least not all heims for that price.

If I didn't already have my Burgard a-arms and works shocks, I would be the first one in line for a set of Jon's a-arms made to fit yfz shocks. [/quote:2kgo685v]


So tell me which you would buy...his home made ones or these? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ASR-Yamaha-Raptor-Warrior-350-2-Pro-Star-Plus-A-Arms_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43974QQihZ008QQitemZ180055471481QQrdZ1
 
Well if he's still around this web site by next summer {Have an awesome summer job for a big oil company} and is still selling them i will have a set of them.
 
Thats an easy question to answer...the link doesnt work. I did notice that you were trying to show a set of ASR's. And they were probably the set for $348 or something like that. Notice how that set has bushings for the lower arms, and I dont believe they are 4130 for the basic set. I just looked, I cannot even find a set to compare to that use all heim joints, somebody help me out...


I hate how you keep using the word "homemade". As I stated above, I have a $3000 TIG welder, a professional tubing bender, a professional tubing notcher, am very very well trained in TIG welding, well trained in fabrication. I am not a shadetree mechanic making these out of scrap PIPE and arcwelding them together.

The equipment I use is likely identical to what any other manufacturer uses, although some of the larger ones may CNC bend and machine some stuff, that doesnt mean its any stronger though, just more consistent.

I obviously cant change the way you think though, so this was my last attempt, it does seem as though you are fighting on your own, most agree that this is a good deal, and that my fabrication skills are comparable or better than any other manufacturer.
 
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