t3 bearing carrier...

[scooterroo]

ok, well this idea came to me the other night while sitting out in the garage and tinkering around with 85 t3. was sitting there wishing i could find an extended axle for it instead of the wheel spacers i have on it now. then after like 10 minutes of looking at the t3's carrier, and having the blaster sitting next to it, i noticed that the 2 carriers are kinda in a way similar to each other. hmmmmm... ok, curiousity bit me and i pulled out my stock 85 t3 swingarm from storage, then found my stock bearing carrier off my blaster. kinda eyeballed the two for a second, then put the swingarm on its side, and set the carrier down on it to see how far off the bolt hoels were going to be. to my suprize they lined up perfectly. hmmmm. ok, well the blaster bearing carrier has two sleeves i guess you could call them that the stock blaster bolts go all the way thru from one side of the carrier to the other side. grabbed my dremel and cutting disc, and with in 5 minutes cut them two sleeves off. now the blaster bearing carrier originally mounts to the blaster on the inside of the brackets on the blaster swingarm. the t3 swingarm is a bit narrower at the brackets where the t3 carrier bolts up. basically they are vise versa. well i went and got me some washers i could use as shims and slipped the stock blaster carrier into the mounting brackets of the stock t3 swingarm, and bolted it up....

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/scooterroo/DSCF6435.jpg
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/scooterroo/DSCF6433.jpg

now i have to tear the rear end down on my t3 so i can mount the carrier to my franks swingarm and see what i can do about the rear sprocket, make sure it lines up, and if not, what i can do to fix it and make it work. same as the rear brake setup. if all goes as planned and this works, i will be on the phone tuesday calling rad manufacturing and buying myself a nice new dual row billet bearing carrier for a blaster to put on my t3. and if this works, just think, i can actually go out and buy myself a nice new extended rear axle. i will keep you's posted on how everything lines up, and if its possible to do this. so far it looks pretty do-able... awesome!

this is the carrier i will be buying, and yes, cutting the two sleeves off of it so it will fit in the t3's carrier. cha ching!!!!

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/scooterroo/DSCF6436.jpg
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/scooterroo/DSCF6437.jpg

[fabiodriven]

Wow man! I really hope this works! I'm dying to get an extended axle on my T3.

[sblt500r]

so you could probably also mount a banshee bearing carrier in there. the blaster and banshee axles swap, and looks just like the blasters.

and why cut off the middle spacers? just get 2 long bolts and mount it up like stock. be easier to adjust with 2 bolts instead of 4.

[scooterroo]

well i cut the two bars/sleeves, out because on the blaster swingarm, the swingarm brackets bolt up on the outside of the carrier... note pic...

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/scooterroo/DSCF6436.jpg

where as on the t3 swingarm the bars were in the way when trying to mount the carrier because the brackets now mount on the inside, kinda the same way a stock t3 carrier is setup... note pic...

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/scooterroo/DSCF6435.jpg

the cool thing also is if it works on the 85 it would work on the 86 as well!! just got to figure out the sprocket and brake hub, caliper setup.

[scooterroo]

and also, if this does work i will be using better nuts and bolts.

[Yamaha_Rules69]

Good news to hear! I was wondering why there is such a large space between the disc and swingarm in the pic of the blaster with the G force - you can see the splines on the axle. Keep us posted as to how this turns out!

[dcreel]

Can you drill out the holes in the carrier to make them the same size as the holes in the Tecate swinger. Using smaller diameter bolts than the holes in the swinger will allow too much play, I would think.

[sblt500r]

well i cut the two bars/sleeves, out because on the blaster swingarm, the swingarm brackets bolt up on the outside of the carrier... note pic...
where as on the t3 swingarm the bars were in the way when trying to mount the carrier because the brackets now mount on the inside, kinda the same way a stock t3 carrier is setup... note pic...
the cool thing also is if it works on the 85 it would work on the 86 as well!! just got to figure out the sprocket and brake hub, caliper setup.

about an hour later i thought about what i posted and relized why you cut the spacer out. should have thought a bit more before i posted! lol

i have or had an old cataloge with rad bearing carriers for tecate 3's. so they used to make them, wonder if they still could, or would with enough interest.

[tecat-z]

Sblt, that would be sweet! May be worth a call if we could generate enough interest in group buy of a set amount. Could you post a pic of the t-3 aluminum RAD piece? The blaster/banshee swap sounds intersting, so i'll have to check my Tri-z carrier. But WOW are they heavy.....

[dcreel]

i have or had an old cataloge with rad bearing carriers for tecate 3's. so they used to make them, wonder if they still could, or would with enough interest.

I'd be interested as well

[hang&rattle]

I'm pretty new to this, but seem to be using a lot of Yamaha parts on my Tecate (which I am impartial to brand and don't mind), which is good, yamaha builds good parts. Theory: Yamaha really shot to the top in production of atv's in the last 20 years, did they borrow Ideas from the T3 maybe? The Tri-z was ready for production, the first watercooled in 1983, they stalled a year (I think patent problems) and didn't release till' 85', think the parts would interchange better if they had the 1st water-pumper and were the leaders in design? I mean, how many parts on the Z are similar to the Tecate? I was just wonderin', someone should know.

[scooterroo]

sblt : hey it is worth a shot to inquire with rad about the carriers. i do know they still have t4 carriers listed on their website.

dcreel: i am defiantely going to use better, correct size bolts for this. i thought about the having play issue when mocking this setup together. maybe i can actually thread the the carrier holes so the bolts tighten right up to the carrier? not sure yet.

yr69: the space is because the blaster uses a floating disc on the axle splines. there is supposed to be two rubber boots, dust/dirt boots, one on each side of the disc, where you wouldnt see this on a stock setup. i never put them on when rebuilding the rear end. no biggy really.

[Maico]

i have or had an old cataloge with rad bearing carriers for tecate 3's. so they used to make them, wonder if they still could, or would with enough interest.

Shawn...Let us know when you find out from RAD and IF they do...see if they'll do them for the '86 as well as the '85 as I believe the 2 are different.

[Meat-BoX]

I called Rad a few years ago. They still have the print for the 84-85 T-3 carrier but would need a decent size order to tool up for it. Not enough interest at the time. Could be possible though.

[oldskool83]

If anye of you tecate guys need a blaster carrier i got have a spare oem one.

[Maico]

I called Rad a few years ago. They still have the print for the 84-85 T-3 carrier but would need a decent size order to tool up for it. Not enough interest at the time. Could be possible though.

This why I say just build a new swing arm using 250R or 400EX parts. While swaping other carriers from other makes looks to be feasible....going with a new design swing arm would eliminate the hassle of modifying other parts and have readily available aftermarket parts at your disposal.

[cr480r]

This why I say just build a new swing arm using 250R or 400EX parts. While swaping other carriers from other makes looks to be feasible....going with a new design swing arm would eliminate the hassle of modifying other parts and have readily available aftermarket parts at your disposal.

this is absolutely the best solution for any serious builder or racer... almost all tecates run a modified swingarm of some sorts.. the custom route gets you whatever length you want, more strength, whatever axle width you desire, better brakes, better carrier, and easy to find sprockets, better bolt pattern all in one shot... its a nice feeling to put parts on your bike that are new, affordable, and easily replacable... the cost of a custom swinger is cheap when the cost of bidding wars on used obsolete axles and swingers are factored in..

[scooterroo]

oh i understand where your coming from cr, and i do agree that would be an easy route to go. this is just something that came out of the blue, i had the parts lying around so i figured i would try and see if it works. whats the worst that can happen, it doesnt work? if it does work, awesome.

[cr480r]

i was just replying to maicos post.. not trying to take anything away from your thread. i think its great to try the blaster setup. In the past i also have wondered if blaster parts would work, but i never had the parts available at the same time.. When you get this all worked out it should be a sweet option for guys that want a new axle and bolt pattern for their existing swingarm. keep up the good work, and thank you for sharing!!

[Vootie]

Man, I hope this works out, I have a 3 oem blaster carriers and a +4 blaster G-force axle sitting in the parts box.

[code200k]

this would be awsome if it works. extened axle would be unlimited. banshee,blaster,tri z etc.plus blaster parts are cheap.hopefully everything lines up with little to no mods

[Meat-BoX]

If this all works out make sure to put in the Tecate parts that work thread. Someday soon I will be going through that thread and updating the Tecate as best I can. Just waitin on my money. I have the +2" Cal-Fab on mine but still have the original swinger all powder coated and with all new bearings and stuff. Would be nice to go back to the shorter stock swinger with a wider axle setup rather than running Hub extenders and the longer Cal-Fab for Ice racing and flat tracking. Im on a mission to hit the ice this winter.

[tecat-z]

sblt500r Did you ever make the call to RAD? I would be fairly confident that a group buy would be possible for first gens. Different style carriers to fit newer axle arrangements is all good. But it would add at least 3 times to the overall cost. With HRE being the only place to actually make them. $500 will get you started for a hybrid type arm. Most people simply don't have the $1000-$1200 it would end up costing to successfully pull it off. These types of things add up FAST!

[cr480r]

that old cal fab went for over $500 on ebay and it wasnt even cherry.. an extended axle for a tecate is at least 200 if you can even find one and it isnt worn out. trick hubs are rare and expensive for those wishing to save weight or change from oddball bolt patterns.. aftermarket tecate carriers are scarce too.. chain sliders, brake calipers, etc..etc.. Plus round carriers are just plain sweet for stiffness and ease of adjustment. a crafty shopper could buy an hre swingarm and peice the rear together with used parts for well under $1000 and even with used oem honda components it would still be far superior IMO.. with nearly endless possibilities down the road.. axles, carriers, sprockets, hubs, wheels... with a hondo axle a guy could even use extended hubs as an alternative to wheel spacers.

[tecat-z]

CR i hear ya... But, nobody ever does it. We have dealt with HRE on two different occasions where two arms have been purchased. That's just the begining, because every one has their own idea on what rear end set up is the best. This leads to tolerance differences in arm, and more work on HREs end that the customer will pay for. " this can be documented" He doesn't work for free, nor should he. Kawasakis rear end is a good one. Simple and durable if kept tight and maintained. The only round house T-3 arm built that was sold went to BGM in Newfoundland. He hasn't been around in a long time, and last i saw his bike was in a million pieces due to him installing a K5. Will an alm carrier work better than the oem steel piece. Of course not. But, it will be marginally lighter, and drastically increase the cool factor in addition to all of the true old school race parts that make up a sweet and desireable build.

[cr480r]

Tecat-z I realize its an expensive swap and people seldom go this route.. But that really suprises me considering the amount of money some members here are willing to spend on old obsolete parts.. I swear most buy them and hoard them just cuz others want them. While a heavy modified stock swingarm and some wheel spacers work quite well for most, i just never understood the attraction to old "race" parts when those who can afford them could easily buy the newer stuff available. Even cheap used 400ex parts are 20 years newer. Plus they can be trashed and beaten guilt free... try that with a calfab and 40" durablue..

[Maico]

Tecat-z I realize its an expensive swap and people seldom go this route.. But that really suprises me considering the amount of money some members here are willing to spend on old obsolete parts.. I swear most buy them and hoard them just cuz others want them. While a heavy modified stock swingarm and some wheel spacers work quite well for most, i just never understood the attraction to old "race" parts when those who can afford them could easily buy the newer stuff available. Even cheap used 400ex parts are 20 years newer. Plus they can be trashed and beaten guilt free... try that with a calfab and 40" durablue..


My sentiments exactly.

[ezmoney1979]

Hey Maico I dig your Po-jama People thing you got goin there :lol: I remember listening to that album when I was a little kid. On this topic, I am not sure why more first gen guys dont swap over to a second gen carrier and run G-force hubs or a T4 axle. I understand these arent the easiest parts to come across but by no means are they extinct. If I had a first gen I would run a stock second gen swingarm aswell.

[Maico]

Hey Maico I dig your Po-jama People thing you got goin there :lol: I remember listening to that album when I was a little kid. On this topic, I am not sure why more first gen guys dont swap over to a second gen carrier and run G-force hubs or a T4 axle. I understand these arent the easiest parts to come across but by no means are they extinct. If I had a first gen I would run a stock second gen swingarm aswell.

Frank was the best. I listen to his stuff as much as possible. As Frank said..."Music Is The Best"

I'm not a 1st gen guy but I feel their pain. It's the same pain us 2nd gen Tecate owners have. No swap over parts. A custom swing arm using late model Honda parts would solve that.

Looks like I need to get the ball rolling on a custom swingarm for us tecate guyz.

[ezmoney1979]

Frank was the best. I listen to his stuff as much as possible. As Frank said..."Music Is The Best"

I'm not a 1st gen guy but I feel their pain. It's the same pain us 2nd gen Tecate owners have. No swap over parts. A custom swing arm using late model Honda parts would solve that.

Looks like I need to get the ball rolling on a custom swingarm for us tecate guyz. I will never forget the first time I heard "Joes Garage". Being a musician (drums) I get into experimental stuff like that. Maybe there is some other possibities/advantages to using YFZ, KXF, or LTR as opposed to Honda? Just a thought.

[cr480r]

I will never forget the first time I heard "Joes Garage". Being a musician (drums) I get into experimental stuff like that. Maybe there is some other possibities/advantages to using YFZ, KXF, or LTR as opposed to Honda? Just a thought.

the honda has the correct sprocket offset for the kx motor.. i think the others are wider

[Maico]

I will never forget the first time I heard "Joes Garage". Being a musician (drums) I get into experimental stuff like that. Maybe there is some other possibities/advantages to using YFZ, KXF, or LTR as opposed to Honda? Just a thought.

Joe's Garage is 1 of my favorites...along with Sheik Yerbouti and Shut up and play yer guitar.

I'm not real familiar with the YZF,KXF or LTR stuff. It all comes down to what would align up the best without...or very little...machining.

[nstyle73]

Not to break up the music fest, but there is a pic of the 86 T3 Rad Bearing Carrier in the 'Monster in the Making' thread, its pretty sweet with tapered roller bearings rather than ball bearings, but the three piece design allows for wear and therefore slop with age.

[Jeepermc]

Just a brainstorm after reading through this again and looking at all the talk about custom this and swap that. After seeing TecateDan lengthen his stock swingarm (steel) why couldn't a guy pick up a cheap used honda 300EX (steel) swinger and graft the carrier from it to the stock swingarm in the lengthening process? I don't know if the older 400ex swinger was steel or not but it too could be an option for grafting?

[fabiodriven]

Just a brainstorm after reading through this again and looking at all the talk about custom this and swap that. After seeing TecateDan lengthen his stock swingarm (steel) why couldn't a guy pick up a cheap used honda 300EX (steel) swinger and graft the carrier from it to the stock swingarm in the lengthening process? I don't know if the older 400ex swinger was steel or not but it too could be an option for grafting?

Thank you Jeeper, that is going to be my next project. I can't believe I didn't think of that myself!

I wish this had been brought up before we lengthened Dan's swinger.

[cr480r]

why couldn't a guy pick up a cheap used honda 300EX (steel) swinger and graft the carrier from it to the stock swingarm in the lengthening process? I don't know if the older 400ex swinger was steel or not but it too could be an option for grafting?

I have a 300ex rear end i have been saving for this very reason.. 400ex's are alum.. but someone with a lathe could whip up a steel tube with ease, or steal one from an '86 250r

[tecat-z]

Frank was the best. I listen to his stuff as much as possible. As Frank said..."Music Is The Best"

I'm not a 1st gen guy but I feel their pain. It's the same pain us 2nd gen Tecate owners have. No swap over parts. A custom swing arm using late model Honda parts would solve that.

Looks like I need to get the ball rolling on a custom swingarm for us tecate guyz.

The balls been rollin' for years.... This is nothing new. If ya want one, HRE will build ya one. But let me tell ya. The 400ex rear end will add LOTS of weight. HRE arms are nice, but very heavy. Not to mention the heavy anchor type material the 400ex uses to support all of it's mass. Oem 1st gen stuff is light. I always make it a point to cut weight, not add. If ya got the pockets, sure ya can get alm hubs for spkt, brk rotor, and wheels. If you're gonna have a custom arm made then it will be at least a +2 with a custom line. Add this up and it's big money. Go cheap if that's what ya want "relative" and you better make some more power to move the extra weight, and make changes to the rear suspension. Weight effects all of this. Just sayin' So whose steppin' up?

[200x Basket]

250sx on .org had a hre swinger made for his 86 t3. it uses new honda parts but i am not sure if it was 300ex, 450r, 400ex, or what.

[tecat-z]

Yep, i saw it at the Rampage in 09. As mentioned, BGM had one made in 08 for 1st gen.

[fabiodriven]

The idea of the Kawi front half of the swinger with the Honda rear sounded really simple to me earlier, but I realized something that could bugger it all right up. If the sprocket doesn't like up, I'll have to make a hub. That I cannot do....

[cr480r]

the hre arm does look a lil overkill for most.. I know its gusseted much heavier than i would need, but hre isnt the only guy that could build one of these.. and a round carrier design swingarm can actually be built lighter, as the carrier tube adds stiffness, and uses less hardware to do the same job. a stock t3 axle may be lightweight compared to the larger bearings and axle diameter of the ex, but an extended tecate axle is anything but light..niether are wheel spacers.. tecate hubs and 10" wheels are not exactly feather weights... and for those with deep pockets wanting an extreme lightweight and trick setup could use a honda design aftermarket aluminum axle like a jj&a for drag or ice race situations.. The tecate stuff works fine, and does have some merits like nostalgia, and originality, and easy to take apart. But for a person that has several components in need of replacement, or wanting to alter both length and width it just doesnt make sense to fight over rare used parts..


The idea of the Kawi front half of the swinger with the Honda rear sounded really simple to me earlier, but I realized something that could bugger it all right up. If the sprocket doesn't like up, I'll have to make a hub. That I cannot do....

the carrier lines up pretty dang close.. and if it was off a fractional amount the carrier can be offset when building the arm like i am gonna do for mine. I am planning to use an Lt250r carrier and axle(already got it and a alum carrier tube) and i will need to offset the carrier .100" to align the chain. I might be wrong, but I think honda stuff is right on for align.

[Tecate 50]

I believe when I weighed my HRE +5 swingarm it was 17 pounds, made with .0120 moly! That same arm can be built with .083 moly, and could easily shed 3 pounds as HRE stated! But as he stated....you risk cracks with the lighter wall thickness. My +2 West Coast weighed 11 to 12 pounds if I remember correctly. So IMO the HRE isn't that heavy. If weight is the issue, then shed 10 pounds for the season.....lol. I still use the factory Tecate rear end.

[fabiodriven]

If the sprocket lines up that close, then I'm golden.

[cr480r]

I still use the factory Tecate rear end.

would you have went that route if you didnt already have a good tecate rear end setup, wheels, etc??


If the sprocket lines up that close, then I'm golden.

I got a a 300ex setup I can measure for you in a day or two.. I not sure about 250r/400ex, but i think its similar as i've seen 400ex stuff used on 300ex's. my plan was to cut the carrier tube off the 300 swingarm and build from scratch. but now i wanna go aluminum using a kx front section and linkage cuz my bike is already set up for it.

[fabiodriven]

Don't go apeshit on my account, I'm not jumping right into this. It's something I would like to do at some point though.

[cr480r]

apeshit? i just said i got one i could measure.. and i'll be working on my pickup in a day or two at the place where i keep the axle.

[fabiodriven]

Lol- I just mean don't go out of your way. Sorry, we talk a little different out here.

[Maico]

The balls been rollin' for years.... This is nothing new. If ya want one, HRE will build ya one. But let me tell ya. The 400ex rear end will add LOTS of weight. HRE arms are nice, but very heavy. Not to mention the heavy anchor type material the 400ex uses to support all of it's mass. Oem 1st gen stuff is light. I always make it a point to cut weight, not add. If ya got the pockets, sure ya can get alm hubs for spkt, brk rotor, and wheels. If you're gonna have a custom arm made then it will be at least a +2 with a custom line. Add this up and it's big money. Go cheap if that's what ya want "relative" and you better make some more power to move the extra weight, and make changes to the rear suspension. Weight effects all of this. Just sayin' So whose steppin' up?

Yeah....I got all that. I'd rather see aluminum swingarms instead of steel....I like cutting weight too. No newbie here to that. Most of the aftermarket swingarms are steel due to materials cost and ease of working with. Cal Fab made a great arm out of aluminum...they just chose to use the stock carrier....and at the time was fine. But now....with a bunch of companies making aftermarket aluminum carriers for everything BUT the Tecates...it only makes sense to build something using currently available parts. Offset the weight of the stock Tecate swingarm with an aluminum gig and it offsets the weight that the EX or whatever parts are used that may be heavier.

Keep it light...better for flight!! LOL

[Tecate 50]

[QUOTE=cr480r;949390]would you have went that route if you didnt already have a good tecate rear end setup, wheels, etc??

I guess if I started from scratch, and was in the process of gatherings parts again.....I would update and go with the late model set up! Makes it easy to get axles, wheels, hubs, etc etc.................

[200x350xtriz250]

Any update on the Blaster parts swap? Or the call to Radd?