Maier ATC plastic in multiple colours.

[Aussieduner]

Seeing as Maier only list the ATC plastic in limited colours but have the quad items in some awesome colours lets get together and do an email campaign to make them take notice we want this stuff !

info@maier-mfg.com

Take the 85/86 250r for example Clake Tanks have stepped up to the plate and have the plastic gas tanks available in silver,blue,orange,yellow,green etc and to be able to match that with some new Maier fenders & shrouds would make for some very nice looking and unusual machines,maybe some serious numbers can sway this company to re think the selection on the the 3 wheeler products,ive started the ball rolling and have hit them with at least a dozen inquires from Australian trikers alone you guys have the numbers in the US so what about it ?

[ScottZJ]

Yeah I agree. I would love to turn my 250r into a green R. That way it would match some of my riding gear haha.:lol:

[Aussieduner]

Yeah I agree. I would love to turn my 250r into a green R. That way it would match some of my riding gear haha.:lol:

I want a zest orange 250r in fact i would buy several sets of different colours and change them around i just dont get the "no its not availble policy" its total BS it is available and very doable.....dont they like money ?

PS
Hey your the guy in that mag right ? just kidding mate :lol:

[Louis Mielke]

I really don't think an email campaign is going to change thier minds. If they can't sell 50 pieces of an item a year they're not going to produce it. Its that simple.

I would hate to see us annoy the owner at Maier to the point he doesn't want to make our plastic at all.

[oscarmayer]

you gues do know, that they now make a can of spray paint that is decigned to "bond" to plastic and not come off liek standard paint right?

saying this, would this not fit your needs?

[Dave223]

That plastic paint by Krylon is crap, plain and simple. It would be good if you had a bike that wasnt ridden maybe. I used it on a Kawasaki Bayou that my daughter had. It looked super, until legs and grass brushed on it, then it chipped and peeled. I did everything the instructions said also. Just my .02, Dave

I like the idea of multiple colors on the plastics, especially for 70s, 250r, and 350x's

[Louis Mielke]

yeah, painting plastic is so not an option.

[oldskool83]

i think maier should make all replacement plastics, not just fenders. it shouldnt be that hard for them and they would still make $

[Dammit!]

I think we could gain more support from some of these companies if we put together an organized effort to get it. Not just a bunch of e-mails (but that wouldn't hurt either and I'll send an e-mail to Maier shortly). Taking it a step further, finding out who the main person is in charge of these things at whatever company you're targeting and contacting that person directly. Send them links to coverage of things like trikefest to show the machines still have a following. Things like that. Maybe copies of that Aussie Magazine article could be sent to them. :w00t:

At one point I had Pivot Works convinced to make an ATC specific bushing kit for the 250R but they needed me to send them some parts to copy that I did not have in good enough condition.

The bottom line though is always money. Maybe it would be a good idea to try to start a dialogue with someone at a large online vendor like rocky mountain, dennis kirk or bike bandit. They can buy in large enough quanitites that Maier would fullfill the order (I think the magic number is 25 pieces).

Edit: I just sent the following.


I have just read that your company is no longer producing black 1986 ATC 250R plastics. Is this true? I had been planning on putting together an all black machine as well as possibly a silver one. It will be disappointing to find out that these options are no longer available. If they have been discontinued, is there anything the three wheeler community as a whole can do to prove to your company that there is still a market for these plastics in a greater variety of colors? Clarke has recently ramped up their support of these cult machines with a brand new 250R replica gas tank in a wide array of colors. Now that this piece is available, more people would be looking to do different color combinations because until just recently, red gas tanks were all that was available.

-Doug

[hazard]

there is no reason why they cannot make different colors, they already have the molds to produce them, all they have to do is dump in a diffenent color of dye to put into the plastic, shouldnt be a propblem for them to do this i wouldnt think. personallly i like the traditional honda trike colors but im am all about getting different colors made, i like the idea, i too will send an email to them when i get a little time today. keep it up guys hopefully we can get something done here.

[SYKO]

I am horrible at writing a email for such a cause, if someone can write a nice gernal email that everyone can send as we are showing a common interest that would be helpfull, personally I wouldnt mind a blue trike.

[3Razors]

Back in the day when maier fenders were the old style "non-shiny" you were able to pick up the phone and call them and get just about any color you wanted for any model with no minimum quanity purchase. That has since changed with the new "shiny" style they produce.

[SYKO]

can you get the "old" non-shiny any more?

[3Razors]

Maier doesnt sell the old style anymore. It was around 2001 that they switched over. The old stuff was extremely ill fitting, you had to drill your own holes ect, but any color combo was possible.

[Aussieduner]

Lets just see what happens im sure if enough people ask they will have to consider the option of opening the trike plastic up to multiple colours again.

[Aussieduner]

Bit of an update i spoke with Maier today via phone and it was revealed to me that they have been toying with the idea to make the ATC plastic the full colour range this has come about due to the recent orders of non standard colours (these were bulk orders 10 or more) and the amount of requests they have been getting via their web site,they must like the Aussie accent as i was asked to send a letter to one of the senior managers to discuss the issue and to send the recent trike feature we did in Australian ATV Action which happened to mention Maier as a preffered 3 wheel parts supplier.As it stands now you can have any colour you like but you must order 10 pieces,still not cost effective for the single customer who wants 1 set.

[SYKO]

saaawwwwweeeeeeaaatttt!!! cant wait to do a blue atc!!

[Dammit!]

Good job Tony! That's the way to handle it. :D

Edit: when you talk to the guy, ask him if they ever made Tri-Z headlight shells and if they still have the mold. Also mention that nobody makes an 86 R headlight shell either. I get the feeling that they think 85 and 86 are the same. Nobody makes a 350x headlight shell either.

[Orangecnty250r]

Yes I was wondering about the cagiva rear fender which is an 84/85 tecate low profile rear...I have a cracked original rear and Maier custom color made those fenders back in the day...The red tecate rears are simply to dark for my taste. I may call them and ask if I bought 10 if they can somehow match a piece of the old rear I send in or if they have a limited choice of colors. Does anyone know if they have a process to mix/match or if they buy blocks of plastic.

[Aussieduner]

Yes I was wondering about the cagiva rear fender which is an 84/85 tecate low profile rear...I have a cracked original rear and Maier custom color made those fenders back in the day...The red tecate rears are simply to dark for my taste. I may call them and ask if I bought 10 if they can somehow match a piece of the old rear I send in or if they have a limited choice of colors. Does anyone know if they have a process to mix/match or if they buy blocks of plastic.

The plastic comes in pre-coloured sheets from whomever their supplier is,this would be orders by the tonne as ive done my research in this area trying to obtain the same material.

[Gunnar]

Ive heard that they are thermal formed and not injection moulded. That would mean if they want to change colors, all they have to do is stick in a different colored sheet press a button and whalla fenders. Not too dificult If it was I wonder if they would do quads in a full array of colors?

[vintagemotorsports]

yes he is right they vac form all there plastics It comes in a sheet the desired color , Bill check maiers website they will show you their colors in stock , If you call them they can send you a sample plate also with all the colors the colors online sometimes dont show it correct Im sure they have something close to what you need they have a good selection . they probably still have the low pro mold still somewhere Mike

[BigReds Forever]

man, some black plastic for the 86-87 200x would sure be nice, then i could match the raptor. also, if anyone talks to them, no one makes a headlight shell for this model either. (that i know of)

[johnny's X]

Not sure if these guys would or could do anything but it says they do custom work. Maybe if someone gets rear fenders made then maier would get in gear .
www.completeplastic.com/flex.htm

[saturnshadow]

Black 200x plastics would be nice, along with the 350x light.

[Eric250R]

I am horrible at writing a email for such a cause, if someone can write a nice gernal email that everyone can send as we are showing a common interest that would be helpfull, personally I wouldnt mind a blue trike.

I agree....and would be more than willing to sign or send a chain email. Would love to have some different 350X headlight plastic. But more than that, Would love to be able to make my TRI-Z the new yamaha blue.....that would be too sweet. So if anyone does write a general email.....could you please add in that we want plastic for all ATCs not just the 250R ?

[Gunnar]

I'm not sure on the lagel aspect (patent laws and stuff) But there are a lot of thermal forming companies, Maybe we could get one to start making plastics for us. The aluminum molds are pretty expensive to make though. But could probably be reversed engineered from a good set of plastics on a wood/bondo mold. They are inferior to the aluminum ones and are prone to warping and imperfections in the plastic. But should be able to run off a couple hundred.

[Aussieduner]

I recieved this response from Jeff Lewis at Maier,still working on him but at least its not 10 of all the same colour , still got a few more ideas up my sleeve to throw at him.

Hey Tony,

We still need a minimum of 10 pieces but we can do quantities of 5 per color so all you need is 5 each of 2 colors and we can get rolling. I know it's probably not what you were looking for but if there is enough demand for a couple colors, maybe someone could play middle man and purchase the 10 sets and distribute them out to the people who went in on them. Just a thought.

Let me know if there is anything I can do.

Kind Regards,


Jeff Lewis

Maier Mfg., Inc.

[SYKO]

so.. can that be say.... 2 sets of black 200x plastics 3 sets of blue 250r plastics 3 sets of yellow 250r plastics and 2 sets of orange plastics for a 350x does that make 10 right? can it work like that including 3 differnt machines in the mix?

[Aussieduner]

so.. can that be say.... 2 sets of black 200x plastics 3 sets of blue 250r plastics 3 sets of yellow 250r plastics and 2 sets of orange plastics for a 350x does that make 10 right? can it work like that including 3 differnt machines in the mix?

Im sure Jeff would consider the order,i personally would like a full 250r set in the Carbon Fibre look they do,im intending on meeting Jeff on my US trip in June and write a feature on Maier for Australian ATV Action mag.........that could be our foot in the door for the colours to come back online.

Aussie

[team-red-rider]

if we can get this going u think we could get tri moto fenders done in diffrent colors id like a blue 125 personaly lol

[200x newby]

i just contacted maier on carbon shrouds and they said that when gas touches the carbon fiber it destroys it.

[honda250sx]

I have a friend from here up north that went to NTI in charlotte. He got a job working for Debotech. They make carbon fiber parts for just about everyone in nascar. The also make all the ducati carbon fiber pieces along with buell and a ton of other companys. I will talk to him this friday if you are serious about real carbon fiber tank shrouds. Like most things the moneys in the mold.

[atcman77]

[QUOTE=Aussieduner;486667] Im sure Jeff would consider the order,i personally would like a full 250r set in the Carbon Fibre look they do,im intending on meeting Jeff on my US trip in June and write a feature on Maier for Australian ATV Action mag.........that could be our foot in the door for the colours to come back online.


Aussie.......If you guys' get an order together I am in on a complete set of #4 yellow for a 250r.

[McDerry]

You do realize the cost associated with plastic injection molding to make these items worth while or them??

Were not talking production runs of 50, more like a couple thousand of an item.

I would assume the reason they tell you its unavailable is that they are most likely still shipping pieces from a production run many years earlier(basically NOS Maier Plastic).

Kinda like ammunition for firearms, you can get new ammunition at $20 a box for 20 rounds, or you can buy it at $35 for 600 so rounds. The difference is the $20 box is a couple months old, where as the old crate thats as cheap as dirt, is quite possibly several decades old and is the results of liquidation of an existing stockpile.

[Aussieduner]

You do realize the cost associated with plastic injection molding to make these items worth while or them??

Were not talking production runs of 50, more like a couple thousand of an item.

I would assume the reason they tell you its unavailable is that they are most likely still shipping pieces from a production run many years earlier(basically NOS Maier Plastic).

Kinda like ammunition for firearms, you can get new ammunition at $20 a box for 20 rounds, or you can buy it at $35 for 600 so rounds. The difference is the $20 box is a couple months old, where as the old crate thats as cheap as dirt, is quite possibly several decades old and is the results of liquidation of an existing stockpile.


Maier dont use injection production its all vac formed production and to run different colours over the ATC molds incurs no extra cost to them.

[icp4life162005]

Burn, but new plastics is good! Keep on 'em A.D.

[scary132]

Wonder how this guy did it... http://www.3wheeler.org/vb/showthread.php?t=27887 Price doesnt seem bad if you like the color.

[JackFlack]

Looks like you need to order 10 and $4000 dollars.

[Louis Mielke]

Yeah dude can you believe he ponied up that much green? He must be freakin crazy!

[Bryan Raffa]

bahahhhhhhaahaha

[scary132]

Yeah dude can you believe he ponied up that much green? He must be freakin crazy!

:D Yea $4000 is a big nut, but if you can sell at least 8 of them at $4-500 each you have most of your money back, plus a couple sets for you... Not too bad. Lots of work though!

Did you ask about splitting colors? i.e.: 5 sets of two colors. Is it more $?

Do you have pics of yours on a trike?

[Dirtcrasher]

Gotta love Louis.. When he wants something, he seems to go after it balls to the wall!!

I sure hope he sold a few sets though.......

[Maico]

Yeah dude can you believe he ponied up that much green? He must be freakin crazy!

Hmmmm....I wonder who ??? :lol:

[Louis Mielke]

Oh trust me I'm workin on selling some sets. I offered them to the .org guys first cause I'm trying to make sure there is only one blue 250r at TF07. I may take orders from guys on this forum but they can't have them until/or after TF.

The 5/5 split on the colors was not an option when this order was placed. Wish it was as I would have gotten a different color.


Gotta love Louis.. When he wants something, he seems to go after it balls to the wall!!

I sure hope he sold a few sets though.......

Lotsa people talk, I try to walk....but man my credit card is hurting right now. lol

[dizasterzrfun69]

Oh trust me I'm workin on selling some sets. I offered them to the .org guys first cause I'm trying to make sure there is only one blue 250r at TF07. I may take orders from guys on this forum but they can't have them until/or after TF.

The 5/5 split on the colors was not an option when this order was placed. Wish it was as I would have gotten a different color.



Lotsa people talk, I try to walk....but man my credit card is hurting right now. lol

Well i know seadoo is going to have a blue R at trikefest, and im guessing your 500 is going to be blue now too. Maybe i should throw my blue fenders on my R just for trikefest :D

[Louis Mielke]

My 500r uses TRX450r rear fenders and IT IS NOT blue.

[dizasterzrfun69]

My 500r uses TRX450r rear fenders and IT IS NOT blue.

then whyd you get all the blue fenders? I didnt think it ran 250r fenders buit knowing that you got all those blue fenders i figured you converted it somehow. is it pink? :lol:

[Louis Mielke]

Seadoo wanted a blue R, i kinda wanted to build a blue R sooner than later, I said what the heck and went for it. I'm keepin 2 sets in storage for later, he's got 2 sets, and the rest are getting sold off.

Pink....hmmm it just might be....

[dizasterzrfun69]

Seadoo wanted a blue R, i kinda wanted to build a blue R sooner than later, I said what the heck and went for it. I'm keepin 2 sets in storage for later, he's got 2 sets, and the rest are getting sold off.

Pink....hmmm it just might be....

sing it...PINK IS MY FAVORITE COLOR...... well it sounded good when aerosmith sang (SP?) it. :lol:


I wish you would have had these blue fenders months and months ago. I'd have a whole different color scheme on my 85 R project like i originally wanted.

[Louis Mielke]

well it wouldn't hurt to have a set in safe keeping you know, never know when you're gonna build another. lol

[dizasterzrfun69]

well it wouldn't hurt to have a set in safe keeping you know, never know when you're gonna build another. lol


I'd love to louis but i need to get my 85 R project wrapped up and money is the only thing keeping me from doing so.

[Louis Mielke]

No worries dude, i got a feeling I'll have a few sets for a bit. Not many are as willing to pony up. Trust me I know how the money things goes.