In spite of the warranty we offer, some axles are prone to breakage due to major design flaws in the original ATV.
Honda trx400ex
This bike has a short swing arm that angles down excessively (look at the bike from the side). Due to the angularity of the swing arm, there is a tendency for the bike to “jam” the axle into ground, virtually eliminating the action of the suspension. Imagine the front end off the ground (as in landing a jump) and you will see that there is no suspension action at all. The entire mass of the bike and rider (not to mention the impact load) are landing entirely on the axle. Your bike, effectively, has no rear suspension. The result is a broken axle (if this impact exceeds the tensile strength of the shaft). Be aware that the axle is fine, the bike is not.
Look for a major redesign axle and swing arm combination from Durablue in the future. Until then, be prepared to replace many axles.
Yamaha Raptor and Polaris
These two models have the same problem. Each bike is heavy and powerful (the Raptor is especially fast and used for extreme activity). Each has a very small, inadequate diameter axle. This is a combination that spells axle problems. The Raptor addressed its “small axle” problem with its very short axle. The result was a very unstable machine, however.
In general, wider axles create more leverage (loading). Using a shorter axle, while giving up stability, will increase axle life.
