Just as a matter of interest I repaired an electronic ignition on my T4 using a transistor of the correct type albeit obsolete that I obtained from China. It is the switching transistor that turns the coil on and off and must be capable of withstanding the high voltage back emf generated at the LT terminal. Normal power transistors suffer from what is known “punch through” which destroys them in an ignition circuit. It failed after about 2000 miles. Replacement with same type from same source failed the second time I started the bike! Have now replaced it with a current but Plastic case as opposed to TO3 and have just been out on the bike.
The obsolete ones they are now charging £18 each for so I bet they’re taking unmarked transistors of the wrong type and sticking the right numbers on them and upping the price!! The plastic version costs £3.50. Moral of the story is “if it comes from China, leave it alone”.
Do you think that’s why hundereds of Chinese seem to want to register on this forum?
I know this only too well as I am currently rebuilding a VW Beetle based sand rail and a lot of the replacement VW parts are only available from China.
Generally they do not fit as well or last as well as the original parts but there is no choice.
Even spares bought from ‘reputable’ sources can be of dubious origin too.
I was talking to a friend yesterday who runs a motorcycle sales and repair business and has done since his father started the business when I were a lad and he said that Hondas, Suzukis, Yamaha etc are very reliable in the electronics department. The Chinese bikes and quads are very unreliable with ignition systems failing often and sometimes the replacement parts don’t work either! They probably want to register on this forum because they want to find out what they’re doing wrong.
Also beware of branded electronic components & products from European suppliers which are fakes.
Ditto pharmaceutical products from your local chemist
All the best
Steve
Yes bona fide distrbutors can also be clobbered. However on the Chinese front they are supposed to be improving all the time, and now with an increasing number of Europeans living and working over there.
I was watching a programme on telly and a Chinese manufacturer said they will make to a price. The customer sets the price and they adjust the quality to suit. It is not that they can’t make quality it is that the customers don’t want to pay for it.So if you want cheap you get tat.
Many of the components on new BMW motorcycles are now made in China and assembled in Germany.
I also saw a TV program showing a company which was moving production back to the UK, quoting quality as a part reason, but rising prices in China were the main reason. Maybe the workers are revolting .
Certainly there is a massive gap between the haves and have nots like never before apparently
Here in NZ these are flying off the forecourts like hot cakes,http://www.greatwall.co.nzMassive 2 and 4WD’s for £13,000. Much less than half the price of the competition! Coming to the UK anytime soon…
Do you mean here or in China?
[QUOTE=Bikeralw]Here in NZ these are flying off the forecourts like hot cakes,http://www.greatwall.co.nzMassive 2 and 4WD’s for £13,000. Much less than half the price of the competition! Coming to the UK anytime soon…
[/QUOTE]
But at the same price??
I wasn’t looking for cheap and £18 for a power transistor that should cost about £4 if it wasn’t obsolete isn’t cheap.
I think the comment about the Chinese making stuff to a price is spot on…
I’ve obviously never bored you with the Kawasaki 900 kickstart tale…
Is everyone sitting comfortably, I’ll put the kettle on …
The thing is they make copy parts of dubious quality then after a while the better quality HAS to come due to the way markets work, BUT there are a fair few Companies reverting back to Europe after some very embarrasing QC failures in many areas not only manufacturing in China and other places but also these call centres .
Many Companies are going back to European UK and even the USA and moving away from the India and other places.
What I find a pain is there are many components you, as a buyer, just can’t tell if the parts are a cheap copy or an expensive part of dubious quality. The packaging ect is often exactly the same.
Funny that the org set of wheel bearings in my V1000 lasted over 12 yrs, since then they have been replaced every 2-3 yrs The bike has not changed, my riding style (if it can be called that ) has not really changed, therefore the bearings , are in comparison, no where near as good.
I tend to go to a bearing specialist and get Timkin bearings, but hey who knows.
That is the problem, how do you tell the difference? The well produced stuff ought to be sold under a Chinese brand name that can develop a reputation for quality parts. Do the Chinese companies copy each other, or do they abide by copyright in their own country?A can of worms!
The problem is more difficult than that European Companies lured by cheaper labour rates give the blueprints to order from China, they order x amount of parts and often test these once the manufacture is underway the manufacturers then cut corners, this then gets into the chain and causes breakdowns THEN if the plug is pulled the Manufacturer, caring not a jot for patents ect makes the parts any way and sells them making even MORE money.
That is what I was told by a representative of a very big UK based parts manufacturer.
Then there are the other manufacturers that buy parts , de construct them and remake with lower quality material BUT they will copy the origional manufacturers part numbers and packaging.
As consumers we have little or NO chance of telling the difference. Even manufacturers of the origional parts cannot often tell.
This is nothing new, the fasion indusrty goes to India to get clothes made the manufacturers simply make extra to the same spec and leave out the labels… knock offs are a huge problems there too.
I worked for Company and one of their Key Perfoemance Indicators was to up the usage of Low Cost Countries
What a major PIA. IF you found a “capable” supplier often they wernt (capable) when push came to shove and the cost of flying project managers and QA guys back and forwads from the UK was plain stupid.
Would have been better buying it from Wolverhampton or somewhere else in the UK for a “total cost of purchase” that was LESS the than the so called low cost solution