After two days of solid torrential rain and not having enough wood in the shed to start building an ark, I decided to do a bit on Elaine’s Centenary model. I recently added some tank protector/knee grips to my bike which I found on Ali Express, only thing was they only came with red and white lettering which was ideal for my bike,
But was, obviously no good for Elaine’s. So having spent a frustrating couple of hours with a fine paint brush and acrylic paint, I finally came up with this! Pretty chuffed to be honest .
Mick, proper good job there. I love a tinker with the bikes. . Question please about Ali express. Now, I know people have issues with Chinese made items etc but if we are honest, most things are made there these days. (Apart from our Guzzis of course.) I’ve seen some parts however, screens etc that are half the price of what I would expect to pay. Yes, the, ‘if it’s too good to be true then it usually is’ adage is at the back of my mind but am curious for people’s thoughts on the items on offer. I may pose it as a bigger forum question but interested in your thoughts please.
My two pennorth…
A lot of apparently western based businesses (Dyson, Triumph, Tesla, BMW, KTM, Harley etc) cannot resist the attraction of lower labour costs so make things in the east and label them west.
So as i couldn’t find out if the decision to put poorly hardened cams in my KTM 790 Duke was made in Mattinghoffen or Hangzhou…I am also free to buy from the cheapest supplier.
I agree that we should by from local producers with the same price/wage structure - but if the owners of luxury brands like Prada, Apple, Dolce et Gabanna etc are making stuff at east world prices and selling them to us at west world prices then i will do the same.
In this advanced capitalist world where trade is truly global and no company is ‘limited’ any more by the location of its factories (and that skilled workforce.)… branding is just lying and no-one knows where quality lies.
So buy anything from anywhere - but if i know it is made/grown 30 miles away i will pay 10% more
Morning Bazzer. I buy a lot of stuff on AliExpress. 99% of it would appear to be the same stuff other sellers are buying in themselves from the same source then re-selling with a big mark up, however, I would not buy critical items like camshaft’s or pistons/ rings etc. while I have absolutely no doubt that these items can be obtained in China in the correct grade of material etc, I can’t be certain if the supplier in question is one of the ‘good’ ones or a cheap rip off. A prime example are the knee grips. £14 on AliExpress. £35 in the UK. A headlight guard in the UK £52, the same guard from AliExpress is about £20 and has the same pictures attached to the advertisement.
Morning Johnny. Surely the fault lies with KTM? They are free to source parts from anywhere and like many other manufacturers, they do so. Ultimately the problem is with quality control. There was a batch of v85tt’s in 2021 I believe that were fitted with valve guides that were incorrectly hardened, resulting in premature wear that apparently resulted in new cylinder heads being required on a number of machines. Were they of Chinese, Indian or Italian manufacture? Regardless of origin, it is the quality control that ultimately failed. I personally wouldn’t buy critical engine components directly from China, I will however buy things like exhausts, fog lights, screens etc. I may occasionally get my fingers burnt but generally the stuff is pretty decent.
You are welcome mate. I just ordered some headlights protectors for Elaine and I for the gravel roads in Iceland next year. I wonder if it is worth while reporting on the stuff I get on here? (The good and the bad).
I bought the little mudguard for my v85 from ali express via my grandaughters chap who buys from there often. I think powerbronze and another charge about £70 for it, mine with postage was under £20. Looks identical and fitted fine.
Not been out it truly bad weather, but when i did the huddersfield loop the front of the engine wasnt covered in crud, so it may just re-direct rain n crap but i think it helps a little
I put one on my bike and it made a difference to the dirt and wet mess on the front of the engine. Good instructions and an easy fit. Very well made and I think looks ok fitted. But I feel its not large enough to stop enough hitting the engine. Swopped it for the Caponord mudguard and its loads better.
