Good/bad aftermarket parts

I had a hard time determining whether this is an engine/chassis/ body question, but it's likely all of the above. I have received parts from Jeff at Z1 and was totally satisfied, but sometimes it's easier/simpler to order localy through a stealership. So...... I was wondering what aftermarket parts manufactureres do you recommend, and who to avoid. You know Vesrah, Parts Unlimited, Sudco etc. I don't want to go into a dealership and have them dip me on the high end and order low end parts. I'll pay for it, but I don't want junk. To simplify this, how about what makes to avoid, as I'll assume that the major aftermarket manufactureres wouldn't stay in business, long term, if they sold poor quality parts.

Post edited by: gas, at: 2006/02/23 11:48

i used to have the local hotrod bike shops order stuff for me lots of good stuff from APE ,but im tired of being jerked around by the local crooks!they seem to forget i can weld,and wire,and polish parts for plating and assemble stuff myself,only thing i cant do is machine work but ill send that out of town!i ll keep getting stuff from APE and ive heard good things about Star cycle also but i havent ordered from them yet i have a couple heads that need to be done i might send to them but from now on im cutting out the local crooks!:whistle: goodluck,happy wrenching!

Post edited by: wireman, at: 2006/02/23 12:16

Well, the short non-answer is that the older our bikes get, the fewer parts manufacturers/distributors there are. What this means is that local guys will be ordering from the same distributors as major clearing houses (e.g. Z1Enterprises). The flip side of this is that someone like Jeff really knows the industry, whats available, and which competing companies provide higher quality products. I'd be more apt to use someone who is targeting motorcycles like I have, rather than go to a dealer who may have been born after they made the last non-cop KZ. [In fact, when I told a local Kawasaki dealer what I owned, he mentioned he'd never seen them in person...and he never will]. That dealer may not know all the ins-and-outs and have the connections necessary to support the older Z's. Places like Z1Enterprises have already done the research and homework necessary on providing the best available products...I'll continue to use their judgement.

This is a little complicated.

Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties are the two largest motorcycle parts wholesale distributers in the world, they don't manufacture anything, they just distribute it wholesale to dealers (your local shop, Dennis Kirk, and the rest). A contract to provide parts to one of those two is like the "Golden Grail" of a lot of small manufacturers. A few manufacturers sell direct to dealers, and even fewer sell direct to the public.

Most parts are good quality, if not then it is quickly revealed (thanks to the WWW) and the manufacturer will soon be out of business, so the main considerations are who sells for the best price and provides the best service, so you have to look for a supplier that supplies the best balance of the two. My experience with some retailers follow.

Dennis Kirk, decent prices and fast shipping, and they have most stuff in stock.
Z1 Enterprises, really decent prices, excellent service (willing to answer technical questions) and fast shipping on the parts he has in stock. And if Jeff don't normally carry the part you want, he's willing to find it for you. Great place to get stock parts also.
Parts N More, decent prices, but don't expect the parts in two days.
Ron Ayers, Great place to search for stock Kaw parts, online database searchable by Kaw part number, decent prices on stock parts, but sometimes it takes awhile to get the part. They will call you and tell you a part is NLA (No Longer Available) or if they are not sure you ordered the correct part.
CycleReCycle, decent prices and fast shipping, but not a large number of parts in stock, if they have what you need it's a good deal, but normally they don't.

My preferences for ordering parts are in the following order:
(1) Z1 Enterprises
(2) Dennis Kirk
(3) Ron Ayers
(4) CycleReCycle
(5) Parts N More

Of course there are a lot of other places that I have not dealt with, and this list is just my opinion based on my personal experiences.
And it's all based on mostly ordering stock parts, hot rod parts are a different story.

So many parts are hard to find from a local dealer and you have to call all 5 in Denver to find something and then they want $40 for a valve cover gasket, and $12 each for shims. Jeff at Z1 has good stuff, doesn't rook you and gets you your parts fast.

Don't even mess around just use Z1E, he stands behind his parts and is one of the BEST parts e-tailer's out there!

Of course there are times when you may need something he doesn't have, but Jeff has added so many new items over the last year or so...it's just great!

Thanks for talking some common sense into me guys. Yes, Jeff and Z1 have always been a square deal for me and I even recieve my stuff quicker from Z1 than goods from DennisKirk. The sun is setting significantly later in the day here now. I'm dreaming about the bike now and then and often thinking about it during the day. Probably thinking too much about silly little non issues. Ya, it's pretty much full blown cabin fever and a bad jones to ride the old horse again. Atleast I can clean up old bike parts and smell the gas and oil on my tools, while I wait. You know what I mean.

Z1 Enterprises represents a number of different sources as does Dennis Kirk. Kirk will be likely to sell you a wider selection of batteries, tires, generic parts; like steel brake lines and will offer choices in quality from low end to top of the line. A recent discussion about mirrors shows the variety. Kirk can offer low end Emgo mirrors and top of the line fancy billet mirrors that are worth more than your bike. Z1E offers a lot more in the way of hard chassis and engine parts and a variety of aftermarket and NOS. Z1E also offers a variety of sources selling the SAME type stuff in differning quality. Jeff, the owner is up front about relative differences and by and large offers about the best price for the quality regardless if you buy top of the line stuff or lower quality stuff. He just can't stock some of the stuff Kirk can... like tires and mirrors and batteries as he doesn't have a warehouse as they do (been up to Minnesota and saw it!)

The companies that I've found to be very competant, and good with products and prices are: Schnitz, Star Racing, Rice Paddy, and Z1 Enterprises. I have not had good experiences with APE, but I won't go back on that subject, I have a post on them in the Chit Chat section. The only thing I've found good about APE is their price on the engine kit I bought. You can actually purchase APE products from some of the companies I mentioned cheaper than you can purchase them from APE for. As far as Sudco, don't expect any help from them unless you have part numbers and you are ready to order them on the spot, they have poor customer service. I tried getting parts from them for my 33mm Mikuni's, and they were no help whatsoever and told me to find part numbers and call back with them, so I purchased my float bowl gaskets and float valve assemblies on Ebay, and my O-Rings from a local automotive parts house.

I knew Id find a thread such as this...

I've worked in the industry for 17 years now, and the industry has changed more and more every year.

Alot isnt known to the consumer, but yes there are alot of great online ordering places such as Dennis Kirk (owned by Parts Unlimited) Z1, etc.

Local dealerships have faltered in the last few years, focusing on the almighty dollar more than the consumers needs.

The truly sad part is, these dealerships have been bought out or are now run by auto dealers, thats the newset trend, and rid themselves of qualified employees and replace them with 6 dollar an hour parts kids that havent a clue what theyre doing along with replacing qualified mechanics with what we call "Parts replacement specialists" because if theres truly a problem, they don't have a clue what it is.

As for pricing, check with your local shop, because alot of online/catalog places are selling to you for RETAIL, unless it's a closeout/discontinued item.

Its a vicious cycle, but the whole industry is suffering from it and one day there will be no local shops to go grab some oil from.

I have a good dealer I guess . He will look up these old bikes for me and gets the parts in . Calls me then . I also have a good motorcycle shop that has been around for 17 years so he knows these old bikes well .. He always has stuff laying around ,, like this large Box of cables I have dug in for years now , always find what I am looking for , Orders me parts and gets them in in a day or two . . I have used Rice Paddy as they are only a few miles from me .. The bike yard in Medina , Ohio is ok too . I really want to try Z1 as you guys talk about how good Jeff is . I am sure I will one day soon with my project Kawashoe on the lift right now ,, :ohmy:

Well, Chris, I don't really understand how it could get any simpler than ordering from Z1 or other reputable place, but I CAN tell you that I wouldn't order from a 'stealership' unless it was absolutely necessary!