Last 2 purchases from MikesXS

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Rlauchard

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Hi all,

I wanted you to be aware of a few products that I ordered from Mike's. This was in the past month, and I feel personally that the production was very bad.

1. The cam chain guide: putting almost no torque...roughly 1-2 ft/lbs of torque...the bottom screw completely stripped out the hole.

2. One of the bolts for the cam chain guide also broke off (the head).

3. I ordered the top fastener set as a lot of my bolts/nuts were in bad shape. I had 3 top nuts and 3 valve cover nuts strip out before they even became 'snug'.

4. I ordered the PAMCO kit. I was installing it today and when I went to put the nut and lock washer on the advance rod, the damn 'slotted disk' broke in two pieces...the lock washer BARELY compressed and SNAP!' Here is a picture: http://i.imgur.com/gloG7.jpg.

I've gotten messages before regarding the quality of some of the products, but I've never seen anything bad until now. Just wanted to let anyone know who have or might buy at least these items.

I'm dead in the water until I can get a 'slotted disk'. :banghead::wtf::thumbsdown::cussing:
 
It does look porous. I know that Pete only makes the board, but MikesXS gets all the other parts. That's a shame that all happened to you.
I had tappet cover nuts split as well.
 
Another thing that I would recommend with the new mikes cam chain guide is file the mating surface flat (use a mill if you have one) the first cam chain guide I bought a few years ago did not sit evenly- it did up square at the top bold but wanted to pull crooked on the bottom bolt.
Also the threads stripped, I didn't have any Helicoils at the time so I tapped it out to M7.

I have bought one recently for my 950 and Helicoiled it right from the start

43ffab48d10dc0dc4f88951be2a09727.jpg
 
If they worked they'd be real parts, not imitation parts. China's thing is imitation. They have the know-how to make real parts but it goes against their grain. You have to stand over them. On any street corner you can get imitation fossils, imitation you name it and they're pretty convincing until scrutinized.
 
xjwmx said:
If they worked they'd be real parts, not imitation parts. China's thing is imitation. They have the know-how to make real parts but it goes against their grain. You have to stand over them. On any street corner you can get imitation fossils, imitation you name it and they're pretty convincing until scrutinized.
Click to expand...

Have to remember this. Thought Chinese stuff was the ducks nuts :doh:
 
^You knew Chinese stuff was a big Fail. I'm telling you why it is. It's because it's all degrees of imitation; how accurately they choose to imitate it. As in what they can get by with, but I don't even think they see it that way. But if you stand over the right person, high up enough, they will make good stuff.
 
I can see them making a fair-looking boat that dissolves in water, with no second thoughts about it. But if you insist the boat be made of a specific non-dissolving stuff, you can get that.
 
I have ordered many items from Mikes. Before and after the business sold. Lots of parts were the same, but were obviously different when looked at closely. Some seams and mill marks were the same on some, different on the others. So I'm assuming they have several different manufacturers that make the item or the manufacturer just makes them differently for some reason.
The consistency is lacking and material strength as well.
 
So far I've had pretty good luck with the stuff I've bought. The few instances where something has been a problem, it's been fixed quickly.

We all need to keep in mind these bikes are OLD, Yamaha long ago quit making parts for them and the tooling for new stuff is EXPENSIVE. The hobby market is generally a bunch of guys like us who are not willing to pay what it costs for new OE so parts suppliers are going to cut corners any way they can.

It's nothing new, for instance in the British car end of things you can get a British Motor Heritage fender for an MGB for around $700 US, or a Taiwanese knockoff for around $300. Just one of many threads on the subject: http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,1125869,page=1 So Helicoiling a hole may be a PITA, not something any of us wants to do but be glad it's an option.

The 1964-66 Mustang guys deal with it all the time too. Me, I'm just glad someone somewhere is making something I can use even if I have to modify it. The other options are to sit on my hands waiting for a good used one, making one myself or scrapping the bike.
 
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/partviewer/default.aspx?
Yamaha says they have them in stock.
Yes they are $88 instead of $32 but maybe the difference will be the quaility.
I don't know as I've not seen a new one nor do I know where they are manufactured.
BUT if I have one stripped, not square, or otherwise substandard the parts person is right on the other side of the counter having to listen to me bitch. They can't close the e-mail and go about the day. And the customers on the showroom floor ALWAYS stop to listen to someone bitch. Provided you aren't belligerent.
 
Lets face it, Mikesxs.com is a business set up to maximize its profit. When they place an order to the Chinese/Taiwan manufacturer, they have some choices. The Ho-lee Sheet Company plant manager says, "We can make you 10,000 pieces for $100,000, or we can reduce quality, tolerences and material, and provide you with the 10,000 pieces for $50,000."

Which one do you think Mikesxs is ordering??

Don't ever think that Mikesxs is selling "copies" of OEM parts. They are selling "replicas" of OEM parts.
 
Its not the chinese making them that is the issue, its the specification given to them from the businesses ordering the parts.
Several major motorcycles manufacturers have their parts made in China & Taiwan for years with no issue with parts, hell BMW even has their 650 engine made in China - you think BMW is going to put a half assed engine into one of their bikes.?

It's all about the build specs, quality control & profit margins.
 

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