Be Careful Buying Motorcycle Parts on eBay

We’re often asked to talk about something that’s fresh in, something that actually happens/ We had a guy in this morning whose chain was dangerously loose, lurking close to the floor and could have come off at any time and caused catastrophic damage to the motorcycle, and rider.

On closer inspection, it had a chain fitted that was far less than the spec specified for that motorcycle. ‘I bought a chain and sprocket kit for half the retail price and my Thai friend from next door fitted it, and it’s now hanging on beyond adjustability,’ is something the better motorcycle mechanics often hear.

People will sell anything. I’ve seen some beauties on eBay – JT sprockets with a D.I.D chain for much less than you normally pay/ Yes, it’s a D.I.D chain but it’s not the right chain for that motorcycle, like supplying a chain of a very low spec without O-rings for a motorcycle that should have an O-ring chain fitted as standard. Granted most chains look near-identical to the next one, but it really does make that much of a difference.

We counted the links on it, and the links were right. It was just stretched beyond recognition, as it was a non O-ring chain and it had a split-link in it. He reckoned he paid US$ 61 for it and, when we price up the proper kit, it was 4100 THB (US$ 122). He said, ‘yeah, I know how much they were but I didn’t want to pay it when there was a cheaper kit on eBay’.

You can put your wheel back as far as you want but you’ll soon run out of adjustment. Removing links shouldn’t be an option, nor should adding teeth to a sprocket! And, whatever you do, never use a split-link on a O or X-ring chain – always use the soft rivet supplied.

Make sure you buy from a reputable source. I goes back to aal the cheap Chinese-made stuff that’s readily available for next to nothing. We’re often made aware of fake stuff that’s been badged up to look like a premium brand, yet will offer zero of the safety and performance benefits of the premium brands.