OEM or Aftermarket (Detailed Version)
What is best for your bike may vary from one bike to another.
The best motorcycle part may depend on several factors - your
needs, your bike's needs, your budget and more.
You may be needing of an OEM motorcycle part or may be not. Read
on to know more.
OEM part is short for Original Equipment Manufacturer part. At
first sight, it may be understood as originally manufactured per
se. However, many motorcycle manufacturers do not really
manufacture every motorcycle part of their bikes. They have some
parts designed and manufactured by outside companies. After
manufacturing, they will now install it to their bikes and will
be labeled as OEM.
Purchasing OEM motorcycle parts means buying the exact or same
original part your bike manufacturer used to assemble their
bikes. In purchasing, be sure that you will get same performance
than that installed in your bike. No less. When it comes to
price, OEM parts are usually expensive than aftermarket
motorcycle parts. However, there are instances when it is on the
contrary.
Sellers, most of the time, say that OEM parts are of higher
quality compared to aftermarket parts. This is a common scenario
in a motorcycle parts store but the statement may not be always
right.
Another circumstance about motorcycle parts is the
transformation. Say an OEM part can eventually become an
aftermarket OEM part. What a transformation!
The circumstances presented advice you to be extra careful.
Caveat emptor, that is. In this regard, it will be best to use
OEM parts only within your bike's guarantee period. Also, have
these parts installed by authorized mechanics. This is to make
sure that your guarantee will remain valid and subsisting.
Aftermarket motorcycle parts, on the other hand, should perform
well as OEM. These parts are made by companies other than the
original bike manufacturer. You can use these parts when your
guarantee period lapses.
Some riders have this misconception that aftermarket is always
of lower quality. But this is not always true. In fact,
aftermarket parts can also be of the same or even higher quality
than OEM parts.
Carbon fiber, gizmos, titanium and aerospace aluminum parts are
some of the materials that make up high performance aftermarket
parts.
When purchasing motorcycle parts, be sure to get at least the
same quality if not better as the OEM part. You can do this by
searching and asking. Search the Net and ask your fellow riders
and skilled mechanics.