When reading advertisements or catalogs for parts -- and you encounter the term 'billet' -- what does billet mean? I spent over 20 years in the army and to me that means either a place to live or a spot on an organization chart. I have asked some 'long time' Harley dudes and still do not get a consistent answer.

So, what's it mean? And how should it be considered when looking for stuff for your bike?

Thanks,
ld78642
Leon

 

I believe its a term to denote the quality of the parts chromed...its my experience that having billet parts are better than non billet parts and I imagine you will notice a price difference for billet vs non billet. Not sure all the technical reasons why billet is better, but I thought a guy at Kuryakyn had explained it to me once as the metals were of better quality when they go to chrome it or some such.

 

Billet is also used commonly to describe motorcycle (or other) parts machined from a bar of metal (or billet), differentiating parts manufactured this way from those cast in a mold.

 

sprtn' hit the nail on the head...

Instead of molding metal, MIM (Machine Injected), casting, etc.. the part starts out as one solid block of metal, usually aluminum.

The block of metal (called a billet) is then machined, cut, lathed, etc. into the part.

Cons:
These parts usually cost more because there is a lot of metal wasted as shavings, or hunks cut from the original billet.

Pros:
The part is one solid piece of metal so it is generally stronger than a cast or pieced together part.

If you compare a billet part to the same part made by casting, the finish is usually nicer and smoother, even after chroming.

 

i learned something today !