I got news for ya... most of the stuff with the H-D logo are made overseas, too. Harley also outsources a lot of products to China and other places. Aftermarket parts are superior about 80% of the time. I've been building bikes for almost 30 years and have seen more Harley parts turn to crap than most aftermarket stuff.

 

I just had the HD chrome inner primary put on. I like to do some moderate effort projects but just didn't think I had what it takes to put on this one myself. I also had the reduced effort clutch kit put on at the same time. The total installation was $458 and it looks great. Speaking of Kuryakyn, I have the horn cover, rider floorboards (longer than HD giving more foot room), extended girder shift levers (again more foot room) and the EZ brake lever. This makes for a very comfortable ride. But...I just got in today the silhouette levers and the chrome is flawed. Needless to say I am very dissapointed and they definately go down a notch for this. I hope it is not too much of a hassle to do an exchange.

 

If you wanted to buy a cheap bike then go Yamaha, Honda etc. It amazes me that customers pay $20 grand for a bike to puff out their chests because they "bought the best ... bought a Harley" and then nickle and dime their way to junk modifications. OEM parts, because design control rests with the manufacturer, will always be of higher quality than will-fit parts. Even when the OEM supplier is the same as the will-fit supplier because those parts destined for the OEM's own distribution will conform to the original engineering specs. Don't buy junk.

 

For what it's worth, (not a lot), I'm with TooTall on the quality issue, my '04 Softail's rims have visble polishing marks on both rims and the chrome does not inspire confidence to expose it to too much rain[sm=badidea.gif]! The Kuryakyn parts I have put on seem good quality, and value. Don't get me wrong I love my Hog as much as you Patriots[sm=Awwww.gif], maybe even more so, as we get a right shafting on the price over here, which entitles me to be a little bit objective at some of the chrome quality observations, happy polishing![sm=icon_cheers.gif]

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I like the Kuryakyn chrome and everything I have purchased from them has been of good quality and fit. I use alot of there stuff, as well as the MOCO's chrome. They make some parts with better "lines" than HD, and vice versa, so that's how I usually decide from one or the other. I have the Kuryakyn inner primer cover on my 05' Softail standard. For $80, it was one of the best parts I have added for the money spent. It went on easy, fits the lines well, and the chrome on it is great. 90% of the people that comment on it don't even realize that it is a cover until I tell them. I have, and love the ISO grips as well (and their foot pegs, shifter and brake pads). So far, no issues with them at all and they're holding up well. I have had issues in the past with similiar looking grips and pegs from HD, and the rubber was always my biggest gripe - deteriated quickly and in some cases chunks fell off. I do think Harley's chrome is the best out there, but Kuryakyn has always been in the same ball park from my experiences. And, I have never had to make a return on anything bought, but have heard countless times that they will bend over backwards to make it right if a problem with their product is brought to their attention. Customer service goes a long way, and that has always been one of the best things I have heard of them.

 

The things I've gotten from Kuryakyn have been good quality and seem to be made well. I once had a spring stud wear out on a passenger swing peg and they replaced it with no questions asked, so they have good service.

 

Well put!

 

I agree that you shouldn't buy junk, which is why I'm very careful when buying MoCo parts. I've seen more faulty parts from the stealership than from Kuryakyn or some other venders. I can go to the stealership and inspect all the parts on the rack, and I can find at least 20% that have some kind of flaw. I know... I've done it before. You just have to shop around and you will get good parts without getting ripped off. As a former quality assurance inspector, I know that not all parts are inspected 100%. Only a small percentage of parts from each batch are checked, therefore it's not impossible for a few faulty parts to get released to the customers. This applied to H-D parts as well as aftermarket. If you got an occasional part that was bad, don't write them off as unreliable. I check the quality of several items over time before locking in a supplier. I just happened to notice that the MoCo has been spitting a higher percentage of bad parts than some of my other suppliers. H-D's chrome is not always perfect. I've seen plenty of MoCo parts where the chrome was not evenly applied, was milky looking, or started flaking off after a couple of years. They are getting better over the years, but still have a ways to go.

The old saying "ya get what ya pay for" applies to just about anything except items from H-D, GM, Ford, and the other big-name companies. HD parts are overpriced, no matter how ya slice it. IMHO, they should have put more effort into making the bikes themselves better and stayed away from the accessory and clothing lines. Guess they have to appease the RUBs and yuppies with the bottomless bank accounts who don't know any better and don't mind spending money to look "cool". I'll bet you can go into the homes of most of the people who preech the "Made in America" attitude and you will find lots of imported products there (clothes, cars, stereos, TVs, computers, etc.). Even Harley has used Japanese front ends on their bikes for many years.

 

Ok, an update on my latest Kuryakyn chrome problem. I had received the Silhouette levers as a gift over the holidays. Unfortunately they were the wrong model to be used with a hydrolic clutch. They had been ordered directly through Kuryakyn. I sent them in and they promptly exchanged them from the right model. When I received them, I was disappointed to find that the chrome was flawed. I called them again. They got back to me the next day and to my amazement are sending out a new set and assured me that they would be inspected prior to them being shipped. I will now have an extra set to do with as I wish (maybe ebay?). Anyways, the staff was friendly and willing to make things right and that's worth noting.

 

So far, every chrome part I've bought from HD has been returned! Chrome should be perfect, its for show, thats why you buy it. I have some Kury stuff and its good, No issues.