Author Topic: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?  (Read 4430 times)

Offline Topdad

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #30 on: 09.05. 2017 13:24 »
Just to add my tuppence worth . My '59  bitza doesn't have spacers and none of my previous A10'sand A7SS have either infact my headlight shell is a pretty tight squeeze in my present bike .I also always thought the long nut was so that a decent earth could be obtained (?) . Perhaps a compromise ,seeing as Danny is so sure about there parts quality, between Lee and BBB would be for them to supply another pair of the "new batch " to show lee the difference and then come to an amicable arrangement over total costs after all although Lee is in the states surely He is ( from a company looking for customer satisfaction ) entitled to the same protection as we would be IE sale of goods act , items provided must be fit for the purpose they were intended for, sorry to say looking at Lee's they aren't.
If not maybe for the future we could devise a plan where uk members would initially obtain parts to check  for our overseas friends, we could check the bits out and return crap from here,  just a thought maybe not practical but may help
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Offline Greybeard

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #31 on: 09.05. 2017 13:49 »
The fact that we can currently buy many parts from different suppliers for our ancient motorcycles is amazing to me. I have had issues with parts from suppliers including BBB but overall I've had good experiences.

The problem for suppliers of parts like this is that the customer probably does know a lot more about his beloved machine than the retailers representative and to be assured that that part is correct for your machine and that no one else has had any problems with that part is infuriating. Maybe a change to a more 'The customer might be right' attitude would help even if it turns out later that they are wrong!
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Offline burtonbikebits

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #32 on: 09.05. 2017 14:03 »
I have made great effort to point out that we are not right 100% of the time, and that sometimes there are issues with parts. In the same way that sometimes the customer does not know what they want, or even what bike they have and we have to attempt to work this out.

As stated, in this case, we said that the part could be returned, tested, and if found to be faulty a replacement would be sent at our cost and the return shipping refunded, or a full refund given. I cannot see how we can say fairer than that. The item has now been modified to fit and so that is no longer an option. We are now looking into the issue, but again, 99% of this batch have been sold without any known issues, this item could therefore have been a one off, or there may be an issue with the yoke or setup. It is impossible to tell from photos alone.

Offline coater87

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #33 on: 09.05. 2017 23:50 »
Danny,

The e-mails we exchanged have been posted, never once did you offer to pay shipping or a refund of any  shipping cost to send them back.
 
 That is something You have only mentioned here on this forum, never once to me. You made it clear that my only option was to return the parts for you to "test", and from the pictures you posted of a badly mounted headlight, any set of fork shrouds would pass your quality assurance standards.

 So I paid 100 for the shrouds, plus 29 in shipping. I would have had to pay 29 more to ship them to you for "testing", plus 29 more if I wanted them back (because they are "Good Enough" for Burton Bike Bits). I would still have bad shrouds, and be out another 58 pounds.

 Does that sound about right?

 Lee
Central Wisconsin in the U.S.

Online RichardL

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #34 on: 10.05. 2017 00:37 »
Well, this certainly has become a contentious issue. I can understand Lee's frustration and anger regarding the faulty shrouds, but I also understand Danny's difficulty in trying to, first, evaluate the situation from afar and, then (or, now, even if late) trying to right the situation in a way that is fair to Lee and safe for his business (BBB). While it is all exciting to watch, I think I like the forum better when it is a bit cooler.

My recommendation would be to take the negotiations off line. I have a feeling that BBB will be able to more readily right the financial matter if they don't have to do it in front of the world and, therefore, set a precedent for how they compensate for these kinds of disagreements. The goal for BBB will be for Lee to tell us "BBB did the honorable thing and we came to a fair solution that stays between us,"  and then Lee just keeps it between himself and BBB. I have an idea what Lee should ask for and I am going to PM him with that idea.

I am now sure I will be tagged as "a cockeyed optimist."

Richard L.

Offline kiwipom

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #35 on: 10.05. 2017 06:23 »
hi guys, some pics,cheers
A10.G.Flash(cafe racer)Honda 250 vtr. Yamaha Virago XV920.

War! what is it good for?Absolutely nothing, Edwin Star.
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Offline duTch

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #36 on: 10.05. 2017 09:19 »

 Something we who are not in the UK have to keep in mind regarding replies, is the time zone difference; if it's after 16:00 GMT/UTC (Eastern US time=about lunchtime), forget about a reply until manyana + a sixpack or two  *smile* =next day+

 I've a fifteen second attention span, so if if I don't have results, I'm one of the worst *eek*
Started building in about 1977/8 a on average '52 A10 -built from bits 'n pieces never resto intended -maybe 'personalised'
Have a '74 850T Moto Guzzi since '92-best thing I ever bought doesn't need a kickstart 'cos it bump starts sooooooooo(mostly) easy
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Online JulianS

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #37 on: 10.05. 2017 10:09 »
A view of the separate headlight from the 1962 Lucas Equipment and spare parts for BSA Motorcycles.

Online RichardL

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #38 on: 11.05. 2017 02:33 »
Referring to my post, above, from 10.05. 2017 00:37:

OK, so maybe none of that will work. :(

Richard L.

Offline BSA_54A10

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #39 on: 11.05. 2017 11:17 »
Time to be the devils advocate.
I have bought brand spanking new , still in original BSA wrappings , parts that did not fit on more than one occasion.
Been playing with BSA's for 50 years now and there is a big difference between what is considered as proper fitting in 2017 and proper fitting in 1962.
Add to that BSA used the same forgings and casting for a lot of different bikes so just because your part has the "right" blank number on it is no guarantee that it was machined to fit your bike.
Forks were regularly swapped between bikes, both by BSA in order to meet a shipping deadline and by end users because the wrong ones were cheaper.
So unless that bike has been in your possession since new there is no guarantee that any single part on it now is what was on it when it left the factory and even then it could have been the wrong part.
I have run into the "funny fitting shroud " problem on more than on occasion and the solution was to cup your hand and gently bend the ear in and if necessary then twist the mouning hole out.
We even had a tool for doing this , a piece of dowel with a chair leg stud on each end a couple of large hard plastic washers and an oversized pair of wing nuts.
Once the dowel was in place you stood in front of the bike and "applied corrective force " to get everything lined up and true to the frame.

I am yet to see an original set of shrouds that have not rubbed through on one side because they did not sit strait on the fork legs from new and the same goes for the chromed fork seal holders which is why I use stainless ones as the scratches can just be polished out.

Then you have things like damage in the post.
I got Barry Bligh to make me up a set of headder pipes for my OIF A 65, with a custom bend so you could get to the primary adjuster without removing the pipe and the mufflers sat at the same height off the ground at the end, Which IS SOMETHING THAT BSA's RARELY EVER DID, BRAND NEW ON THE SHOWROOM FLOOR.
He made them up on my bike while I was down there and then bent a second set for my other bike and a third for refference .
When others saw my bike they wanted a set as well and he did several more .
Of these only 1 actually fitted properly.
Why ?
Well the truck carries 24 tons of mail and heavy packages go on the bottom.
So unless you paid for them to be sent in a steel or wooden box, don't expect that the condition you got them in was the condition that they were posted in and if the two ears had different angles off the fork axis this would suggest damage in transit as one would imagine they were made in the same jig & were the same angle when they left the factory.

Now I am not discounting that they might not have been the best reproduction in the first place, but clowns like me just make them fit & if the batch was only 48 pair then good chance 20 of them are yet to be fitted and the rest went to old timers who don't expect any thing to ever align properly and were just happy that they could get something to fill the gap without haveing it made bespoke for around a grand a pair which was the case not so long ago. So no one complained.

No retailer checks parts for fit before they are despatched and even fewer check them for fit if they have them made .
And if you stop to think about it BBB would either need a $ 3,000,000 computer operated profile checker + all of the original dimensional drawings programmed into it and that would add another ? 20 to each part , if not more. Or 150,000 go -no go gauges to check all stock plus a warehouse double the size to keep them all in, 10 or so more staff to check each & every item into stock which would double the purchase price to you.
I have bought the absolute wrong part from many suppliers simply because it was put in the wrong bin.
IF you really must have exactly right parts then I am fairly sure Mike Riley still has some NOS shrouds in his shed but they come at original BSA NOS carefully checked parts prices, around $ 500 Aus + freight
Bike Beesa
Trevor

Offline duTch

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #40 on: 11.05. 2017 11:43 »

 All of the above is partly why I chose to not do a 'resto', but just to build a bike I can ride and enjoy for what it is, however it is and Holy farque do I do enjoy it each day or what *smile* *smile* *smile* *smile*

Started building in about 1977/8 a on average '52 A10 -built from bits 'n pieces never resto intended -maybe 'personalised'
Have a '74 850T Moto Guzzi since '92-best thing I ever bought doesn't need a kickstart 'cos it bump starts sooooooooo(mostly) easy
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Online JulianS

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #41 on: 11.05. 2017 12:05 »
Perhaps, if fettling new parts to fit is considered the norm, then the description given by the seller should include a warning to that effect?

Then we would all know where we stand and adjust our expectations accordingly.

Though I dont suppose many sellers would wish to describe a part as "may not fit"

Offline BSA_54A10

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #42 on: 12.05. 2017 09:57 »
Problem is  a lot of genuine BSA parts never fitted properly from new.
It was the 50's & 60's
If both bolts were able to be done up without bending anything then that was considered a "good Fit ".
The last 2 people who I knew that bought A 10's brand new off the show room floor are now no longer in a condition to tell stories.
However from what they have told me over the years the actual quality , fit & colours were way below what would be considered acceptable now days.
Kens favourite story was in the first batch of 20 A 10 plungers sold in 1950 only 2 were the same colour from front to back.
None of the pipes were level at the rear. The chain rubbed on the chainguard The headlampse were at all sorts of funny angles , No 2 tanks were exactly the same , no two tanks sat the same on the frame.Not a single bike had symetrical foot pegs and every bike sat a different angle on the side stand.
He spent hours pulling the bike apart and sorting out all of these "fit" problems.

If parts were made exactly to BSA workshop drawings and sent without any transit damage 1/2 of them would not bolt strait up.

Remember BSa won a maudes trophy by building a complete bike from spare parts that actually went together.
This was an amazing feat in the day.
Bike Beesa
Trevor

Offline Greybeard

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #43 on: 12.05. 2017 10:17 »
Soon after I put my bike back on the road a chap said that the only thing wrong with it was it looked better than new!  *smile*
Greybeard (Neil)
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A Distinguished Gentleman Riding his 1955 Plunger Golden Flash

Offline duTch

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Re: wrong headlight or bad fork shrouds?
« Reply #44 on: 12.05. 2017 10:37 »

 Geez Trev- that's gunna cause some upsets in the purist sector  *pull hair out*.....how many are gonna go undo the good work *work* and make everything out of shape and mismatched so it's "as it left the Factory"  *smile*
Started building in about 1977/8 a on average '52 A10 -built from bits 'n pieces never resto intended -maybe 'personalised'
Have a '74 850T Moto Guzzi since '92-best thing I ever bought doesn't need a kickstart 'cos it bump starts sooooooooo(mostly) easy
Australia