Yep, Got it in one.
If you can not afford quality, then go for the cheap bits in the knowledge that they probably will not fit and require some degree of "fitting" as you have done with your pipes.
When you find some one with good quality parts that fit correctly, TELL THE WHOLE WORLD.
If you bought cheap & they were dissapointing then grin & bear it.
Things work much better if you heap praise on the "good guys" and damm by ommission the bad guys, Sort of like ebay.
Some parts I use are top drawer while others are from slightly lower down the chest but when I get bad bits I just work on them till I am happy with them rather than carrying on like a mad tart because my own cheapness had brought me undone.
If I had the cash at the time & could find what I wanted when I needed it then I would always put the best quality parts on as I prefer to be riding rather than wrenching.
If possible I also fit correct parts , but if it is a case of wrong bits & on the road or correct bits on back order then I tend towards the road.
You can always find the right bits latter on but you can never go on the run that you missed and we all have a finite riding life.
I have a hide thicker than an elephant so all the nay sayers rubbishing me for having wrong parts on the bike get ignored.
Then there is the fact that it is MY BIKE so I have the right to fit whatever parts that I like so the next item for the WM20 will be a fishtale exhaust. Totally incorrect, but I like the look ( and sound) of the fishtale and it will give a bit more clearence between the incorrect kick start lever and the correct round muffler.
If I had a $ for every one I have come across over the years who spent years & years doing a catalogue perfect restoration then never got to ride his handiwork due to , heat attack, stroke , muscular distrophy, etc, etc, etc then I would have a garage full of gold stars and a very fat bank account.
Bike beesa
Trevor