A10 main bearing quality

[terryk]

Hi I purchased a main bearing on UK ebay but when I got it the quality seems poor. I have another one I got from Draganfly a few years ago that seems much better quality. Are the Indians making these too? It has the same numbers as the Draganfly one. Here is the ebay link whats your thoughts has anybody tried them.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BSA-A7-A10-drive-side-main-bearing-/250672086417?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item3a5d387d91

[terryk]

The one on the left is the Draganfly one it came in the blue box. The one on the right is the ebay one it came in a cheap looking box.

[MG]

I never heard of Indian roller or ball bearings, but who knows.
There definitely are cheap bearings from Taiwanese manufacturers around.

The original Hoffmann bearing would have been a C3 version btw (increased bearing play), which is good practice when both races are an interference fit in their seats.

I've ordered one from SRM recently (advertised as "heavy duty"), but not yet received the parcel. If you're interested, I'll report back when it is here.

Cheers, Markus

[terryk]

Yes Markus let me know how you go, thanks

[bonny]

always buy branded bearings , skf , fag , rhp, timkin etc , better off buying off a proper bearing factor rather than mail order or ebay. that way you have some come back if they turn out to be wrong.

[A10Boy]

I agree. Buy good branded ones, its worth always buying the best you can afford. If I don't spend it, she will....... 

[BSA_54A10]

Again are you trying to find the absolute cheapest bearing in the world instead of ordering one from a reputable bearing supplier ?

Next rule of thumb.
If the maker, distributor or retailer are either too cheap or too ashamed to put their name on the product and packaging then it should be considered as CRAP.

So I have never had pistons grow & sieze in the bores or split around the oil groves or bearing collapse or head bolts that won't tension.
This means that i don't do each repair 4 times, get to spend more time on the road & less in the shop.

99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 % of what is on ebay is rubbish.
Even NOS is often stuff that was retrieved from the scrap bin.
And finally if you buy every thing off ebay then there will be no shops left to sell quality parts.

[bsa- bill]

Don't think it's just quite that black and white BSA_54A10
Fair number of our better suppliers sell on Ebay, some are quite easy to spot by the stock and address, most don't sell under their known trade name.
your correct that there is some crap on there, most of us will have been caught out at some point, but there is also some good stuff also some over priced good stuff in  as much as if you know the price a trader is charging for bits you can spot the same bits on Ebay with the price hyped up by the inclusion of RGS in the description and people who don't know better will pay up.
It is an auction after all, unless you know what your after and what it is worth - don't bid
If you do bid - know and stick to your valuation, don't bid over
Look to see who is bidding, Ebay will mark with a question mark anybody who has  a history of bidding with the seller, ( some sellers help each other out by bidding for each other, sometimes they have more than one identity (recent court case)).
Also if you indicate an interest ( question to seller ) and there is little interest you might find a bid all of a sudden toward the end to umph the price up - don't bid

Nothing your going to buy on Ebay is likely to be life threatening if you don't win it - if it's suspect in quality or price , don't bid
 

[terryk]

Its a bit hard to tell quality until someone buys it and lets everyone know. Unfortunately this time its me I wasnt aware of cheap bearings I thought buying on UK ebay would land me some English made ones. Just goes to show you have to ask the questions.

[Goldy]

BSA_54A10 is correct regarding bearings. If the bearing is marked "SKF" then you know it will be ok but if it's marked, No Chance Bearing Co"   then expect trouble. The real problem is with other parts. I purchased a kick start ratchet for my A10 from what I thought was a reputable supplier. I only kicked the bike over about 5 times when it disintegrated. I am not a metallurgist, but the material was a grey colour as cast iron which is completely unsuitable. The problem is that these parts do not arrive in a little box marked BSA made in Birmingham. It's not so bad with a kick start ratchet, it just means you cannot kick start the machine, but what if it's a brake lever or brake pedal. If someone gets killed because a part which was not fit for purpose fails, do the authorities prosecute the back street manufacturer..... of course not.
Keep safe.

[Goldseeker]

I am sure there are plenty of people that have bought off Ebay and not been disappointed but I'm not one of them. Except for one item my experience of Ebay has not been good and consequently I don't.

As for bearings, for me there is only one place to buy from and that is a local supplier where you can go and ask them for good quality stuff. In my last job I used to get good quality English/American/Japanese/Western European bearings at huge discounts, anything up to 80% off. Admittedly I worked for an OEM but even as an individual needing a single bearing you are likely to get a reasonable discount if you ask.

Finally, I recently bought a Goldstar rear brake drum/sprocket, Ebay price under £40. Due to past Ebay experiences I called a well known and respected dealer and was quoted £75  . Hearing by sharp intake of breath he answered "Well if you want Chinese/Indian at half the price its your decision, but mine are made in England, I use them myself for restorations and they are guaranteed not to wear out in six months or fall apart".
I paid up and looked big.

[Brian]

I saw those bearings on evil-bay myself but when I went down to my local bearing supplier I bought a "Nachi" bearing cheaper. Being metric bearings even the top brand ones are not expensive.

As for the pros and cons of buying on evil-bay, nobody knowns more than me how big a bunch or mongrels they can be. But it is still a very good place to buy parts, you just have to be very careful. I have bought lots of stuff on evil-bay and lots of stuff from reputable shops over the years and have had just as much junk sent to me from the shops. You might say the advantage with the shops is that you can send it back but thats not the case, if you buy a part from even the most reputable bike shop and it fails they will not take it back once it is damaged.

This is a subject I could go on about for hours as pattern or repo parts are my pet hate and have caused me lots of grief over the years but if you use your bike and wear out parts then you have to source replacements from wherever you can and so called "quality" stuff is not always available.

[terryk]

I thank this forum for lots of information and look forward everyday to checking the new post and comments. I think it would be a good idea if we all just keep letting one another know on this forum about good and bad products whether on ebay or wherever. Then at least we have an opportunity to buy something that we know others have found to be ok. I understand there will be differences in opinion and thats great because its good to hear both sides of the story so we can make our decisions. It costs enough to restore these bikes without getting ripped off with parts that will just sit on our shelves because we arent game to use them.
I've learnt my lesson about bearings. What else can you tell me that is not worth buying? The kick starter story was good advice I would expect they would be of good quality metal but it goes to show you.

[Goldy]

bsa-bill If you contact JJ Cables in Warwick tel 01926 651470, they make the cables on site. Tell them the length and they make it up for you.

[MG]

Err, we've got a "Known good suppliers and workmanship" thread that could be used. 

[bsa- bill]

Thanks for the Tel No Goldy, I did know there was someone who made cables up (think I read about them in a mag) but did not have a contact, I do need a spare back and front brake cable.
Your right MG, I'll see if I can shift it tonight

[MG]

That would be great, Bill.
If we collect all the good sources in the thread, we'll hopefully end up with a great database for quality suppliers.

[A10Boy]

With ebay, you just need to use common sense.

If you want some pistons and see a set of a10 Hepolite pistons, new old stock in original packaging, that the seller has had in his workshop for 30 years, and hes got good feedback you can be pretty sure they are pukka. I've bought and sold stuff like that with no problems.

However, the problems do arise with new made stuff, I ordered a [cheap] front brake cable from a well known supplier, when it turned up I was shocked to see it had "cast on" nipples made of some alloy sh1te. It went in the bin and I ordered one from JJ - lesson learnt.

As far as bearings and suchlike are concerned, i dont think it's worth the risk of buying cheap unbranded stuff when the consequences of failure could be disasterous.

I know of someone who bought a brilliant LJ Crankshaft from ebay - although the seller was a gentleman of the highest moral fiber and character. 

[MG]

I know of someone who bought a brilliant LJ Crankshaft from ebay - although the seller was a gentleman of the highest moral fiber and character.  

Yep. You think I should I add his data to the "good suppliers" thread?  

[bsa- bill]

Look out there's a nod and a wink about