Buying aftermarket parts for your motorcycles, ATVs, watercraft, and RS is risky.

And purchasing OEM parts always carries that peace of mind factor.

But, according to market research, OEM motorcycle parts can cost as much as 60% more than aftermarket products.

While most bike riders will lean towards OEM parts to keep the vehicle under their original motorcycle maintenance plans, it can be tricky.

It becomes more difficult if you're looking to improve motorcycle performance with OEM parts.

Before we tackle the issues to avoid when purchasing OEM parts for your motorcycle, let's define what OEMs are.

What Are OEMs?

As the acronym describes, OEM parts come from the original equipment manufacturer.

Or, in simpler terms, the actual motorcycle brand manufactures, whether it is:

• Honda
• Kawasaki Motorcycle
• KTM
• Suzuki
• Yamaha

All these brands sell OEM for their machines.

Compared to sourcing your parts from an aftermarket producer, you can be sure that the OEM parts will fit perfectly, carry the brand's promise of quality, and, most importantly - their warranty.

Some aftermarket parts will require modification, such as fabrication work, drilling, and cutting.

While these parts are usually cheaper, they're not cheap. And although many will promise that their aftermarket parts deliver performance boosts, better handling, and in some cases, extra comfort (think the seat), there is a catch to all these promises.

Issues with aftermarket products include:

• No warranty with parts; you get what you ordered
• Potential quality issues that can eventually cause damage to the vehicle
• And sometimes, they don't even fit

So while there are several benefits of sourcing via the aftermarket sector, the quality isn't guaranteed, thus the need to buy OEMs.

So, now that we've broken down what OEMs are, what mistakes should you be aware of when purchasing OEM products from a motorcycle parts store?

While most would assume purchasing OEM for motorcycles will be smooth sailing, the truth is that issues can occur.

Here's our checklist of mistakes to know.

Not Confirming Price and Who's Paying

If it's been said once, it's worth repeating. OEMs are more expensive than aftermarket products.

And while it is hard to gauge the quality of many of these aftermarket distributors, some of them do produce good parts.

We recommend sticking with OEMs unless the motorcycle manufacturer has officially stopped producing them. Or you own a cheaper, pre-owned bike that you don't mind messing around with.

However, if you're claiming from insurance, then your insurer may require you to get OEMs, while others will be footing the bill with their own hard-earned dollars.

Limited Stock

When selecting an OEM part, you might be purchasing an item with a long waiting list.

Think about the shortage of OEM parts and the crisis in the supply chain, which was outlined and posted by Industry Today.

The aftermarket's biggest plus is there are many options to choose from with multiple factories creating these parts.

While you can source OEM parts from other stores, they still need to order them from the manufacturer.

In turn, this means OEMs take time. If you have a tight deadline concerning travel plans, using OEM parts might mean needing to plan accordingly.

Make sure you ask about the estimated time of arrival on all parts so you can plan accordingly.

OEM Parts Aren't Guaranteed to Be Better

While OEMs can guarantee to fit better and offer warranties on their parts, this doesn't mean they're better.

When we say better, we mean that the piece of equipment will improve motorcycle performance.

Make sure to read up on your newly acquired part. Often we assume a new part will produce better results, but manufacturers generally aren't in the market to offer OEM parts that improve performance on their motorbikes.

If you want to fit your motorcycle with performance parts, you're better off ordering those from aftermarket distributors.

But be warned that boosting your vehicle's performance will require upgrades for brakes, wheels, and more.

Performance is not just about speed; it's taking that newly acquired speed, putting the power through the wheels, sticking it down into the corners, and braking in time.

Confirming the Dealer Is Fitting OEMs

For every honest mechanic, there are far too many dishonest ones. As we stated, OEMs are more expensive, which means that dishonest mechanics can promise to deliver the part and then put in something aftermarket instead.

You can always request a paper trail if you are suspicious, as all OEMs will have to come from the same distributor. This means order forms will have to be supplied by them.

And if you're still not convinced, you can always call the OEMs and query the order directly. By this stage though, we can guarantee your relationship with the mechanic is over.

As a general rule of thumb, always ask the mechanic who performed the motorcycle maintenance to pinpoint where the new part has been installed on your bike.

And if you're not sure what you're looking for, do some research on it, or bring someone along you can trust to verify the part and how the work has been completed.

There's No Such Thing as a Discounted OEM

As stated, all OEM parts come from the same manufacturer. Unless the part you're ordering is not in demand or the dealership needs room in their storeroom, OEMs never go on sale.

If anything, they can appreciate depending on the vehicle. Original parts can become collector's items. Imagine if you have spare parts for a Vincent Black Lightning at home.

Now that you know what to look for, you can be certain you won't see any red flags when purchasing OEMs from us.

Buy All Your OEM Parts From United Motorsports

United Motorsport only fits the best OEM parts to all our vehicles and leisure craft.

With branches in Pikeville, Lexington, Richmond, and Middlesboro, Kentucky, we guarantee to deliver only the best original parts for your motorcycles, ATVs, watercraft, RS, and more!

Drop us a message via our home page.