Mudguard Sets from India

[Rex]

Some years back I bought an Indian-made headlamp for a pre-war Velocette. The side mountings were at three o'clock and 10 o'clock positions. Why would anyone (other than Stevie Wonder) think that sort of crap was acceptable? I would have happily paid more for it if it had been useable.

[berger]

now here is a question why are john tickle headlamp brackets all stamped like they are one handed ,or the 3 sets i have bought over the years are, so now i might get the writing on the outside or the inside of both brackets if i can be bothered to mess  , instead of one outside and one inside ,.

[Terryb]

Thanks guy’s, I’m not surprised with your comments or your experiences. I’ll have to have a re-think🥴

[limeyrob]

I have found this video of the workers going to make BSA parts.......(and watch to the end, there's a surprise!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsN5_NoffsY

[muskrat]

G'day Rob.
That video shows them going to work! Wonder how many lose their heads>
Cheers

[limeyrob]

Its a gamble - this meek my bought 6 weeks ago from India side stand failed to turn up and the tracking number turned out to be fake.  Fair on e-bay they gave me a full refund of £52, but also the £19 inc post from China replacement carb for the strimmer turned up (I had low expectations) and its a marvel that's cured all the starting and running faults.  There really is no pattern to it.

[limeyrob]

Update.  I had ordered a replacement from a different supplier in India as none were available from UK suppliers.  Took 2 months to turn up and is a completely different part.  Now going through return / compensation process

[Worty]

Its a gamble - this meek my bought 6 weeks ago from India side stand failed to turn up and the tracking number turned out to be fake.  Fair on e-bay they gave me a full refund of £52, but also the £19 inc post from China replacement carb for the strimmer turned up (I had low expectations) and its a marvel that's cured all the starting and running faults.  There really is no pattern to it.

Had some excellent stuff from China at a fabulous price.  Not all is great, but I've never had any issues with returns/refunds either.  Temu is my 'go to' for general stuff.  AliExpress is a bit dodgier in my opinion.  Advertised at one price and then increases when it comes to the email confirmation.

[limeyrob]

Just had a very relevant conversation with someone involved in the pattern parts business (for cars as it happens).  They select a part with a significant demand then go to tender to a range of low cost manufacturers, often 3rd world.  They give them an examples and drawings and this is the interesting bit, NEVER tell them what it is for, or what vehicle it fits.  It seems that if you do tell them they immediately make 10 times more and flood the market at your expense.
So the pattern parts are mostly made without knowledge of their function or how they fit.  That explains a lot.

[Rex]

Well, yes and no.
Accurate engineering plans or drawings should be sufficient to manufacture useable parts, and have been for centuries. If you place an order for 10,000 little doodads for the front suspension of a new car, you don't the expect the supplier to have to see the car, do you?

[limeyrob]

No, but you should trial fit the first few off the line and one every few thousand.  Its very clear that some pattern parts have never been near the vehicle they were intended to fit.  A while ago a supplier was importing replacement Land Rover fuel tanks with the filler neck 2" out of place.  The simplest of checks would have identified that error.  I am very dubious of working from drawings and don't buy the line that a part made to the drawing and spec will fit.  I've seen too many drawings where a crucial dimension is missing.  I was involved in a case where a refinery purchasing department bought a large number of valves to the required dimensions and standards.  The employee said they don't fit and there was a lot of argument.  They half fitted, but the drawing and standard omitted several key elements, for example the size of the square for the handle.  So the valves fitted but none of the handles.
Threads are another example, a lot of pattern parts use metric thread and clearly assume that it makes no difference.  It does.