After reading a couple of posts where guys have paid for cheap parts and services and had issues, I thought I'd throw my two cents in and open it up for others as well.

Over the years I have learnt that if you want the good stuff, you pay. There are unfortunately no short cuts.
Buy the original. Stick with the experience. Obviously you are giving yourself the very best chance for reliability, fit and functionality.
If nothing else, it gives you confidence.

I know some extremely experienced guys on this site have the opinion that copies have come a long long way.
And sure, you may pick up a cheap Chinese copy that seems fine. But is it? How can you know for sure?
Are you willing to put your faith and safety in a knock off product when pushing performance envelopes?
It's such false economy in my opinion.

Ive heard many times "buy a $50 helmet if you believe you only have a $50 head".
Why then do we then take risks with potentially inferior components on our bikes that are purchased on a cost saving basis that may have dire consequences should failure occur.
And I have read more than the odd complaint that "this copy doesn't fit right" or "that copy didn't last and failed".

Some may say " I need these copies because im on a limited budget and it's all I can afford.
Even more reason to save and get the good kit up front so you don't end up having to replace the cheap option down the track and paying more than you should have.

Again just my opinion.
But nothing substitutes quality...

* Last updated by: yannih on 12/8/2014 @ 5:32 AM *

If I'm one of the guys you're talking about let me reiterate something I said in another post. Schnitz Racing (and supposedly Ryan is doing the flashing) is not a Johnny come latetly fly by night operation. He is not a pimply faced kid sitting in his mom's basement playing with a laptop. It is probably cheaper as they aren't doing anything with the fueling or timing maps. This flash simply removes the factory restrictions. I would normally be on board with you saying you are exactly right but in this case I don't think the Schnitz flash should be lumped in that category. Someone who is trusted on this forum and zx1441r told me this is a good deal for the money if you don't need the fuel or timing adjusted.

G'day Toledo,
If you've read any of my posts here youd know I certainly didn't mean any disrespect to you or anyone else.
Just my point of view.
But you gotta admit, the issues are ten fold when the cheap stuff is involved.

I agree with you most of the time. Buy cheap equals buying twice. If I would have got my ECU flashed for the $50 on ebay I'd agree with you here on this one too. I was just trying to point out that even with the price they offer nobody here in the USA would worry about it with the Schnitz name if they knew Ryans drag racing history.

I agree with most of what Yannih says. I hate Chinese cheap shits but from time to time they make good things at cheap price. For instance, the windscreen I bought from China. It is a Puig knock-off and I am sorry that I bought a knock-off but 1/5 price and the product was usable, I had to go with Made in China. Besides it is getting harder and harder to find non-Chinese made products nowadays.

When it comes to things like exhausts and engine parts that require a lot of R&D, I think it's best to go with a well known brand. Simple mechanical parts like levers, huggers, windscreens, fluid reservoirs, crash sliders...I don't have a problem buying Chinese knockoffs. In many cases, they're so friggin' cheap it doesn't matter if you have to throw it away. I've even had problems with a couple big name products I've bought.

From my experience, the Chinese CNCed aluminum stuff is good (sometimes off in color). Plastic stuff, you're likely to get something that will break easy but will often be very lightweight.

Words spoken to me by a very wise man.....

"Pay peanuts, get monkeys"