Modern Vespa

Hello. 😎

Err… so I ordered a new headlight unit for my ET2 (single bulb version).

A Bosatta unit arrived, but it's quite poor. Have a look below. Is this the norm for after-market parts, or was this just a Friday 13th production run? 🙈

My general feeling, throughout my ET2 resurrection project is that scooter parts suppliers, dealers and manufacturers leave a lot to be desired (in terms of quality, availability and service).

Never had problems with parts, suppliers or dealers when needing anything to fix my posh car! Same goes for my bicycles - parts have always been spot on and manufactured very well (but I do like quality bits on my push bikes).

I rarely use aftermarket parts on my scooter now. Same with motorcycle parts. The best aftermarket parts story was a friend building a totally custom Ruckus. He ordered Brembo brakes, paid good money for them. They arrive and I take one look at them and say "Bootleg!" and he denies it, total doubt. I point out my findings and he's still in denial. Long story short, they ended up in the recycle bin.

So the saying 'You get what you pay for.' doesn't hold water sometimes. I'd go with an aftermarket panel to save a few bucks but nothing safety related. Just track down either a OEM headlight new or a clean used one, don't mess with lack luster quality were its important.

And yes to your question, aftermarket parts can be hit and miss. Pick trusted vendors with an honest return policy.

If that's the OEM manufacturer for that headlight I'd be returning it. Every manufacturer has a fail rate built into production. You may have gotten a Friday night special.

Yup - I most definitely avoid eBay, Amazon and Ali Express when it comes to stuff like that.

I'm surprised - Bosatta make various after market parts used on many Vespas. Perhaps this one was made after a factory pub crawl.🍺

Source is very important when buying anything.

I've seen a lot of people buying MicroSD cards that aren't what they claim because they're buying from eBay vendors, it's very easy to slap on a sticker. Then you stick the card in your GoPro or Insta360 cameras which require super-fast cards to keep up with the camera's capabilities, and the limitations reveal themselves.

For a lot of tech stuff, it needs to be direct fulfillment from Amazon or else I would much rather buy from a retailer.

Likewise, for motorcycle stuff, it needs to be direct fulfillment from a reputable motorcycle store (I try to support independent FortNine over the mega-conglomerate revzilla is a part of), or else I would just rather buy from a local shop.

Can't say aftermarket stuff is all junk. Just look at stock fork springs vs what you can get from the aftermarket. You get used to what the aftermarket can do for your handling and you start to develop expensive tastes and think OEM stuff is junk...

Exactly right. The advantage of OEM parts is that they are endorsed by the manufacturer of the scooter. Aftermarket parts can be all over the map - good, bad, or indifferent. The responsibility is on you to determine the quality and applicability of a particular part yourself.

And unfortunately, whether or not it's authentic or fake

Thing is there are standards, and there are standards.

Yes, the headlight is marked for UK Road use. Is it any good, and will it last long? No, but I can tell that it's pants from a visual inspection. E mark sort of used loosely, but not illegally.

Bearings, on the other hand, need to be sized correctly and fit within certain tolerances (width, height, roundness, intended use/rpm/temperature). Any deviation can damage bearing seats, axles, other parts or less severely lead to premature bearing wear. One can't check that visually (neither can your average mechanic). And, there are a ton of fake SKF/NTN bearings out there, or just crap ones full stop.

So an OEM part in that respect (bearings being the working example, despite possibly being made in the same factory as others on sale) is a better bet to ensure it's at least genuine.

That said, OEM manufacturers do get things wrong too, but that generally leads to a recall and redesign (particularly where there's potential for litigation). There's an avenue for pursuing replacement/compensation depending on what happens to/with the part.

In my other thread, you'll see that I opted for Piaggio original braking parts (apart from the brake hose, which I ordered directly from Goodridge because it came with a cert proving that it was pressure tested - so many after-market hoses won't come with such a cert)… not my shocks though (which I can visually inspect for leaks, and bounce on the bike to make sure they're still doing their job).

…anyway, it it beer o'clock yet?

There are aftermarket parts that are less expensive than the OEM part, aftermarket parts that are more expensive than the OEM part, and aftermarket parts that are the OEM part.
Do you want to use Italian and Taiwanese parts in your Vespa, or would you be happy with replacement parts made in China or Vietnam?
If you are happy with replacement parts made in China or Vietnam, OEM parts are the way to go. If you would prefer to use parts made in Italy or Taiwan on your Vespa, you're going to use a lot of aftermarket parts now.
Most of the Italian and Taiwanese (TGB) companies that used to make OEM parts for Piaggio still make them, but for RMS and other aftermarket companies. A
Taiwanese TGB variator for the GTS, the same one that came in most of the GTS models on the road in the US, costs the dealer more than the OEM Piaggio variator.
A lot of the OEM Piaggio parts that come in now have the Piaggio sticker stuck onto the sticker from the Vietnamese company that made it. That's not to say they are not as good as the parts that are made in Taiwan or Italy (I don't think they are). If you look at the foundry marks on a lot of the new Piaggio variator and clutch parts, they are coming out of the same foundry that casts transmission parts for Kymco and Honda. For me, the issue with parts sourced in Asia, particularly in China, is something called 'Quality Fade.' I have seen companies go from supplying parts that looked like OEM Japanese parts to something that looked like it was made out of aluminum cans in someone's back yard. And they lasted as well as they looked. Somewhere in between those two, everything looks fine but the product doesn't last as long as it is supposed to.
Companies like Bosatta make a lot of parts for the old Vespas still on the road in Italy, and occasionally will make parts for more modern bikes, like the ET and LT series, because there are still a lot of them on the road, and Piaggio has either stopped producing parts or jacked up the price because they can. If you paid the same price for the Bosatta part that you would for a Piaggio part, you might be disappointed. But if you commute on some clapped out old Liberty 50 because that's all you can put on the road, and you need a headlight, the choice might be between using the Bosatta headlight and taking the bus.

What was wrong with the old one?

When you fitted the new one did it shine a light down the road?

The old one was internally fogged, and the chrome pitted. Badly sealed bulb holder to blame (and that rattled the bulb around too).

Cleaning it internally failed, hence opting for for a new one.

Old one still on the bike (not riding at night), until the retailer comes up with a reasonable severance proposal. Not wasting my time sending things back only to receive the same junk back.

Funny you say that - the only place I've seen Ohlins shocks for a Vespa GTS for sale is on eBay (and maybe Amazon?). I immediately wondered if it was a grey market thing (Italy has them but the US doesn't), or a straight-up fraudulent thing.

Haven't a clue. I know there's a lot of dodgy stuff for sale out there, avoiding is better than having to deal with a return/etc.

Out of all the parts I bought for my bike, all were 100% perfect bar one of them (the light, which I bought from a different retailer - took them a full 5 working days to tell me that something wasn't in stock, so alarm bells rang straight away. Will not ever use them again ).

Pedparts have been fantastic.👍👍

SIP slow fulfilling orders, and prices not accurate (quoted price on website in GBP different to what you pay at checkout) but the parts are spot on. 👍

EasyParts.nl got a front shocker to me in no time at all (very impressed). 👍👍

Sounds like tax thing? Probably they don't know which VAT/GST/whatever until you've entered your address


Or their website wasn't updated for brexit

🤣

Either that or their website uses one exchange rate… but another when you're billed? Totally bizarre.