Finding Vintage Harley Davidson Parts

Many motorbike owners will at some time need to find spares after breakdowns or accidents. If you own a modern bike this will be an easy task and the items you need may be found easily in auto spares shops. When you are looking for vintage Harley Davidson Parts this can be more difficult but there are a few places where you may find what you need.

A couple of options are available when you are sourcing spares for an older motorcycle. Searching can often be time consuming and in certain cases the items may not be found at all. Before you try and hunt down spares it can be a good idea to take a photo of the old part so that it can be compared to the replacement.

A good starting point to find older spares is on the internet sites that specialize in Harley Davidson items. A number of these sites have huge stocks of factory parts from very early bikes to modern ones. The listings will feature pages with color pictures, detailed descriptions and the prices and contact details may also be published so that you can discuss your needs with the suppliers.

One of the best places to visit is a main dealership that is approved by the factory. Many dealers will hold a large stock of older spares and they may also have obsolete parts in their stores. If they do not have the item you require, it can be worth speaking to them to see if they know another outlet where you will find the parts needed.

Scrap dealers and junk metal yards are a good place to look when you are searching and they can save you money. Many older bikes often end up in these yards and outdoor compounds. Some firms will remove any items that can be sold on, and will keep them in the stock room, and in other cases you may have to strip bikes down so taking along tools will be necessary.

Biking associations and Harley owners clubs are a good place to go for genuine bits and pieces. Members of these clubs may often sell or swap unwanted parts with other members at reduced prices and this can be very cost effective. If you are not a member it may still worth emailing or calling them to see if they can help you with your searches.

After buying a spare for your machine it is a good idea to retain the old one as it may only need a repair. This can then help other bikers who may be looking for an obsolete spare and you can sell or trade it. Petrol tanks and other mechanical components should be examined after being repaired to make sure they will operate safely.

When you are fitting a replacement spare to your bike it is always better to use a genuine one if possible. Aftermarket spares can often be used and they can be as good as an original but using these will affect the value of a classic bike. Show clubs and other organizations will sometimes not accept an entry of a non factory spec machine into competitions or their club events.