Bike Bandit

[Guest]

www.bikebandit.com

Has anyone any experience in dealing with these folks to share?

I had heard that they may be a good sources for OEM parts

[spindle]

More than happy with them. Their prices may seem slightly higher than others, but shipping is more resonable. Everything I've ordered has arrived in good shape and in a timely manner.

Thanks,

[Tom MLC]

You could do a search and find lots of personal reviews about BikeBandit.

My own rating for them would be low. Others may disagree. I used to use BB exclusively when I needed OEM parts. Prices seemed reasonable compared to the local Suzuki dealer, and shipping was fast. But their customer service was poor, and got progressively worse. They back ordered parts without any notice, charged a 20% restocking fee when I canceled the order. No one would talk to me on the phone, and their on-line customer service folks were rude.

I stopped using BB last year. Things may have changed.

I now use Flatout Motorcycles for OEM. www.flatoutmotorcycles.com. You can also search here for reviews. Flatout is a little less expensive than BB, cutomer service is way better, but their shipping time is kinda slow.

One tip I can give you for BikeBandit. If you chose to use them, and use them a lot, then you should consider joining the AMA. BikeBandit offers a small discount for AMA members.

[gsgeezer]

I have never had a problem, but you can also get parts cheaper at ronayers.com

They also have oem parts fiche and the parts are cheaper than bike bandit.
I just used them for the first time, and their online store is very easy to use and the shipping was fast, also the status of the order is available anytime.

[Suzuki_dog]

I've always been happy with Bike Bandit, but I've never had to return or re-order parts. They do give a discount for AMA members, 6%, I believe.

[Tom MLC]

'nother thing I just thought of. BikeBandit uses proprietary part numbers. Not a knock against them, really. But I found that other sources like Alpha Sports and Flatout use factory part numbers. This is extremely useful when trying to cross reference parts from different year & model bikes.

[BassCliff]

Bikebandit is OK!

Mr. Mercaholic,

I've ordered from them several times and never had an issue. They're one of my favs. Price is only one thing to consider when ordering online. There's also shipping costs, speed of delivery, reliability, etc. Bikebandit has a lot in stock and can ship quickly, but if they have to order a part from Suzuki then they will be about the same as anyone else who has to order from Suzuki. Did I give you the "list" of favorite vendors in an "unofficial welcome"? There's also a list in the "Links" section on the GSR homepage.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer***************
http://denniskirk.com
Put in your bike model and see what they have.

I would definitely double and triple the recommendations to use Cycle Recycle II and Z1 Enterprises as much as possible. These guys are priceless resources. Z1 tends to have slightly better prices, CRC2 has a wider range of goodies available. If you're near Indy and can bring in an old part to match, CRC2 has a vast inventory of used parts.

http://oldbikebarn.com seems to be slowly regaining a decent reputation, but it's still caveat emptor. They don't have anything you can't get elsewhere at a better price anyway.

OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

http://www.babbittsonline.com/

Decent parts prices. Spendy shipping. Don't give you part numbers at all. Useful cross-reference if you obtain a part number elsewhere. Efficient service.

http://bikebandit.com
Fastest. Middlin' prices. Uses their own parts numbering system to obfuscate price comparisons -- can be very confusing for large orders. Cheapest shipping, so total cost usually isn't too bad.

http://flatoutmotorcycles.com
Slow. Cheapest parts prices, crazy shipping costs. Don't expect progress updates or much communication. Real Suzuki part numbers.

http://alpha-sports.com
Exorbitant parts prices. Different type of fiche interface that's quite useful at times, especially with superceded part numbers. Real parts numbers. Shipping cost and speed unknown due to insane, unholy pricing.

Stainless Bolts, Viton o-rings, metric taps, dies, assorted hard-to-find supplies and materials, etc.:
http://mcmaster.com
Fast, cheap shipping, good prices. No order minimum, but many items like bolts come in packs of 25 or 50. Excellent resource.

http://motorcycleseatcovers.com
Great quality, perfect fit (on original seat foam), and available for pretty much every bike ever made. Avoid the textured vinyl -- it's perforated.

http://newenough.com
You DO have riding gear, don't you? Great clearances, always outstanding prices and impeccable service.
***************End Quote**********************

Here are a few extra links:

Cycle-Re-Cycle Part 2

http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/

The ever popular Z1 Enterprises
http://www.z1enterprises.com

The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com

[RJz1100E]

I've ordered a few things from them. I've been real happy with them each time, especially when I bought my exhaust system for a great price and free shipping.

RJ

[kichigai]

I too have ordered many parts from them and am very happy with using them. Their prices are a bit higher like others have mentioned but I have confidence in my orders will be exactly as ordered. Thumbs up to these guys for any bike restorations.

[Billyboy]

Bike bandit rocks.

But I wish they'd snail mail my packages.
I don't need it right stinkin' now and I don't want to HAVE to pay the "right stinkin' now" shipping price.

[t3rmin]

Never heard of 'em.

[Billyboy]

Never heard of 'em.

Who?
Bikebandit, or "Right stinkin' Now" (FEDEX).

[t3rmin]

Who?
Bikebandit, or "Right stinkin' Now" (FEDEX).

Bike Bandit. Was being facetious. Forgot my asterisk. ;-)

[chuckycheese]

Not me!

I've never purchased from them for the following reasons:

1) They use proprietary OEM numbers.
2) You have to set up an account to buy from them.
3) It's too much of a hassle to find out how much shipping costs.
4) I have no idea what their phone number is or even where they're located....(if it's California, that's another problem).
5) I've never found anything there that I couldn't buy cheaper elsewhere.

[kichigai]

I have used them several times and am very happy with them. My orders so far has been correct and delievered pretty quickly. If the item is incorrect, they give you a 15 day return period. I recently went with another vender which was a little bit cheaper but It took forever to get the parts. Never again! Cheaper is not always better. I highly recommend them.

Here is their address:
7625 Panasonic Way, Suite B
San Diego, CA 92154-8204
BikeBandit.com
service@bikebandit.com