Everybody needs a hobby. These are not just cliché words, it is actually true. We of all people should know this. We’ve all been quarantined for a long time and during this time, we’ve all had to think about ways to entertain ourselves. I am not the person to suddenly take-up cooking, reading or going out for a stroll. I’ve always been a petrol-head and because of the quarantine I’ve had to do the past months, I’ve also found a new hobby. As a motorcycle owner you always look after your bike as good as you can. While I am not the most practical man, I do know my way around a spanner. So since the pandemic started, I’ve started to get more invested in repairing my own motorcycles. Because of this, I’ve now also switched between service centers. I’ve found out that it is much better to always use original parts, but my previous service center didn’t. So I’ve found a new service center that does use OEM motorcycle parts, and it has turned out great.
What are OEM Harley-Davidson parts?
Let’s first talk about what OEM stands for. It stands for ‘Original Equipment Manufacturer’. In other words, it means that a part has come from the original manufacturer. I own mostly Harley-Davidson’s, which means that I need Harley-Davidson OEM parts if I want to correctly mend my motorcycle. My new service center used only Harley-Davidson OEM parts for their Harley-Davidson repairs. OEM parts will always fit best because these parts are tailor-made by Harley-Davidson. There of course are other, standard option you could choose. But these parts will never fit as well as Harley-Davidson OEM parts. My local dealer said it best; “it’s like buying a shoe sole from Nike for your Adidas sneakers”. It will off course work fine, but you will always feel that it doesn’t fit perfectly.
How do I get Harley-Davidson OEM parts?
Here’s the catch. As a simple consumer, I can’t get my hands on Harley-Davidson OEM parts. Most companies only supply these parts to other companies. So you can only get them if you have a service center yourself. Sadly, I don’t, which is why I can’t get my hands on original Harley-Davidson parts. Still, it’s nice to know that my local service center does use original parts. In that way, I still know that my motorcycle will be repaired in the best possible way.