New lower radiator

Chinese rad all the way.
Brand new delivered £81.50 :laugh

Its not been used its just in case.
My TL 1000s is a long term bike

This is an SV 1000s radiator

Delkevic have stopped making the lower rad and there's no stock left. Maybe a group email might tempt them to do another run.

Just comparing:

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/SUZUKI-TL-10...pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item20dab69c02

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-radia...pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item4603f54728

I couldn't help but get the impression there's more than a passing similarity to some of this. Now they may be unrelated. Asi may be copying AS3. AS3 may just be ASi pretending not to be Chinese.
I could ask I suppose.

Or I could pay Suzuki 500 quid for a real one. :coocoo

Sometimes I hate internet shopping.

Snowy,

A quick search on the US eBay gives several USED options for under 30 pounds sterling and a Chinese "new" option for under 50 with free shipping ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOTTOM-LOWE...1000-TL1000R-1998-2003-Aluminum-/281117917614 ). I am not familiar with UK import VAT, but I have to imagine it provides at least another option. A lot of times you can simply add the item to your UK watchlist and then buy a US based eBay item through eBay.co.uk especially since he indicates he ships to Europe. I just bought a full stainless set of bolts for my S this way. But getting things in the US from China / the rest of the world is quite simple. I have received hundreds of things and only once had to go to the post for customs to check me out. Still didn't have to pay a penny to get it. On the US based eBay the seller was charging outrageous shipping for the bolts. I simply bought the UK item through the US eBay site and the US shipping was WAY WAY cheaper (shipping on the US eBay was quoted as higher than the price of the item...). I may be a cheapskate, but hey, someone's got to keep the sellers on their toes, right!?

-or-

I could always write "Happy Birthday Snowy" in large letters on the parcel and declare on the customs form it was a gift for my best bud Snowy...

I've looked at some of the used items and most of them should say "well used". Its a confidence thing really. I don't doubt some are good and would make perfectly serviceable replacements for the clagged up ruin that's currently on my bike. Its just that, where radiators are concerned there's just a bit too much risk. If I buy new then I should have some kind of come-back if there's a problem. Import duties wouldn't be a major concern. However posting will add a chunk to the price and if we get into having to do returns then it gets silly very quickly.

The new Chinese stuff you get there is the same as we get here and it ends up costing about the same. There's probably two factories over there that actually make it and it all goes through Alibaba anyway.

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=radiator+TL1000R


Its all in my head really but I regard 2nd hand rads a bit like 2nd hand crash helmets. I'd want to inspect first hand before I bought a used one. Irrational I know but it is what it is.

I'm just deciding on whether to take a punt on a cheapo Chinese option for $75 or go for the AS3 item (which may ultimately be a resold version of the same thing). Both are offering a decent returns policy so at worst it just costs me some time if the first option doesn't work out.

Which ever one I go for I'll do a write up.



The fact that ASi behaved well does lend a little confidence to buying Chinese. Plus if they feed back to the manufacturers that the stuff being produced isn't up to spec then it ought to improve. They are nothing if not pragmatic.

Ok so it arrived today. 75 quid delivered. At first inspection it looks ok. I'll find out in a couple of hours if its watertight.