As I’ve indicated, much of my project work involves vintage Japanese motorcycles. Consequently, I’ve done business with a lot of different vendors, suppliers of everything from NOS parts (New Old Stock), paint, used parts, electrical components, you name it, even service providers. As these things go, I’ve developed a personal list of go-to vendors that I’ve had excellent experiences with. These are the folks I prefer to trade with as they have proven time and again to be reliable, easy to work with and responsive.
Note I’m not necessarily a price shopper, as given the nature of my interests, item or service availability is often much more important to me than price. If an item is rare and I need it badly enough, from a practical perspective, the price may not really matter. Therefore, I’m not suggesting these vendors necessarily have the best prices, but rather, I’ve found them honesty, reliable, responsive and provide quality goods… often the most important elements for me.
Reproduction Decals
http://www.reproductiondecals.com
Based in Ontario, a very well known supplier of, well… reproduction decals. Their decal range is huge and almost exclusively for vintage Japanese motorcycles. They have also developed a very large selection of reproduction, new and even used motorcycle parts. This is a family business run by Andre and Ellen, and I thoroughly enjoy working with them.
They actually have two web sites, the original “reproductiondecals.com”, is focused on their extensive decal offerings. The second, new site is “diablocycle.com” is primarily parts. I highly recommend checking out both sites, and… plan on spending some time, they have a lot to look at.
HVC Cycle
Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, Brad from HVC Cycle specializes in vintage two-stroke parts, including NOS, new and reproduction. Though known as a supporter of the Yamaha RD market, Brad also has an extensive offering of Kawasaki triple parts. In addition, they do full restorations and rebuilds, and though I’ve never used their service or seen one of their projects, I understand they do excellent work. I have bought a lot of parts from them and always found them fast, reliable and helpful.
Vintage Connections
Based in California, this small business provides a real service to the vintage motorcycle market. They supply truly original style electrical connectors, fittings, tools and hardware. They’re active and have significantly and steadily expanded their product offerings over the last few years. Del does an absolute bang-up job in terms of responsiveness, quality of the goods and the service he provides to this niche market. I’ve found them great to do business with and I go back to them over and over.
Roy’s Rides
Roy’s Rides is out of Missouri, is actually operated by Roy and is a 2-stroke crankshaft rebuilder, though I believe he provides other services too. I’ve used a number of crank rebuilders over the years, and decided to use Roy for my Yamaha YL1 100 project. He was one of the few rebuilders I contacted, including several I’ve used previously, who would rebuild the YL1 crank due to the labyrinth seal in the middle. Roy’s prices are reasonable, he provided quick turn around, was easy and engaging to work with and has great workmanship.