Motorcycle Parts – Online and Brick ‘n Mortar stores
One of the very big reasons why the authors at Parts-Ring decided on this website is the lack of availability of second hand parts for older bikes.
A dealer in Cape Town was overheard saying “if you don’t like the price get a newer bike”. Has anyone seen the price of parts in the South African market compared to the USA and wondered why we tolerate it?
Motorcycle Parts – Made in China
In all honesty – Gauteng (that’s our upper region – Johannesburg) seems to be more in line with biker’s needs than down in the Cape – we don’t have many businesses dealing in scrap but I doubt that everyone is out there buying a new bike. If anyone feels differently please drop us a line – I’ll be glad to set it right.
Motorcycle Parts and Chinese Exporters
One business that is very much on the rise in South Africa is the sales of motorbikes – this term encompasses anything on two wheels in our case. Scooters are now in abundance, thanks to the Chinese exporters – they make good machines although we get complaints about the quality. Hang on, who wants to do 100 000Km on a 100cc anyway. Most small bike riders are still learning the basics and will discover in due course that a bike can only be driven for a short distance before a little bit of maintenance needs to be carried out. Like any vehicle – except bikes are a bit more prone to wear and tear. “Do the maintenance newbie riders – your life depends on it”.
I had an old bike where the primary drive sprocket used to vibrate off – this was because the engine was so shot we could never synch the carbs. But that’s another story.
Motorcycle Parts and GS Resources
There’s a very good website out there called GS Resources – primarily for Suzuki’s up to 1985. This will no doubt change in time but for Suzie riders there’s not a better place to make a pit stop. I’ve driven all the Jap makes and seriously, they are all good. Some models obviously better than others.
I had GS550M of Katana fame and thought it was the best engine out until an engineer told me that they were prone to crank bearing failure. That’s actually a peculiar comment to make considering that this was one of the reasons the engine was supposedly indestructible.
If you are looking for spares for old bikes there is a place I can recommend called BikeBandit. (Update 2022: https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/v2fwrz/beware_of_bikebanditcom/ – as a reader put it mildly, “a shitshow”).
If any other dealers or manufacturers would like their company name to be advertised please feel free to contact our sales division through our contacts list.
Motorcycle Parts – the history of Chinese imports into South Africa
Here is an odd story but for me a feel good. Years back I approached two dealerships in Cape Town with emails I had received from manufacturers in China wanting to open facilities in South Africa, even possibly a manufacture plant.
Both gave me an emphatic no, there was no place for Chinese motorcycles in South Africa. Really! The one now imports Chinese motorcycles and I would not be surprised if they outsell their chief brand from Japan. No names mentioned.
Update, April 2025: So in South Africa right now – as of 2025, just how many Chinese motorcycles are there on our roads?
Chinese motorcycle imports into South Africa shows a shift from traditional markets like Japan, Italy, Germany and the US to the a more affordable segment, that being the Chinese two wheelers (and quads). One must also understand that for a dealership to say straight out that there is no market here for Chinese bikes, its just an echo of why should we import Nissan and Toyota. Deja vu? Just look at the UK car and motorcycle industries.
Motorcycle Parts – Asian Parts
In South Africa at present we have quite a few importers:
CMS Motorcycles – Bellville, Cape Town
Asian Bike Center – AB Center, Alberton
SA Motorcycles – Muldersdrift
Scooter Bike Spares – GY6 Sales Online – Port Elizabeth & Johanneburg
For bedtime reading:
South Africa motorcycle market development and overview – May 16, 2024