Hi,

I'm looking for the cheapest online store that supplies BMW parts based on the Parts Fiche system. While http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com is the best-organized by far and ideal for looking up part numbers, the cheapest rates seem to be at http://www.webparts.com (BMW of Lynchburg, VA). Their sercvice and response time isn't anything to write home about, but their prices are the best (I think). Now, a few dollars might not look like much, but when multiplied by 50 to get Indian Rupees, even $2 off can be considered as decent saving.

BikeBandit.com seems to have the best customer support, but it only stocks frequently used parts, so it's not a reliable source for OEM.

The only condition is that it MUST have an online payment gateway (ie, pay online via credit card \ PayPal). This is because the significant time difference between India and the US means that there is a significant lag in getting a reply, sending the credit card info etc, and most of the parts I buy are urgent purchases cos I usually find someone leaving in less than a week to India, so time is always short.

Finally, it doesn't HAVE to be a US site - any other country will also do, as long as it's in English, has a parts fiche (or search by part number), and accepts payments online.

As an indication, I've listed the price of a randomly (not!) chosen part with comparative prices on each site. The part in question is the following:

Bike: 2002 F650GS Dakar

Part #: 16142346545

Part Name: Fuel Pump

* Max BMW Motorcycles - http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com - $336.98 - Includes candy with its shipments. Nice!

* BMW Motorcycles Of Lynchburg - http://www.webparts.com - $291.32

* A&S BMW Motorcycles - http://www.ascycles.com - $340.35

* Bike Bandit - http://www.bikebandit.com - $336.98

If anyone knows of any other online OEM sites, please add to this list. Thanks.

****** UPDATE - 19-Oct ******

Since there don't seem to be too many direct online purchase sites around, I've also begun to add sites where you can get parts for cheap, but which you have to email \ call:

* Engeland Moto - http://www.engelandmoto.com - Salvaged Bike Parts. Got this off another post in this section, has received good feedback from a couple of Inmates. Also includes candy with his shipments. Nice!

* Chicago BMW - http://www.chicagobmwmotorcycle.com - Lowest prices - generally 20% off - but longest waiting time.

* LA Motorcycle Salvage - http://www.losangelesmotorcyclesalvage.net - Salvaged Bike Parts - $170. Good customer service, had a fuel pump off a `01 GS with 15k miles.

* Motorworks - http://www.motorworks.co.uk - UK Site, has salvaged \ used parts. Feedback unknown.

http://www.chicagobmwmotorcycle.com/store/ has the lowest prices but often, the longest waits.

DO NOT BELIEVE THE PRICES YOU SEE ON THEIR WEBSITE. They sell at a discount, generally 20% off list. BMW forced them to quit posting their discounted prices. You will need to call or email them to get the REAL prices.

In my experience, Chicago does not stock very much. So you will get a lower price, but you need to wait for them to get the part and then ship it to you. If I need it sooner (I live in the Northeast), then I'll call MaxBMW. Their customer service is much better than Chicago in my experience.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I guess 20% off is worth the hassle of having to send emails, confirm the order, send the credit card info, etc. I've shot off an inquiry to Chicago BMW about a part I need - 23-00-2-343-515, the lever that's part of the gear selector shaft, which I need by this month end cos a friend's friend is returning from the US. Fingers crossed, let's see how it works out.

With only TWO WEEKS between now and when you NEED the part, Chicago BMW is NOT a good source for you. I would suggest A&S BMW as they seem to STOCK more than almost any other dealer. http://www.ascycles.com/illustrated_par ... _main.aspx

Thanks Flash, I'll keep that in mind. Still haven't got final confirmation from my "mule" about whether he's ready to get the part over, will hopefully be OKed today.

Incidentally, while trawling the web looking for online parts sites, I came across Irv Seaver BMW - www.irvseaverbmw.com - nice people, quickly replied that they could ship the part as early as the day after the order. Going by your post, A&S should have the same shipping time.

I also got a reply from LA Salvage - www.losangelesmotorcyclesalvage.net - again, good service, said they had a fuel pump assembly off a 2001 F650GS with 15k miles on it for $170. Will add that info into my first post, will hopefully be of use to somebody sometime.

Well, the parts I ordered from http://www.MaxBMWMotorcycles.com on 21st Oct finally arrived yesterday, on 11th Nov, after a torturous 17,650 km journey via the NH-Atlanta-Madras-Bombay route. What made the service sweeter, quite literally, was the packet of M&Ms included with the shipment. So here I was, excitedly inspecting the parts I ordered like a kid while munching on a bunch of candy. Sweet.

+1 to Max BMW for knowing what the customer really wants.

Max is known for including M&Ms in their orders

everybody, please share your own comment here.

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