Parts Shipment US to Canada

[FJRoss]

I would normally order stuff from my local (Canadian) dealer. If the price difference between the dealer and on-line US parts places is extreme, I would order and have stuff shipped to a US mailbox I sometimes use in Houlton ME. With COVID restrictions, I am not going to be able to drive to the US anytime soon, so...

Anybody in Canada buy from places like Partzilla and get stuff delivered to a Canadian address? I have bought stuff from the US before for shipment to Canada and sometimes the experience is good and other times horrible. UPS is often a problem because of brokerage fees they charge. USPS has been OK in the past as long as someone doesn't decide to charge duty and federal tax.

Just wondering if anyone in Canada has had recent experience with this and what sort of shipping/brokerage/duty/tax costs were incurred. How long did it take to get your order?

I would just buy from the dealer and pay at least twice the cost from the US supplier but I was told the top fork bushing was backordered until at least late May!! I don't want to wait that long.

Total order will likely be around $!00 USD or so.

[John d]

I used to buy stuff from the US until shipping went way up quite a awhile ago. Now I just order from the local dealer, unless I can find stuff on ebay.ca, Amazon.ca, or abroad. Partzilla and others were OK until the shipping went way up.

[FJRoss]

I used to buy stuff from the US until shipping went way up quite a awhile ago. Now I just order from the local dealer, unless I can find stuff on ebay.ca, Amazon.ca, or abroad. Partzilla and others were OK until the shipping went way up.

I don't normally mind paying a bit more to buy locally. This is an issue with no stock (apparently) in Canada for the upper fork bushings. I would prefer not to wait until late May or June for parts. In the past, what has gotten me more than shipping costs are brokerage fees charged by UPS - even if no duties are owing. Had better luck with USPS but most sellers don't give you a choice of carriers. Might drop an email to Partzilla and see what they say.

This is for fork parts - 120,000 km on these seals (and bushings) and I had each fork leak on me once last year. I was able to fix them up using a Seal Mate but the seals are close to the end of their natural life and the bushings are way past. I can only imagine what the fork oil looks like. If the cost is stupid high, I guess I'll wait doing the forks. No major trips planned until at least July and only then if travel out of Atlantic Canada (to Manitoba) is permitted.

[John d]

I think it would be cheap piece of mind to pay the a little extra now than wait to later like I did. Time constraints got to me and I ended up paying $300 for labour, parts (bushings, seals, and fluid) and taxes at the local dealer but they did a good job and quick.

[FJRoss]

Not a matter of paying extra - don't mind, within reason. The problem is getting parts in Canada right now. Even the dealer doesn't have them and he says at least late May.
I might get away without replacing the top bushing - it doesn't wear as much as the bottom one. These forks are a Traxxion AK20 setup and there is no middle bushing used so it may be possible to get them apart without wrecking the top bushing.

[raYzerman]

IF you had a middle bushing, upon slide hammering apart, the upper bushings usually will come out looking new. Very little wear takes place and I'd bet I could re-use most all of them. Without a middle bushing, it's just like Gen1, so you are slide hammering the lower bushing directly against the upper and may damage it... all you can do is hope, kinda a crapshoot. The upper bushing is usually a bear to get out, so use a propane torch to heat that upper area just before you are ready to slide hammer.

Meanwhile, I can check my stash if all you need is upper bushings and probably can mail you a pair if you can't wait. If you want to take your forks apart now and be prepared to wait a week for Canada Post........... at least you'll know if you need new ones or not.

You might try Revzilla, they ship to Canada I believe, just ask them to do USPS. BTW, there is no duty on motorcycle parts, only HST, and usually the customs folks could care less about anything less than $100.

[FJRoss]

I don't want to take them apart and see if the top one needs to be replaced. I want to have the parts on hand. If necessary, I'll buy your top bushings if you have them (or just replace them when backorder comes in). Thanks for the kind offer.

Lots of these guys don't offer shipping options and UPS seems to be their default. I'll do some asking around and see what I can find out. (I have had better luck with USPS) I still prefer domestic US shipping to Houlton ME and picking them up on my way to NH ot VT for a few days of riding - not in COVID times!

I need the lower bushings (and seals) but that stuff isn't backordered.

I was sorting through some old parts and found a box with used bushings. I don't know which is which. They are three different widths. The coatings are worn off the two widest ones but the narrowest ones (on the left in the photo) seem to be in decent shape. Can you identify these for me? The one on the left could be re-used, I think. (The others are garbage - metal not worn but teflon coating mostly gone and flaking off.)



I also had a really close look at two sets of old oil seals that I had from my '07 and they appear to be in better shape than I thought they would be, despite 60-80,000 miles on them. They leaked and I replaced them but I'm betting I could have gotten away with SealMate cleaning.

I could just change the oil and maybe the seals would last until next year but at least the lower bushing is likely to be bad. Should just do the whole thing...

[John d]

Two things I know.

Revzilla is not accommodating a choice of shipppers, even though USPS is best for us Canadians.

Sealmate is a temporary reprieve, not a great final solution.

[FJRoss]

Two things I know.

Revzilla is not accommodating a choice of shipppers, even though USPS is best for us Canadians.

Sealmate is a temporary reprieve, not a great final solution.

Agreed - on both USPS vs UPS and the fact that the SealMate is unlikely to be a permanent solution. Both forks leaked slightly last season and the Sealmate worked to stop it. Probably 15-20 thousand km since then without further problems.
I wonder if the crud in the seals is dirt getting in from the outside or teflon debris from the deteriorating bushings? First time I did fork oil, the stuff came out looking almost like grey paint. (Assume aluminum wear plus other crap)

[John d]

Should we expect to mix bug guts with sand and dirt and expect it not to eventually wear the fork seals? That is why I put rubber fork gaiters on my right side up forks. I doubt internal debris would work as fast to destroy fork seals. JMO. I also change fork fluid at least every two years.

I do notice fork fluid being very grey on the first fluid change, but with subsequent changes the fluid is much less grey.

[FJRoss]

Should we expect to mix bug guts with sand and dirt and expect it not to eventually wear the fork seals? That is why I put rubber fork gaiters on my right side up forks. I doubt internal debris would work as fast to destroy fork seals. JMO. I also change fork fluid at least every two years.

I do notice fork fluid being very grey on the first fluid change, but with subsequent changes the fluid is much less grey.

Much less grey on subsequent changes for sure. Dust seals should keep most of the crud from the oil seals but I suppose some always gets through. I thought about gaiters for the forks. Which ones did you use and do you remember where you got them? I assume you removed the plastic "fork protectors".

I don't know if teflon bits flaking off the bushings actually damage the seals but may get caught between the tube and the seal lip causing a minor leak.

[John d]

I don't know about teflon bits. No experience.

For gaiters, here is a link to another forum for the details.

https://www.fjrforum.com/topic/141734-f ... nt=1334283

[raYzerman]

The gray in the oil is very fine aluminum particles (along with teflon off the lower bushing) that wear off the lower fork tube as the lower bushing goes up and down. Some of it will precipitate out and accumulate at the bottom over time. The teflon does not "flake" off, it just wears off slowly. The lower bushing will show the most wear, and more aggressive riding will cause more wear...... about 30k miles and they are due for replacement.

The left thicker wall bushing in the pic is the upper bushing. If you look at the other two, and take the lower and were to set it in the middle, you can see the ring of destroyed teflon (flaked) from slide hammering them out.... on the outside of the lower and inside of the middle one. The middle one is close enough to the size of the upper one not to destroy its teflon.

I suspect slide hammering out without a middle bushing would mean the lower would do similar damage to the upper....

I'd never re-use the main seals... the double lip traps stuff between them, it's mostly road dust and bug guts, and hardened bug guts can possible cause a nick in one spot.

You can re-use that upper bushing IMHO. I have a couple here you can have. The rest, I'd just buy locally, typically with international shipping it's the same cost option....

[FJRoss]

I think I'll just order the other stuff and re-use the upper bushings if necessary.
I wouldn't reuse the old seals - just remarking that they are in better shape than I expected. (I figured the grey paint was finely divided aluminum from wear.)

Checked with Revzilla and they wouldn't guarantee that I could have my choice of shipper. Might be USPS but could just as easily be UPS. Won't pay that cost (brokerage) on top of everything else.

[Red]

I would normally order stuff from my local (Canadian) dealer. If the price difference between the dealer and on-line US parts places is extreme, I would order and have stuff shipped to a US mailbox
Anybody in Canada buy from places like Partzilla and get stuff delivered to a Canadian address? I have bought stuff from the US before for shipment to Canada and sometimes the experience is good and other times horrible. UPS is often a problem because of brokerage fees they charge. USPS has been OK in the past as long as someone doesn't decide to charge duty and federal tax.
Total order will likely be around $!00 USD or so.

FJRoss,

I'm in the USA, so I have no direct experience to offer. Seems to me, you may have a better or faster option by buying (and shipping) from the UK, even with paying for air freight. Amazon, eBay, Yamaha, and commercial outlets all have UK variants. May be worth a look, there. Verify the terms and options from each seller by email, if you go that way.

[FJRoss]

I would normally order stuff from my local (Canadian) dealer. If the price difference between the dealer and on-line US parts places is extreme, I would order and have stuff shipped to a US mailbox
Anybody in Canada buy from places like Partzilla and get stuff delivered to a Canadian address? I have bought stuff from the US before for shipment to Canada and sometimes the experience is good and other times horrible. UPS is often a problem because of brokerage fees they charge. USPS has been OK in the past as long as someone doesn't decide to charge duty and federal tax.
Total order will likely be around $!00 USD or so.

FJRoss,

I'm in the USA, so I have no direct experience to offer. Seems to me, you may have a better or faster option by buying (and shipping) from the UK, even with paying for air freight. Amazon, eBay, Yamaha, and commercial outlets all have UK variants. May be worth a look, there. Verify the terms and options from each seller by email, if you go that way.

I haven't really checked for Yamaha parts but, generally speaking, there are no deals to be had getting anything from the UK.
I think I'll just order the other stuff locally and plan to use some upper bushings that came out of my '07 if the uppers don't come out easily from the 2011.

[Festus]

What's the shipping issue, mainly? Would it help to ship it to someone in the US and have them USPS it to you? If so, I'm happy to do so.

[FJRoss]

What's the shipping issue, mainly? Would it help to ship it to someone in the US and have them USPS it to you? If so, I'm happy to do so.

That is appreciated, thank you for the offer!
I think I'll manage with re-using the upper bushing from my '07 this time. The Teflon coating is barely worn at all. In the future, I'll go back to shipping to a US mailbox in Houlton Maine if I need to avoid cross border shipping vis UPS. That will be at least several months - depending on COVID prevalence and vaccination rates in both countries. No idea when the international border will reopen to free travel between Canada and the US.

[Angus_McL]

Sorry Ross, I must have got the last upper bushings in the country. Mine arrived at the dealer last week.

I've had the same issues with UPS and avoid them at all costs. I've had their brokerage fees be higher than the cost of an item before. I've also sent things back because their charges were so high and they tried to come after me for the cost anyway. I'll shop around until I find someone who'll ship USPS and roll the dice on getting dinged with duty.

Sorry I don't have a solution!

A.

[FJRoss]

Sorry Ross, I must have got the last upper bushings in the country. Mine arrived at the dealer last week.

I've had the same issues with UPS and avoid them at all costs. I've had their brokerage fees be higher than the cost of an item before. I've also sent things back because their charges were so high and they tried to come after me for the cost anyway. I'll shop around until I find someone who'll ship USPS and roll the dice on getting dinged with duty.

Sorry I don't have a solution!

A.

Hi Angus
I think I'll be OK with a set of upper bushings that came out of my '07. Slightly dinged up from removal but pretty good overall. The upper sees very little wear. I have a Traxxion Dynamics front setup with AK20 and that is done without the middle bushing. I haven't done one of these before but it doesn't look too complicated... (famous last words)
I got the rest of the stuff ordered from the local Yamaha dealer at about twice the on-line cost. Oh well - beats paying someone to do the forks (and valve check).

I am planning on taking my Penske rear shock down to Shore Cycle as soon as travel restrictions are lifted. I actually have a spare Penske but both are in need of service. One is quite high kilometers and is leaking so I'll get that one done first. (Probably well over 200,000 km on that shock although it was serviced a couple of times by a local guy. Not convinced he really knew what he was doing.) There is apparently a guy near Moncton that does them as well but I like the guys at Shore - good excuse for a ride down the South Shore...