how to get factory replacement parts, non vender

[wiselp]

There is a local gravel road around here that acts as a short connector to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lately it has gotten some serious washboards in the corners, spreading across the whole road. Willomena's shocks seem to really pack up in these areas, to the point of nearly losing control even at slow speeds. She seems to do pretty well over other bumps and dips, even over pretty nasty stuff. My rear shock is set to 4/4. I am 195 lbs and don't care too much extra weight. The front is stock. I guess the real question is is there a good compromise between dealing with the washboards (short repeated bumps) and the bigger one time hits. Thanks, Lauren, Asheville A17 "Willomena"

[Ron Johnson]

I said nothing about the quality of the fasteners, nor did I recommend them over others. What I thought I did, was to remind members of the group of another way to acquire parts. Not every single fastener on the bike is made out of " compressed oatmeal ". If that were true, then the bike would be constantly falling apart. Or, at the very least, a individual would never be able to perform routine maintenance. Wouldn't the " compressed oatmeal " be a problem ? Having choices is a good thing to have. If a individual chooses to spend a hour or two or three driving around burning up gas, in the effort of trying to find suitable fasteners to cobble his bike back together, then more power to him. If a individual chooses to replace a LOST fastener with another of the same then he should be given the ability to make that choice. Did you notice that a member of this group was ASKING us and not his local dealership for help? Did you notice that in my original subject heading it says " How to get factory replacement parts "? It does not say " hey, buddy, you with the screw problem ". Did you notice that in my subject matter I stressed the word ANY in " ANY part for your bike can be found here "? ANY means ANY. For the guy that needs screws. For the guy that needs a air valve for his fork tube. For the guy that broke off the grab handle on his luggage rack, " me ". For the guy that needs a somewhat hard to find part without having to use a dealership and their staff. As for the vender comment: All I said was " easy to use ". I said nothing about prices, nothing about shipping times, nothing about customer support, nothing about my previous purchase history. Every single one of us needs to try to remember that once upon a time we were all computer stupid, internet stupid, KLR stupid, and most importantly we need to remember that the owner of the bike knows what's best for HIM. We are here to provide help, guidance, choices, options, not squash someone with our personnel feelings. This will not become a thread because I won't respond to this subject again. Get your last word in if you must, but I'm done. Somebody somewhere needs advice with his bike. With as many members as we have, surely we can get some of our lurkers out of lurkersville and get us back on track. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]