In today’s world of trying to always get the best value for your ever shrinking dollar, those who face spending money to repair or rebuild high end motorcycle tend to opt for genuine OEM motorcycle parts. To be true OEM motorcycle parts, they must be manufactured by the same company that originally made the part for the motorcycle manufacturer.
That doesn’t mean that Harley motorcycle parts need to be made by and sold from Harley Davidson direct. Genuine Harley motorcycle parts that have the status of being OEM, need to be made by the same factory and to the same exacting specifications as the original parts that they furnished to the Harley assembly plant when the bike was first constructed.
Is it possible to by real OEM motorcycle parts from other than that original manufacturing plant? Yes, and it happens more often than you think, especially with classic and hard to get parts. As long as the new manufacturer buys or is contracted to use the original engineering specifications, and builds the new parts in exact accordance with those factory mandated specifications, the original motorcycle manufacturing company can certify that these parts are indeed OEM motorcycle parts.
Parts manufactured this way,usually have very visible and accurate information on the packaging stating these certified exceptions. But beware, there are some unscrupulous manufacturers in foreign countries that will place the OEM stamp on everything they make, so buy only from reliable trustworthy parts houses.