A minor issue - rubber quality for kickstart and shifter is very poor - alternatives?

It's a good sign that my N15 keeps on keepin' on, with very little to tend to. One thing that irks me a little is that the rubber footie bits fall apart pretty fast. I gave up on footpeg rubber; the bike is fine without them as it was originally, and the folding pegs just aren't made for it. But the kickstart rubber is shot, and the shifter rubber is on its way toward disintegration after only 2K miles.

I have had many vintage Japanese bikes with rubber bits that have lasted decades and many miles, sun exposure, etc. The Norton stuff seems to have a 1-2 year lifespan. I got them from a reputable, well-known source, but I suspect I know where they are made. Perhaps Andover's are higher quality? They are inexpensive, so I wonder... and shipping/tariff will add up. I wonder if anyone has found an alternative source, or perhaps a common Japanese bike replacement that will slip on for these two.

gpzkat said:

It's a good sign that my N15 keeps on keepin' on, with very little to tend to. One thing that irks me a little is that the rubber footie bits fall apart pretty fast. I gave up on footpeg rubber; the bike is fine without them as it was originally, and the folding pegs just aren't made for it. But the kickstart rubber is shot, and the shifter rubber is on its way toward disintegration after only 2K miles.

I have had many vintage Japanese bikes with rubber bits that have lasted decades and many miles, sun exposure, etc. The Norton stuff seems to have a 1-2 year lifespan. I got them from a reputable, well-known source, but I suspect I know where they are made. Perhaps Andover's are higher quality? They are inexpensive, so I wonder... and shipping/tariff will add up. I wonder if anyone has found an alternative source, or perhaps a common Japanese bike replacement that will slip on for these two.

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My observation is that it is all of the aftermarket rubber that is woefully, short of quality, compared to the OEM's. I don't have an answer for your question, just know that they all suck. I bought dust boots for triumph forks, and they were absolutely dismal. The whole where the fork tube comes through looks like it was hand, trimmed, poorly with an X-Acto knife by someone with poor skills, and in a big hurry. Absolutely ridiculous.They were so bad That I asked around and found a set of decent used ones to put on there.

I leave the junk rubber on until it splits and falls off. My P11 has really old foot peg rubber still functional, but I don't put that many miles on the old horse. Clock says 12,520 since I put those rubbers on the foot pegs. I bought the rebuilt speedo and new foot peg rubber around the same time early 1990's.

This rubber quality for aftermarket British motorcycle parts issue has been going on a very long time. I've had kickstart rubber that lasted one day. Sometimes you get lucky and the rubber holds up, but mostly it's a gamble. My current kick start rubber spins on the the kick start, is a bit crumbly at the end, and is looking close to retirement. It has lasted more than 2 years, but it's not pretty on close inspection.

I bought the shift, kick start, and foot peg rubber from Steadfast at some point over the last 6 years. But I have only used the shifter rubber. Still waiting for the other pieces to split and fall off. I have not had the shift rubber on the shifter more than 1200 miles and it is on a short RGM shift lever on a TTi gearbox that does not shift like an AMC gearbox, so it will probably last more than 2 years and is probably irrelevant.

The Grand Touring or Grand Tourismo hand grips are also a gamble. There are versions of them made where fake stuff is made that are so hard my hands slip on them. Not comforting. Only good ones I've found in the last decade are made in Italy and are Grand Touring, not Grand Tourismo. Don't remember where I got them, but might have been Steadfast.

Andover shipping is less painful than a lot of places outside the USA. DHL can put your wallet in the surprise hurt locker at US customs, so maybe avoid that service if offered.

I was putting the petrol tank rubbers on my T150v yesterday and noticed that the original ancient ones were still
soft and pliable whilst the replacements were quite hard. The idea of soft is to dampen the vibrations something
the new ones will not do.
If it is rubber, and it is new, you are pretty damn sure they will be bin worthy dreckly!

gpzkat; My choice for peg/k.s rubber is automotive heater hose, safety wired race like. They came naked from the factory so nothing would be original. Mark

Agree with the sad assessment of replacement rubber quality . Worst pieces in my experience are the boot for the footbrake stoplight switch and the bumper stop for the side stand. Neither would last for 100 miles. I now use heater hose for the side stand bumper but have not found a switch boot that lasts.