india made side panels

well as i await the fiberglass commando gas tank i got from a bloke in vermont to arrive...i got a pair of NOS indian made side panels with some shelf rash on them for $60 from a nice place in S.C.
they are (or were) painted in white/red/blue stripe now they are primer awaiting gloss black with gold stickers.......here my honest opinion o them.....first the good....steel is very substantial and sturdy.......that's it for the good....now the other part...1. battery side had to have top edge tweaked with pliers to fit in frame. 2. dzus fastener hole was too small and had to be drilled out. 3. paint as they arrived looked like drunk had applied the red/blue stripes as they were very askew. 4. tool pouch opening was too small and i had to cut the top of it out with dremel which revealed serious RUST in tool pouch area......5. oil tank side panel was ok except for same cockeyed paint stripes.........no matter to me as i stripped paint and shot inside and out both sides with goodly coat of Rustoleum hi-build primer in prep for gloss black.......here my point....at $120 a set as i see on ebay these India made side panels are a gyp considering fit/finish/quality at $60 and for me and what i plan to do they are OK... PS tank and side panels are to be done as i said black/gold but i may/may not put on bike as i have candy apple red (Ford Ruby Red Metallic) on it now was just looking for another project to work on might sell might keep....who knows? that's my story and i'm sticking with it...

I've been looking for a good left side steel roadster panel for ages. Right sides are abundant but no lefts. Did they all fall off at some point?

I got a pair of these Interstate panels from India a few years back for $70 US (includes shipping) for the pair. Couldnt go wrong.


The primary side panel fit fine with a bit of bending to the dzus arm, but the right one is a bitch to get on and off because the holes are not aligned properly with the oil tank holes on my bike, so every time you have to be super careful not to cross thread one of the bolts.

The steel quality is very good. The painter was not impressed with the build, and said they took a lot of time to prep. $70 bucks tho, and the paint price wouldnt have been any different for NOS covers.

Just noticed the guy in post #36 had the same issue with his Interstate side covers, so this vendors measurements are a bit off and need fettling before painting.

It doesnt look like the vendor is selling right now. Maybe a C-19 casualty?

I have a set of stock Inter side panels. The tool compartment was rusted just as yours. And yes original! I bet it was barely painted
in there. Out the door was how it was back then. Cut costs and I bet the workers could have cared less.

Onder said:

I have a set of stock Inter side panels. The tool compartment was rusted just as yours. And yes original! I bet it was barely painted
in there. Out the door was how it was back then. Cut costs and I bet the workers could have cared less.

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It's not a lot better these days
A few years ago I was doing some work on a mates Suzuki bandit he'd bought it brand new and it had a few hundred miles on it
the work I was doing involved removing the front section of the frame which is a slice joint
I couldn't believe there was no paint in the join, just bare metal!
the frame had been painted bolted together,then removed to fit the engine also there was no paint inside the centre stand lugs

baz said:

It's not a lot better these days
A few years ago I was doing some work on a mates Suzuki bandit he'd bought it brand new and it had a few hundred miles on it
the work I was doing involved removing the front section of the frame which is a slice joint
I couldn't believe there was no paint in the join, just bare metal!
the frame had been painted bolted together,then removed to fit the engine also there was no paint inside the centre stand lugs

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I've lost count of the amount of bolts/studs broken in Suzuki heads when the exhaust headers refuse to come off, all for the sake of a drop of anti seize in manufacture.

trident sam said:

I've lost count of the amount of bolts/studs broken in Suzuki heads when the exhaust headers refuse to come off, all for the sake of a drop of anti seize in manufacture.

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Yep I've drilled a few of those out !!!

just tried test fitting oil tank cover bolt holes1/8" off!

alan hodge said:

just tried test fitting oil tank cover bolt holes1/8" off!

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If the panel is a good fit apart from the hole I'd weld it up and move the hole
Easy for me to say because I've been welding over 40 years
But it really is an easy job to do

alan hodge said:

just tried test fitting oil tank cover bolt holes1/8" off!

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I had a similar experience with one from a UK ebayer seller. I could have "fettled" it to fit but at that particular time I was just fed up of buying stuff that required further work. I sent them back.

mo fun stripped multiple layers of red/white/blue paint to bare metal and primed found that the thick paint had filled in numerous grinding marks ...made a new hole for mounting bolt on oil tank side that steel is tough! dulled a brand new bit

alan hodge said:

mo fun stripped multiple layers of red/white/blue paint to bare metal and primed found that the thick paint had filled in numerous grinding marks ...made a new hole for mounting bolt on oil tank side that steel is tough! dulled a brand new bit

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Slightly off subject but I just received an India replacement gas cap for my Roadster and it looks great, perfect fit, snapped down closed just like it is supposed to!

Rondo said:

Slightly off subject but I just received an India replacement gas cap for my Roadster and it looks great, perfect fit, snapped down closed just like it is supposed to!

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Could you please post a link for the gas cap? I’m looking at getting one soon so if you like yours so much, I’d like to check it out. Thanks. Sorry Allen.

rondo how does the gasket seal? i put one of those on my BSA and it leaked at anything over 1/2 tank of fuel had to put C and S seal in its place after 3 years the chrome is bubbling too.......

My apologies for the late response. These are on eBay for about $35 and free shipping, thought I would take a chance for that price. It appears to have a good thick gasket on it but I haven't put the tank on yet so I cant comment on the seal or chrome quality. We are still wading through the wiring puzzle.

I bought one like this, made in india, about ten years ago from a French dealer, I was never able to mount it, maybe a pass in a general mechanics workshop would, but not sure. That’s what they’re for.

here's how the $60 side panels turned out crooked red white blue gone 5 coats hand rubbed (by me) lacquer $50 tank is next challenge it gonna need a lot of work
photo upload

ok i rolled the dice again and just got one of those indian gas caps came today latch does not work chrome blistered right out of the box am i stupid or what a perfect waste of money