Found this on the www.roadracingworld.com website. Me, I'll spend the couple of extra bucks and get quality and reliability. I,ll also spend the extra couple of bucks to keep the manufacturing here in the U.S. instead of China. Most of all, I,m not spending my money to reward copying. FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I am writing because of your knowledge of our PIT BULL tire tree (since you were nice enough to feature it in your New Products section, Roadracing World, June, 2006) and to further your awareness of what we believe to be unfair and misleading actions of some companies in our industry. Pit Bull has made substantial investments in inventing and designing new products. No corners are cut, and all our products are made in the U.S. Unfortunately, more and more, we are learning of foreign manufacturers attempting to imitate or copy our products and sell inferior knock offs. The most recent example is an attempt to copy our Pit Bull tire tree. The following link shows Powerstands offering a copy to be available in February 2007: http://www.powerstands.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=31&Product_ID=53&CATID=1 . Of the three images, the one on the far right is believed to actually be OUR product painted black. The other two are believed to be copies based on our original design. For your reference, our product is at: http://www.pit-bull.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=23_223&osCsid=4da73dfc8fd641abbb1cd4ec76ba57be . It is difficult enough making a product in the U.S. but when our designs are copied and we are forced to spend time and effort protecting ourselves from inferior Chinese knockoffs like this one, it is just about all we can take! This follows a pattern by that company and a couple of others. We will follow the patent procedures and stop them from selling the product in time, but by then they will have made some money and likely will have moved on to prey on another of our products or someone else's. We will be out the cost of the patent and its enforcement and all they will have to do is stop. Any thoughts? Charlie VanValkenburgh Pit Bull Huntsville, Alabama ------------------
Here's what I know. I once saw a guy accidentally run over a Pit Bull stand with his truck in the pits. The truck left behind a tow truck, (ripped oil pan) but the stand was still usable. I've seen nasty, abused old Pit Bull stands so scarred and maggoty that you didn't want to touch them with your bare hands, but yet they were still as functional as the day they were new. Once at a bike show, I noticed a Pit Bull display, and further noticed that they'd upgraded the rubber on their front fork stands from heater hose to special grippy stuff. When I commented on this, the owner of Pit Bull immediately handed me a set of the upgraded rubbers for free. In my opinion, there are certain times when it's just worth it to buy the best. A set of Pit Bull stands will outlive your involvement with this sport. My oldest set is from 1999 or so, and I have a bike sitting on them right now. So when the real thing is that good, why buy knockoffs?
Six years old and still going I wont buy a knock off at any price . I really liked the new peg stands , I borrowed from Lithium .Changed a shock in between sessions .
I too saw a truck vs Pitbull contest. Fortunately for the truck, it won the contest. I picked up the stand (it was squished by a big Ford) and took it in to the Pitbull mfg office. Told them I was trying to lift my bike and it just gave way. Charlie knew I was lying through my teeth but he just asked if I wanted my money back or a replacement. Of course I busted out laughing at that point but it just shows ya what kind of people they are. Damned good folks that stand behind their product!
Pit bull Stands I have heard stories of Charlie walking through the pits at various racing events and replacing worn or dirty rubber handles and lifting points on rider's stands without saying a word. IMHO, that speaks volumes about the kind of businessman Charlie is. I support his company every chance i get... and his steering dampers rock (I wonder if he will replace those when they start to look worn... :wink: )
Yep, great product for sure. I have a front and rear for my 10R and a front and rear for my 12R and also the steering head attachment for the front.
Pit Bull is top notch. It's a shame other companies blantantly copy off of them. Charlie is a class act and I'd recommend him to anyone time and time again. Cheers.
Counterfeit products are a serious issue and a concern for all industries from textile to electronics. The companies who develop these products spend billions of combined dollars in engineering R&D, manufacturing process development, quality control, and marketing of their products. Much of what they do is necessary to comply with the law...and it's expensive! It gets even more costly to businesses and ultimately the consumer when a legal team needs to go out and chase down illegal activity like copyright and patent infringment. The next issue is our, the consumer. Often when consumers buy counterfeit product comprimises are made in quality (which is evident in this topic). So for the price difference is it worth the risk that your childs pajamas won't be fire resistant, or that your helmet will work more like a colander? Copied products are costing this country billions of dollars. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that counterfeit parts cost the auto industry $12 billion per year! It is also estimated by the U.S. Chaber of Commerce that 80% of these copied and inferior products come from China. Of course there are hundreds of thousands of jobs tied to this issue too. But that seems more appropriate for Congress than the STT Forum. This is something I think more people need to be aware of and we should keep in mind as we make purchases. If the product usually sells for $300 but you can get it for $50...ask why? That's my two cents. -Jerry