No one likes a Copycat!
Ready, steady….Go!
Here at Evotech Performance, we have just pressed the ‘sell’ button for the latest EP product: Evotech Crash Protection for the Yamaha YZF-R9. After months of 3D scanning, cups of tea pondering the complexities of the motorcycle, designing, prototyping, testing and production, the finished product is ready to sell.
Yet the joy brought from the release of any new Evotech product, is tinged with sadness and cynicism.
Whilst we eagerly await the first few purchases and positive reviews, another countdown has begun: how long until counterfeit copies of our hard work are circulating for sale on the international marketplaces?
The Yamaha YZF-R9 is the perfect example. For quite some time, the delay in producing a range of bespoke motorcycle parts for the R9 lay purely with logistics – we just couldn’t get our hands on one. When the motorcycle did roll into the EP workshop, there was no stopping us! The motorcycle was carefully scanned, with bespoke products designed and prototyped. Whilst many would head straight to production from this point, however, here again we had to press pause. We needed another bike to fit and test the bespoke motorcycle parts and accessories waiting in the pipeline. Sticking to our principles, as ever, proved worthwhile. Taking the time for a second fitting, prototyping via 3D model following by a metal prototype, allowed us to tweak and perfect the parts for the polished finish our customers deserve.
And now, the wait is finally over! We have ready for market Evotech Crash Protection, along with Evotech Radiator Guard, Evotech Tail Tidy, Evotech Dynamic Tail Tidy with options for indicators, Evotech Spindle Bobbins and many more products for the Yamaha YZF-R9.
It’s all bittersweet when, in just a few weeks, poorly made copies will be flooding the market.
Evotech parts sell out all the time. Why are you bothered by some copies?
In June, another counterfeit was brought to our attention: a copy of Evotech Crash Protection for the MY2025 Honda CB1000 Hornet, available for sale on AliExpress. The first sale of this product from the Evotech Performance website was made on the 7th March. Since that date our authentic part has been purchased, reverse-engineered, produced and released for sale as a counterfeit. That’s an 88-day turnaround.
Despite our technological advances and experience, designing bespoke motorcycle parts isn’t easy. It can take months until we are happy with the finished product, adhering to our belief that every motorcycle should be respected. Not satisfied with off the shelf, universal-fitting products, Evotech Performance parts are model-specific to guarantee an accurate fit every time. We especially shy away from any requirement to modify the machine.
The design is only half the story, however. For every part, we also have a dedicated, highly experienced staff of engineers, benders, painters and dispatch. Costed within the price of each part we sell is their experience, time and care spent manufacturing each part, along with our careful adherence to UK law for pay and working conditions. That’s before we consider the general overhead costs of running a production factory in the UK.
What’s more, we cherry pick our suppliers from across the UK. This ensures EP’s high production standards are maintained, with a traceable history for the materials used, plus we are also retaining revenue and employment within the economy of the UK.
Have you ever tried to return a fake when it didn’t fit properly or wasn’t well made? The odds are you didn’t even get a reply, let alone your money back! Quick dispatch, product support by phone or email, a returns policy you can trust, public-liability insurance, are all part-and-parcel of what’s on offer by Evotech Performance. If you have a problem with one of our products, we are here to support you.
All of these benefits are endangered if the name of Evotech Performance is muddied by inferior copies pretending to be our premium motorcycle parts.
Myth Busting
Understandably, there is confusion and misinformation circling. One of the most common questions we hear is why Evotech Performance parts are so much more expensive than those on popular online sales platforms. The simple answer is: ‘If it’s cheap, it’s a counterfeit. Don’t buy it!’ Whilst the shape and detailing of the counterfeit part will be a clear copy of the Evotech original, we cannot guarantee the quality of materials for strength and durability. Included fasteners, packaging and accuracy of fit are also highly questionable! Yes, it may be cheap, but it won’t be anywhere near Evotech Performance quality.
And if you really aren’t sure, stick to one simple maxim: Evotech Performance do not sell on Ali Express.
So, what are Evotech Performance doing about the fakes?
As you would expect from a proactive company such as Evotech Performance, we are not willing to see our designs reproduced shoddily by those who aim to con customers out of their money. The counterfeiters are putting your motorcycles and lives at risk with poorly performing parts.
Therefore, we have engaged with industry specialist in global brand protection: SnapDragon. Utilising AI search to continually monitor online marketplaces, and with a worldwide staff force, the SnapDragon team are relentless in their search for fakes. Once identified, their enforcement team can appeal to the sales platform to have the listings, and sellers, removed from the site.
There are three lines of defence SnapDragon can utilise to have counterfeit products removed from sale: Trademark, Copyright and Intellectual Property.
With both name and logos trademarked, any counterfeiter should not be using the Evotech Performance branding. Trademarking must be registered in different ways for different countries/areas of the World. Both our Evotech Performance name and EP logo have numerous trademarks giving the worldwide cover we need to combat fraudulent use of our identity.
Beyond the use of our branding, however, many counterfeiters will copy our product photos and wording with basic efforts to remove the Evotech idents. These alterations are easily spotted with image blurring or obvious editing. Even with these changes, the copyright of the picture or image remains with ourselves and should never be copied. We have even found still images taken from Evotech video installation instructions! Again, this is still an image produced by Evotech so it still has the protection of our copyright. Worryingly, the use of copied Evotech images means you have not seen the motorcycle part you will actually receive; the quality of production can be vastly different.
Our final right is that of Intellectual Property. Whilst we cannot claim the role of being intellectuals and all that stereotype entails, we do reserve the right to protect the designs we have produced. We have applied for Registered Community Design for many Evotech Performance products. These protect the visual design of the products, especially the shape, regardless of colour or logo printing.
Making use of these varied legal supports, SnapDragon are removing counterfeit listings on a daily basis. Sadly, a new username will be selling the same product the very next day, ready for the game of ‘cat and mouse’ to begin again.
So, what can Evotech customers do about the copies?
Be aware of the tell-tale signs of counterfeit parts and if you spot any of these then don’t part with your money or risk your motorcycle by fitting dodgy parts.
5 Tell-Tale Signs it’s not a Genuine Evotech Motorcycle Part
- Unusual appearance of the Evotech Performance logo
- Crash protection bolt quality - EP bolts are precision-machined from 316 stainless steel
- Image quality: blurred or incorrect motorcycles shown
- Production quality of the part – paint, finish
- Sold on online sales platforms such as Alibaba or AliExpress
If in doubt, buy direct from the Evotech Performance website, or one of our trusted dealers. Our Evotech Performance sales team hold an up-to-date list of worldwide stockists of genuine Evotech parts and will always be happy to help.
And the R9 Crash Protection?
The Yamaha YZF-R9 is a machine to be ridden with pure joy. The fully-faired, sleek SuperSport design has us itching for the racetrack, opening the throttle on the straights or effortlessly winding through bends. We predict this bike is going to be a big seller and we expect our motorcycle products to be very popular. Sadly, this makes stealing our ideas more profitable for the copycats.
So set your clocks, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s see how long it takes for a counterfeit Evotech Crash Protection for the Yamaha YZF-R9 to make it to market. If, and when, you spot a fake, do let us know.
In 2022, Bennetts Bike Social examined the trade of counterfeit parts, exploring in depth the sale of fake Evotech Performance parts. Read our blog ‘The Knock-on Effect of Knock Offs’ which includes a link to the full Bennetts Bike Social Youtube video.
Ready to purchase genuine Yamaha YZF-R9 aftersales motorcycle parts? Click here.
Want to get in touch? E-mail us at sales@evotech-performance.com