Head Boring

[backwoods]

So who has the best machine shop for boring motorcycle heads in the Jackson, MS area?

(And does the best work?)

[roy826]

Are you talking about cylinder boring? can't bore a head that I know of. Most modern day cylinders are made of nikasil and can't be bored and if you do they have to be re-lined or treated however you want to refer to it. That big bore kit you got coming does not come with a new jug?

[gtrgreg]

Are you talking about cylinder boring? can't bore a head that I know of. Most modern day cylinders are made of nikasil and can't be bored and if you do they have to be re-lined or treated however you want to refer to it. That big bore kit you got coming does not come with a new jug?

I'd guess the Klr was not treated in the first place. May have something to do with the issues at hand. Jeffrides, if you can find him, should have the answer about who can do it. After all, he's the Answer Man!

G2

[roy826]

Are you talking about cylinder boring? can't bore a head that I know of. Most modern day cylinders are made of nikasil and can't be bored and if you do they have to be re-lined or treated however you want to refer to it. That big bore kit you got coming does not come with a new jug?

I'd guess the Klr was not treated in the first place. May have something to do with the issues at hand. Jeffrides, if you can find him, should have the answer about who can do it. After all, he's the Answer Man!

G2

hmm I guess I was under the assumption that when they changed the thing in '08 they might have upgraded the engine to a more modern spec. If not then boring a conventional cylinder sleeve should be do-able locally with no problem. Kerry at GG would know and like you said Jeff will know as well.

[gtrgreg]

Are you talking about cylinder boring? can't bore a head that I know of. Most modern day cylinders are made of nikasil and can't be bored and if you do they have to be re-lined or treated however you want to refer to it. That big bore kit you got coming does not come with a new jug?

I'd guess the Klr was not treated in the first place. May have something to do with the issues at hand. Jeffrides, if you can find him, should have the answer about who can do it. After all, he's the Answer Man!

G2

hmm I guess I was under the assumption that when they changed the thing in '08 they might have upgraded the engine to a more modern spec. If not then boring a conventional cylinder sleeve should be do-able locally with no problem. Kerry at GG would know and like you said Jeff will know as well.

Which brings up a good question, which ones use Nikasil on their cylinders in the build process. Suzuki, BMW and ??? All the R engine BMW's that I have had were coated, I think, and used oil. But, they are air/oil cooled. So, tolerances were apt to changed with heat build up as they run. Now, the 08 KLR may be leaner and produce more heat than previous models. Just a thought.

G2

[roy826]

All of the modern day Suzuki's are nikasil coated even their air cooled bikes that are still left on the market. The only Suzuki I have had that used a little oil was the DRZ400SM I bought used from the female rider in Texas. :roll: She managed 699 cylinder glazing miles on it because she never stressed the bore during those miles. I got it and it was WOT from day one. It used a little oil in the 1st 1500 miles I owned it and then it quit using oil all together. Does not use a drop in 1,000 miles now but was using 200 mil in a 1,000 miles in the beginning. I did a leak down test on it and it passed I checked the valves and they were spot on. So I just continued to run the piss out of it. Maybe I got lucky but I can guarantee you if it had continued to be used lightly like it was being used it would have used oil from then on out. Glazing was beginning to occur. Moral to this is don't always break a bike in like the manufacturer recommends. I heat cycle mine for the 1st 100 miles then I ride from then on out the way I plan on using it. My Bandit used a little oil when the O2 sensor was disconnected/bypassed and I suspect it was because of a rich condition at certain rpm's. Now that I am back O2 closed loop not a drop is used. My GSXR's never used any oil and I run the piss out of them. Bking does not use oil either. If the Motard had continued to use oil early on I was going to drop a 440 big bore kit in it but the condition cleared up and I simply forgot about it. All is well now.

I personally think nikasil cylinders are wonderful and will out last the rings and piston. Ring technology on Suzuki's is getting exotic as well especially on their MX dirtbikes. The hardener process they are using these days guarantees you a long ring/piston/cylinder life. Can't speak for Kawasaki but do think they are a bit behind on this.

Once you get the bigbore in it backwoods you most likely will be fine since it will not be using Kawasaki rings and piston I can't wait to hear it run. :clap: that may push me to drop the 440 kit in the motard.

[backwoods]

Kit was on my porch last night. I'm running it up to GG at lunch since I am letting the warranty cover the labor. We'll see what happens.

[roy826]

Kit was on my porch last night. I'm running it up to GG at lunch since I am letting the warranty cover the labor. We'll see what happens.

You might want to re-jet the carb while you are at it. As greg mentioned it is most likely to lean which will cause even more headaches with a bigger bore to feed. I suggest a JD jet kit best on the market.

[backwoods]

Kit was on my porch last night. I'm running it up to GG at lunch since I am letting the warranty cover the labor. We'll see what happens.

You might want to re-jet the carb while you are at it. As greg mentioned it is most likely to lean which will cause even more headaches with a bigger bore to feed. I suggest a JD jet kit best on the market.

The kit documentation lists several "suggested" optional, additional mods. One of the reason sI chose the 685 and not the 705 is that it does not require jets. They sent multiple gaskets so you can choose if you want to change compression to where it requires high test and high compression, but I want to be able to run off of cheap pump gas no matter where I am, so we are not changing that for now. I don't like making too many changes at once, in case something goes wrong, it is easier to troubleshoot.

[roy826]

Kit was on my porch last night. I'm running it up to GG at lunch since I am letting the warranty cover the labor. We'll see what happens.

You might want to re-jet the carb while you are at it. As greg mentioned it is most likely to lean which will cause even more headaches with a bigger bore to feed. I suggest a JD jet kit best on the market.

The kit documentation lists several "suggested" optional, additional mods. One of the reason sI chose the 685 and not the 705 is that it does not require jets. They sent multiple gaskets so you can choose if you want to change compression to where it requires high test and high compression, but I want to be able to run off of cheap pump gas no matter where I am, so we are not changing that for now. I don't like making too many changes at once, in case something goes wrong, it is easier to troubleshoot.

I was not referring to a jet kit for performance but for cleaning up the factory lean condition that exist in all motorcycles these days. I use a jet kit in my motard and it runs on the 87 octane fine but it should since it has low compression 11:3:1 anyway. A nice part of a jet kit is not the jets but the needle with a correct taper that will eleminate the lean spots from the factory. Fuel in itself is a form of cooling a cylinder and head just ask a Harley rider.