To Hone or Not To Hone....

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I must confess that I've never, though the temptation has been great, ever reassembled without at least light honing.... Just something about it doesn't set right. I mean it sounds good to skip it, but I've no personal experience going that way so I don't. Burning oil hasn't been an issue before. No rocks through the windows or such.
 
The seals are superior to stock. I run Black Diamond valves.
I have no experience with Kibblewhite's products. Are the valve seals made of a superior rubber? How do their valves compare, weight wise to the stock components?
 
I have no experience with Kibblewhite's products. Are the valve seals made of a superior rubber? How do their valves compare, weight wise to the stock components?
I replaced intake seals with KW seals made of Viton. OEM were hardened and crumbled as I removed. Of course they were at least a decade or more old, but Viton is known to be a better material (heat and chemical resistence) in many applications.
 
Yes, seems like one person with dubious qualifications and sources publishes an "article" on-line and suddenly the entire collective knowledge gained over the last 100+ years of piston engine technology is cast into doubt. Why is it that we seem to have the modern need to relearn all of the lessons that our forefather's passed down to us just because every Tom, Dick, and Harry has world-wide soap box available to them at their finger tips to call them into question?

Just got to keep telling myself "not my circus, not my monkeys...."

Still sickening to watch....
Yep, there seems to be a need nowadays to declare anything old as "incorrect" and not worthy of consideration...well except records (now called "vinyl"). Go figure...
 
I replaced intake seals with KW seals made of Viton. OEM were hardened and crumbled as I removed. Of course they were at least a decade or more old, but Viton is known to be a better material (heat and chemical resistence) in many applications.
I have Teflon seals.in mine, on Mr. Comstock's recommendation.

 
I had a bad oil burning issue in the right cylinder. Tried all the usual things in the cylinder head. Last winter took head and barrel off, replaced valves, valve guides, valve seals, piston rings and took some coarse sandpaper to the bores. Sanded by hand at an angle. Now the bike burns like zero oil. What the cure was I do not know, except it was either or both guides/rings as I had checked rocker spindles and changed valve seals previously.
 
I’m not clever enough (I ride a Triton haha) or rich or idle enough to know exactly what’s best, just by thinking it through or doing dozens of long experiments.

I freely admit I have read the internet and arbitrarily cherry-picked loose clearance, coarse honing, soap and hot water, big second ring gap, dry assembly and instant hard pulling bedding-in of rings.

Results have been 180 psi with 7.9:1 compression ratio and 170 psi with 7.25:1 ratio, no smoke, no visible oil consumption and good running.

I’d take a lot of convincing to do anything different next time.
 
FYI , Last rebuild showed decent bores , but the piston groove widths way oversized and were wore out, it seems the iron cylinders are pretty tough , but not so much of the aluminum piston ring grooves .
 
Depends on which side of the pond they're on I guess because mine rattles & shakes in dollars & cents.... cents not so much though. Figure when the old girl finally goes it'll be for the whole enchilada with few survivors.... Pound note sterling > Dollar backed by our best wishes.
 
Watched a friend do the "no hone" thing, overhauling thing to a Chevy V8, some years ago. The rings never did seat, it left a trail of oil smoke everywhere it went.
 
"You see, the point is that, providing you use cast-iron piston rings, the rings will bed in to the shiny cylinder surface with few problems, and in a short time, too!"

This is not my experience, but hey, go for it and let us know how it goes!

(I will admit to having rebuilt some small engines without "deglazing" and have never been satisfied with the result)
 
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I have a 3" 180 grit Flexhone available if you need it. Only used it once on my 73 850. Haven't got the engine back together to see the results but the cylinders look good with a nice cross hatch.
 
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