What are the best 850 pistons ?

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I’ve had JP 0.40 (made in Australia) RGM for 5,000 miles, 850 MK3, and no problem to date.
JCC,news Hépolite (Wassel) do not have the goods rings and circlips for commandos.
 
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Yes, binning the new Hepolite rings seems to be the consensus.

As does fitting Hastings rings instead.

So, where does one buy Hastings rings...?
 
Ok collective....

Pic below is of my mates pistons. Not much doubt about the fact it seized!

My initial thoughts were inadequate clearances. What I can’t work out though is that I’d expect both bores and pistons to have been to the same specs. But the LHS pistons is as new, whereas the RHS is as you can see.

Any pearls of wisdom as to why this happened?
 

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New Hepolite pistons were always fitted with Hastings rings up until 2017
current production Hepolite pistons are now fitted with Uk produced rings manufactured by the OEM Federal Mogul company who manufactured A/E Heplex rings ???

nothing wrong with the Hastings Norton rings , and the current Hepolite UK rings also fit and work to OEM standards , if the consensus is bin them you guys obviously have never fitted a set
just read on a forum somewhere they are poor quality
 
Interesting stuff there Frankie17.

So you’re basically saying theres nothing wrong with the new Hepolite pistons or rings?

What do you know about the circlip issue ?
 
there is no issue with the circlip`s unless you choose to follow bad forum advice and change them with a clip not designed for application
or it may be a case of a vendor supplying JCC pistons with incorrect clips ?
New Hepolite Norton commando pistons have a square cut clip groove and are supplied with the correct profile Seeger OEM type clips if correctly fitted with circlip / snap ring pliers they will be no issue
if badly installed with a pointed screw driver or removed and re fitted ,clips then loose tension and shape and fail

fit correctly with circlip pliers and do not re use
 
Thanks Frankie17 (whoever you are)!

So it seems a consensus is not possible on this. We have some saying the rings supplied in new Hepolites aren’t good (but I can’t recall why), and some saying the circlips are no good as they are undersized due to being metric circlips in an imperial setting.

But you’re adamant that none of this is true and that the piston kits, as sold, are perfectly fine, is that correct ?
 
RGM can provide the good segments and circlips for the new Hepolite.
Sellers in France no longer make the new Hépolites because the segments are not adapted to the cast iron cylinder from which too much oil consumption and I know several people who it happened in addition to the circlips out of their location (no just read on a forum but in real life) .;)

the ideal well sure is to find Hépolite NOS
 
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Eddie yes we all have our own opinions and are perfectly entitled to voice them

your earlier statement regarding rings just bin them and fit Hastings the new Hepolites were originally fitted with Hastings rings and may have been held in a dealers stock you may encourage some one to bin a perfectly good set of Hastings rings only to replace them with the very same product at considerable cost

As for circlips metric V imperial original piston pin size 0.6869" = 17.44mm depends how you measure it metric or imperial ?

JCC are one of the largest global producers of Pistons i would back they supply the correct clips for JCC pistons

Common sense now tells me to throw away the rings and clips provided and fit whatever is recommend on the forum by consensus

Please let me know what rings and clips i should be fitting
 
Frankie17 said:
Eddie yes we all have our own opinions and are perfectly entitled to voice them

your earlier statement regarding rings just bin them and fit Hastings the new Hepolites were originally fitted with Hastings rings and may have been held in a dealers stock you may encourage some one to bin a perfectly good set of Hastings rings only to replace them with the very same product at considerable cost

As for circlips metric V imperial original piston pin size 0.6869" = 17.44mm depends how you measure it metric or imperial ?

JCC are one of the largest global producers of Pistons i would back they supply the correct clips for JCC pistons

Common sense now tells me to throw away the rings and clips provided and fit whatever is recommend on the forum by consensus

Please let me know what rings and clips i should be fitting
Click to expand...

I think it's less about "forum consensus" and more about people's experiences with various combination. Obviously, different people are going to bring different bits of information to the conversation. It's up to the OP to make the best choice he can from there. I've only installed 4 sets of pistons in my life (not counting the lawnmower), all but the last were off the shelf items from known brit bike suppliers. The last time I was advised by a well respected builder and forum contributor to go a different way, so I did. Reading through the comments in this thread about that particular combination has since informed my understanding of why this builder made the recommendation he did. And I'm fine with that.
 
www.rgmnorton.co.uk

850CC HEPOLITE +40 PISTON RING SET (NEW OLD STOCK)

R26730/+40 R26730/040 HEPOLITE PISTON RINGS 19342 R26730
www.rgmnorton.co.uk
Frankie17 said:
Eddie yes we all have our own opinions and are perfectly entitled to voice them

your earlier statement regarding rings just bin them and fit Hastings the new Hepolites were originally fitted with Hastings rings and may have been held in a dealers stock you may encourage some one to bin a perfectly good set of Hastings rings only to replace them with the very same product at considerable cost

As for circlips metric V imperial original piston pin size 0.6869" = 17.44mm depends how you measure it metric or imperial ?

JCC are one of the largest global producers of Pistons i would back they supply the correct clips for JCC pistons

Common sense now tells me to throw away the rings and clips provided and fit whatever is recommend on the forum by consensus

Please let me know what rings and clips i should be fitting
Click to expand...



www.rgmnorton.co.uk

850CC HEPOLITE +40 PISTON RING SET (NEW OLD STOCK)

R26730/+40 R26730/040 HEPOLITE PISTON RINGS 19342 R26730
www.rgmnorton.co.uk

Or rings GOETZ or piston JP assembly ?
 
Eddie, Over here in the colonies I ordered up a set of JCC w/ Hastings rings for the 750.
The circlips came in a red bag. One set fit fine, the other set were loose.
Was it an install problem? Maybe, Don't know. What I do know is the pair that came out of one bag fit and the other pair were loose.
That's when I went down the rabbit hole of circlips. I ordered up the ones recommended by Jim and haven't looked back.
Have no knowledge of what's in the Hepolite box.

Cheers............

Edit, Pistons came in an Emgo box BTW........
 
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Frankie17 said:
Eddie yes we all have our own opinions and are perfectly entitled to voice them

your earlier statement regarding rings just bin them and fit Hastings the new Hepolites were originally fitted with Hastings rings and may have been held in a dealers stock you may encourage some one to bin a perfectly good set of Hastings rings only to replace them with the very same product at considerable cost

As for circlips metric V imperial original piston pin size 0.6869" = 17.44mm depends how you measure it metric or imperial ?

JCC are one of the largest global producers of Pistons i would back they supply the correct clips for JCC pistons

Common sense now tells me to throw away the rings and clips provided and fit whatever is recommend on the forum by consensus

Please let me know what rings and clips i should be fitting
Click to expand...

Frankie... please don’t get snotty with me... I am the one ASKING the questions here for goodness sake... because I am trying hard to understand fact from fiction and make a decision... simple as that.

I have ZERO experience with these pistons, and therefore ZERO opinion to offer. Hence I’m searching for experience from users on here.

Users have indeed posted their reasons for not liking the rings.

As have those who suggest the circlips are intended for a 17mm fitment, and are therefore too small for the Norton application.

I have no skin in this game either way, I am simply trying to sort fact from fiction and learn from the collective.

If you disagree with any opinions offered, please do offer up your own. If you think the record is being distorted, please do straighten it...
 
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Eddie i am not the one getting snotty hi Frankie 17 ( whoever you are ) not the most diplomatic response to my post

JCC pistons are supplied by multiple vendors under many brands Cycle craft / Emgo / Hepolite / and of course JCC there may be more

most Distributors choose to supply optional brands of Rings with the pistons Grant / JCC / Heplex / Hastings / total seal / NOS many dealers have their own favourite
brand of ring set ( depending on availability ) they pair these to the JCC pistons they use in their own workshop or sell over the counter

So this question is all based personal choice and what is commercially available at the time , most traders / engine builders will always have a vested interest in supplying their own product line
and will not endorse an alternative even though it is often the same combination of piston ring at a lower cost
 

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Hi Eddie those are the circlips advised by Jim , and he advised too the hastings rings ........I normally bought the pistons and rings with carl Hokanson at racing norton on ebay.....easy guy !
 
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