KDXRIDER.NET

Hello,

http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 77&t=15802

http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/goodo ... .jpeg.html (picture of cylinder I took)

I have 2000 KDX 220, just bought used.

So I hired a mechanic to rebuild top end with no pistons. Today he call me to the shop to ask me if I want to replate the cylinder or hone it out (smooth it out, measure the bore and put in new piston). He showed me some grooves on the inside cyclinder walls

He mentioned that the cylinder might be made of Electro - fusion, which does perform better than nikel material. Excuse my ignorance, I am still learning.

To hone and smooth is $35 and to replate to a nikel material is like $250. He mentioned that sooner or later I will need to switch the cyclinder to nikel or get a sleeve be cause the Electro - fusion is sort of weak or something like that. I am still new so the terms are all new.

Since I still need to buy gear protection, I told him hone it for $35 and I can replate on the next top end. He mentioned since I am still new and want be riding hard/fast, I can wait for now.

What do you think?

Thanks for help.

Upload to photobucket.com and it supplies some .jpg links you can paste here

Gotanubike wrote:Upload to photobucket.com and it supplies some .jpg links you can paste here

http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/goodo ... .jpeg.html here it is

You don't hone plated cylinders! Any decent motorcycle mechanic should tell you the same. If he doesn't find a better mechanic. The plating layer is very thin and can easily be damaged by a hone. Unless major damage has been done to the cylinder you normally won't sleeve a KDX. Properly replated (Millenium Tech is one of the best) your cylinder will likely last many, many seasons. Hard to see in the small pictures how much damage there is. If it's just glazed you can use a scotchbrite pad to lightly remove the glaze without damaging the plating.

Thanks,

I may have missed wrote. My cylinder is original and not plated. When I say hone, i mean resurface the current cylinder surface to smooth out the glazing. The glazing or small. I guess its a matter of paying now or later.

You probably want to hold off doing anything further until some of the guys on here with some good experience chime in with their opinions. From the picture you posted it doesn't look to me like there is any damage but you should post a better picture. The bike would have come with the plating "originally" from the factory, this would not be something that you added after the fact. Honing this would damage the factory plating, the typical way to take care of any glazing is to take some Scotchbrite to the cylinder wall to remove the glaze. Unless the scratches are really deep, the Scotchbrite should do the trick and you would not have to remove the scratches anyway. Like I said though, try to post a better picture so the guys on here can better access your situation.

GOT WOODS? wrote:You probably want to hold off doing anything further until some of the guys on here with some good experience chime in with their opinions. From the picture you posted it doesn't look to me like there is any damage but you should post a better picture. The bike would have come with the plating "originally" from the factory, this would not be something that you added after the fact. Honing this would damage the factory plating, the typical way to take care of any glazing is to take some Scotchbrite to the cylinder wall to remove the glaze. Unless the scratches are really deep, the Scotchbrite should do the trick and you would not have to remove the scratches anyway. Like I said though, try to post a better picture so the guys on here can better access your situation.

Thanks. Maybe I miss heard the guy. He only ask if I wanted to replate to nikel material that's more hard for $220 or just resurface (or hone or smooth out) the scuffs for $30. I am not sure and sleepy. I really just want the thing fix right about now and start riding and keep searching for gear. He mentioned that the piston was not that bad and did say KDX will break unexpectedly. I told him to do the job for $30 and lets get the cylinder replace. He did show me some other cylinders that was worst off then mine and required him to do something, I forgot. Sleepy now.

It was a good learning experience. Atleast I know what to look for when I perform the top end myself. When I perform the top end myself. I will make sure to take really good pictures and post here for comments. Thank you all.

He's right about the Kdx breaking unexpectedly. 220 factory pistons in particular are known to cause significant damage. So they should be replaced with a forged alloy piston such a wiseco for sure!

I think when he says hone the cylinder, he has scotch brite honing tool to do a once over and put a little cross hatch to the cylinder wall. Nothing you couldn't do on your own. They cylinder looks fine, mine was at least 3 times visibly worse than that and I have a no problems. I am going through with a new top end at the end of this season...

Definitely ask if it appears to be the stock piston, wiseco pistons usually have laser etched number or code on the surface of the piston. if it is stock get that replaced for sure!

Also, yes KDXs came with electrofusion plating from the factory. Many sent there's away to specialists, such as powerseal USA who does nikasil. The bill for my nikasil plating + hone(this is my spare cylinder I have yet to install) was about $180

Yeah I've heard of mechanics referring to 'honing' as that mentioned by Gotanubike, it's basically a quicker scrotchbrite pad method to make sure the cross-scratching is good and it's all cleaned up. Hopefully that's what your mechanic was talking about.

hard to tell for sure but the plating looks worn thru. If it's real shinny, it's aluminium, time for a replate.
Take a scotchbrite pad and remove the glazing, it'll help you see if it's worn or not.

I never really took into consideration the condition of my cylinder of plating when I took apart last season. I went and checked the pic, I'm guessing you're still better off than this

Gotanubike wrote:I never really took into consideration the condition of my cylinder of plating when I took apart last season. I went and checked the pic, I'm guessing you're still better off than this

Was there something wrong with your cylinder? Why removed it?

Yes it had case of violent antifreeze diarrhea that I couldn't pin point...turned out to be a crack in the water jacket on the left side. I put coolant in it and the cylinder started pulling water in from the expansion bottle port under the KIPS cover.

Read more about it here:

http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 03&t=14561

That is STILL a very oddball issue. I am glad you got it sorted.

Did you ever figure out what the crack was from? If not, I'm thinking maybe someone ran straight water-no anti-freeze- and it froze? Had that happen on a fresh water cooled boat engine that cracked when we had a freak severe freeze and I was not around to winterize it. That was expensive....

GOT WOODS? wrote:Did you ever figure out what the crack was from? If not, I'm thinking maybe someone ran straight water-no anti-freeze- and it froze? Had that happen on a fresh water cooled boat engine that cracked when we had a freak severe freeze and I was not around to winterize it. That was expensive....

That was my guess, freeze damage. Would explain the broken impeller bolt too, some knucklehead probably tried to kick it over in the winter with frozen water in it.