How Long Has Anyone Run The Stock Piston In Their 220 ?

Got questions? We got answers....
Post Reply
Curious George

How Long Has Anyone Run The Stock Piston In Their 220 ?

Post by Curious George »

Whats a reasonable amount of time to leave the stock piston in a new 220?

Do the skirts break after the engine gets loose
muddertrucker
Member
Posts: 230
Joined: 08:40 pm Dec 04 2006
Country:
Location: Chicoutimi, Canada

Post by muddertrucker »

I bought mine when it was 4 yrs old and changed the piston 2 years later. However I don't think it is worth leaving it in there. It cost way less to change a piston than it does to rebuild an entire engine.
4 wheels move the body 2 wheels move the soul
Gallery!
Curious George

Post by Curious George »

After searching around the web and with myself being in the Automotive parts business for 20+ years , IMHO I feel all we're comparing here is
a cast piston vs. a forged piston.
In the racing world no one would even consider a cast piston but there's street vehicles with 300,000 still running with them.

If your going to ride hard , either a modern 4 stroke or 2 stroke , use a high quality forged piston.
User avatar
radonc73
Gold Member
Gold Member
Posts: 574
Joined: 01:45 pm Nov 03 2006
Country:
Location: NW Indiana
Contact:

Post by radonc73 »

Some for the entire life of their motor. :sad: :sad:
Riding is living everything else, is just waiting.
Master of the casual pace
83 KDX 200
93 KDX 250
84 YTM 225 DX 3-WHEELER
GS
Member
Posts: 644
Joined: 11:33 pm Feb 17 2005
Country:
Location: Vancouver area, Canada

Post by GS »

My 99 was changed in 2008....1st time the top end had been done.
While not broken or showing any signs of failure, it was, IMHO, a very low-quality casting.

It might be excess to say "change em all!"....but the cost of a failure was too expensive to ignore, so I changed it out shortly after buying the bike
User avatar
Indawoods
Creator and Founder
Creator and Founder
Posts: 9951
Joined: 09:59 am Jun 12 2003
Country:
Location: Midwest

Post by Indawoods »

The 220 piston is of particular low quality and it has always been advised to change it immediately. There are several pics on this side to show why this is important.
*** Administrator //***
****'95 KDX 200/****

"People ate cows a thousand years ago for the same reason we eat them now. Cause they are easy to catch.We're not savages,we're just lazy. A cheetah could taste like chocolate heroin. But will never know. Those bastards are fast!!! "
User avatar
Jeb
Gold Member
Gold Member
Posts: 1894
Joined: 08:01 pm Jul 14 2006
Country:
Location: Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky

Post by Jeb »

Reasonable amount of time? Change it out now, no sense in having that thing fall apart. There's been instances where a failure has occured with a new 220, unmodded. Yes, it chaps one's behind, I know, but it's just a disadvantage of owning a 220.
"No farmer ever plowed a field by turning it over in his mind" -George E. Woodbury

CLICK FOR PICS!
User avatar
kawagumby
Gold Member
Gold Member
Posts: 927
Joined: 10:09 am Nov 30 2006
Country:
Location: California

Post by kawagumby »

I was ignorant of any piston problems when I bought my brand new 97 KKDX220 back in 97. I kept it for about 5 years putting about 150-200 hours per year on the bike - in that span I swapped out the old piston for a new stock one about three times. Never had a problem. I put a wiseco in the 220 I have now based on the info shared on this site - why take a chance when the cost is insignificant?
1994 KDX200, Beta 200rr, yz125, yz250, kx100 modded for adult, gasgas contact 250.
Curious George

Post by Curious George »

I just ordered a Wiseco piston for both our KDX's , 200 + 220

Like I stated earlier , you can't compare a cast piston with a high quality
forged one. Cheap money for insurance purposes.

Sometimes knowledge is a bad thing :shock:
User avatar
canyncarvr
Gold Member
Gold Member
Posts: 6943
Joined: 01:07 pm Nov 05 2004
Country: US
Location: The Mythical State of Jefferson

Post by canyncarvr »

Re: 'Whats a reasonable amount of time to leave the stock piston in a new 220?'

No time at all is reasonable. That would be zero, nada, none.

Re: 'I feel all we're comparing here is a cast piston vs. a forged piston.'

That is incorrect.

Re: 'It might be excess to say "change em all!"....'

No, it's not.

Consider the source
Using a perceived level of knowledge to boost my self worth.
Non impediti ratione cogitationis

bike profile: !clicky!
User avatar
Indawoods
Creator and Founder
Creator and Founder
Posts: 9951
Joined: 09:59 am Jun 12 2003
Country:
Location: Midwest

Post by Indawoods »

I say ...do what you want... but don't say you weren't warned. :wink:
*** Administrator //***
****'95 KDX 200/****

"People ate cows a thousand years ago for the same reason we eat them now. Cause they are easy to catch.We're not savages,we're just lazy. A cheetah could taste like chocolate heroin. But will never know. Those bastards are fast!!! "
User avatar
MXOldtimer
Member
Posts: 575
Joined: 05:03 pm Jul 15 2006
Country:
Location: Pacific NorthWET, Oregon

Post by MXOldtimer »

Since you just bought the 220 I say pull the stock piston out as soon as it hits your garage. Put the stock piston on the shelf and forget about it. When you go to sell the bike put the stock piston back in.

Then you can run your ad to say, newly rebuilt engine with "genuine" Kawasaki factory piston. :lol:


.
04 KX-250 Hey.....at least it's green and smokes.
06 KDX-200 for off road play. Gone but not forgotten
07 KX-250F SOLD! I thump no more.
Curious George

Post by Curious George »

I guess you could say thats marketing at its best or worse ,, what ever works.


I'm not selling this bike ! With 2 strokes getting scarcer all the time if I don't feel like riding it a summer then it's not going to deteriorate sitting in the garage. :cool:
Last edited by Curious George on 05:38 am Feb 08 2009, edited 1 time in total.
KDXPhoneDude

Post by KDXPhoneDude »

my thoughts exactly!!! i'm definantly not selling mine!!
Post Reply