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Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:44 pm
by dwerbil
Yeow...didn't catch his reply. Big difference.
Never mind.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:46 pm
by Major Softie
jjwithers wrote:Actually, good catch. I need the cylinders bored. Not honed.
I was quoted $140 for boring each cylinder.
That is the service I need.
Oh good. $140 for honing sounded insane. For a bore and hone job, it sounds far more sane.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:48 pm
by daz
jjwithers wrote:Actually, good catch. I need the cylinders bored. Not honed.
I was quoted $140 for boring each cylinder.
That is the service I need.
So you need two cylinders bored and honed to perfect specs. Determine exactly what dimensions you need. Exact.

You don't necessarily need a BMW machinist or even a bike machinist. You need a great machinist who knows engines. Shipping is this case will make almost no difference. Overall. So really you have the whole country to choose from. Start your search over and good luck. This is an exciting quest. Enjoy. :)

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:49 pm
by jagarra
Any source you use for the bore job and finish honing will want the specs, pistons and rings. They will need everything so actual measurements can be made on the parts to be assembled.

Here is a contact that does motorcycle restorations, he is located in Carson City, Nevada. He also does the boring jobs for MC shops in the area, so he is experienced

His phone number is 775-841-5004 email: docjohnhoy@sbcglobal.net.

His name is John Hoy.

regards,

gg

Re: Boring airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:56 pm
by She'llbe
The mechanic I use is OCD, actually he's CDO as he wants it in alphabetical order!!! I had to go to the next oversize and he got to pick the machinist. What a wonderful job he does for me and I'm so pleased he lives in my back yard. To bad it would cost a fortune to send your parts to Oz and back. I'm sure this group has a list of just as qualified technicians in the states.

Re: Boring airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:36 pm
by Kurt in S.A.
Check with BoreTech. They can bore your cylinders (I think they like to have the pistons) and will also carbide coat the walls...makes them like the Nikasil bores of the '81-on bikes. The cylinders don't wear so you just replace rings in the future.

As far as others who do the work, I think Tom Cutter sends them out to Randy Long. And I thought Ted Porter did them himself.

Kurt in S.A.

Re: Boring airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 3:04 am
by Duane Ausherman
You must send the pistons with the cylinders.

How can anyone confuse boring with honing?

Re: Boring airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 8:17 am
by Roy Gavin
My old 78 Clymer with the High Performance How-To chapter at the back lists Brown Motor Works as the go to man for machine shop work, and as he is still around almost 40 years later he must be doing something right.

But he is probably the $140- man.

The guy in Adelaide who did them was the ex owner of the states largest machine shop, and a BMW nut with a collection which included just about every twin made post WW2.
He had a special set up at home which included a torque plate and facilities to heat the barrel to around working temperature, which he considered essential, so there may be additional costs which justify charging a bit more than normal.

Re: Boring airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:24 am
by khittner1
Specialized knowledge + precision machine tools + the costs of waiting around but being ready for someone with an old airhead's bore wear problem to show up once every 10-20 years should cost < $280?

Re: Boring airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 2:41 pm
by Major Softie
Duane Ausherman wrote: How can anyone confuse boring with honing?
Yeah, how can some non-mechanic not experience with the process confuse one name for spinning something around inside the cylinder to remove material with the name for another process of spinning something around inside the cylinder to remove material?