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Boring airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 3:50 am
by jjwithers
Hello gang,

Does anybody know of a shop in southern California that Bores cylinders for our beloved airheads?

I have an R75/5 that needs the cylinders bored and I was quoted $140 per cylinder. that seems much too high.

Thanks in advance.

-josh

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:45 am
by Kurt in S.A.
Are you familiar with this list:

http://micapeak.com/bmw/Airhead-Shops.html

What about Irv Seaver? Brown Motor Works. Stoner's Beemer Stash. Black Kat.

Kurt in S.A.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:40 am
by jjwithers
i am not familiar with that list but I know, or have been to, most of those shops mentioned in California.
Honing cylinders usually requires some serious machinery and has to go to a special machine shop. It isn't something your local BMW mechanic would own. They would send cylinders out to somebody for honing.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:30 pm
by jagarra
Are you willing to send them to a shop in another state?

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:31 pm
by uncle mark
Do you have the cylinders off the bike?
Do you need to have the cylinders bored out to the next size over, or just honed for new rings?
A cylinder hone is not an expensive tool and the skill set to do honing to break the glaze is not very high.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:54 pm
by jjwithers
cylinders are off the bike.
Need them honed to a set of custom R80 pistons. I'll have exact specs for the honing shop to use.
I'd send them anywhere that will be MUCH cheaper (after shipping fees) then $140 each side.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 6:24 pm
by Kurt in S.A.
So what prices were quoted by the SoCal shops in the list that I linked to?

Ted Porter's shop in NorCal does them all in house. I would suspect that Irv Seaver also does them in house.

Honing taking special machinery? Not that I recall...I don't have it but it is something you chuck up to a drill and using proper speed and motion, run up and down the cylinder bore.

Now based upon another post...honing or boring? Your initial post says honing. Honing is no big deal. Boring on the other hand...

Kurt in S.A.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 6:56 pm
by jjwithers
Actually, good catch. I need the cylinders bored. Not honed.
I was quoted $140 for boring each cylinder.
That is the service I need.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:26 pm
by dwerbil
Don't think I'd ever pay anyone for something I could easily do myself. You can buy your own three stone
hone most anywhere. Amazon sells them....
http://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-648439 ... inder+hone

Here's a simple intro video. One can get identical results with a hand drill hone. It only takes a couple of minutes per cylinder....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy_g1rG7mKQ

I've honed several VW cylinders in the past and other assorted engines.
E-Z to do. Save your money, buy a hone, and do it yourself.

Re: Honing airhead cylinders? who does it?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:33 pm
by robert
The 3 stone "hones" are just glaze breakers not for sizing cylinders.