Recently in a home to taco bell, taco bell to gas station, gas station to work adventure I was making on my 350 I was stranded by the ol' girl for the first time mid-trip at the gas station. Kicked the bike to life at taco bell, rode across the parking lot to the gas station, filled up and went to kick it again and "LOOOOUD NOOOOISES!" from the motor. Had someone with a truck come pick me up and brought it home.
Quick back story... this bike was my first build, and rather than take everything apart and build it from the ground up (because I had no idea what I was doing), I took it one thing at a time, bit by bit to turn it into a cafe racer. Earlier this year I finally finished my "rough draft" and had the bike looking how I wanted it. My plan was to strip it down this winter and meticulously rebuild it from the ground up to make my "finished product". Since I had to pull the motor to figure out the "LOUD NOISES!" issue, I figured I'd just fully strip it down now.
So after taking the motor apart I found a piece of piston had broken off and proceeded to then get smashed repeatedly up into the combustion chamber of the head, putting teeth marks all over the piston and head. Luckily the valves/seats remained unscathed. I performed cosmetic surgery on the piston and head, and I presume if I put it all back together it will run OK, but compression will be lowered in that cylinder. But with the engine completely apart, I don't want to put it back together and run OK, I want her to purrrrrr like a lynx.
I've seen used heads on ebay, but most of them look like poo and would hardly be an upgrade. I've also gone cross-eyed trying to make sense of the options for new pistons. So here are some questions I have:
1. Any leads on where I can find either a new head, or one in useable condition?
2. Any leads on a good machine shop in the Chicagoland area for a head/valve job?
3. Explain over bored pistons... Does one purchase a .25, .50, .75, etc. over bored piston to then bore out the cylinder to that diameter, or does one purchase an over bored piston to make up for 40 years of cylinder wall wear?
Quick back story... this bike was my first build, and rather than take everything apart and build it from the ground up (because I had no idea what I was doing), I took it one thing at a time, bit by bit to turn it into a cafe racer. Earlier this year I finally finished my "rough draft" and had the bike looking how I wanted it. My plan was to strip it down this winter and meticulously rebuild it from the ground up to make my "finished product". Since I had to pull the motor to figure out the "LOUD NOISES!" issue, I figured I'd just fully strip it down now.
So after taking the motor apart I found a piece of piston had broken off and proceeded to then get smashed repeatedly up into the combustion chamber of the head, putting teeth marks all over the piston and head. Luckily the valves/seats remained unscathed. I performed cosmetic surgery on the piston and head, and I presume if I put it all back together it will run OK, but compression will be lowered in that cylinder. But with the engine completely apart, I don't want to put it back together and run OK, I want her to purrrrrr like a lynx.
I've seen used heads on ebay, but most of them look like poo and would hardly be an upgrade. I've also gone cross-eyed trying to make sense of the options for new pistons. So here are some questions I have:
1. Any leads on where I can find either a new head, or one in useable condition?
2. Any leads on a good machine shop in the Chicagoland area for a head/valve job?
3. Explain over bored pistons... Does one purchase a .25, .50, .75, etc. over bored piston to then bore out the cylinder to that diameter, or does one purchase an over bored piston to make up for 40 years of cylinder wall wear?
