Crosshatch???

[Kara25]

Hi.!Got a set of used cylinders and pistons that came numbered and with all the rings intact. After a clean in steaming soap water i can see this. Is that a factory crosshatch?? I am wondering if i can super clean everything and reuse them without honing and re-ringing. Havent measured the bores yet but the parts are supposed to be from a 35.000 kms motor. Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr

[Kara25]

Bores&Pistons by Geo 25, on Flickr

[1978GS750E]

Hone the cylinders and put new rings in it! That way you know what you have in there. (Just my .02)

[Suzukian]

You hone for final sizing. If the pistons and rings fit, why would you Hone them anymore. It's a sloppy crosshatch, but it will do what it's supposed to do. Why take off anymore stock, unless the pistons are tight? The ring gap is your only concern, and as long as that's fine, those pistons should be tight (not binding tight, but drop through slowly tight) going up and down those bores (dry) till they break in. I would not hone unless you have a tight piston. Maybe you should read up on honing to find out for yourself. Also, make sure you assembly the motor with high quality assembly lube on everything in there, rings, pistons, bores, bearings, EVERYTHING. It will ensure a well lubricated start up. I would consider removing the rings on the pistons, and glass bead blasting them. You don't want to put them in there with that carbon on there.

[rphillips]

Decisions, decisions... I got a used set of 1148 sleeves, pistons, and rings from a buddy... Bolted them in my 1100 and all was good, no problems at all.. That being said, I couldn't recommend that to others. I agree with him ^^^ new rings and honing will be great insurance you won't have problems. No way to tell if those marks are OEM or been done later, or I can't anyway.

[Kara25]

Guys thanks for the info Suzukian yeap lots of permatex assembly lube for sure. I have a 550 top end rebuild/refresh under my belt from 3 years ago so i am not panicking for the assembly stage i like the OCD nature of supercleaning and lubricating everything. The measurements/catasrophic failures of parts upon assembly smoking like a chimney for example is what worries me.Got excited when opened the package its not everyday you buy a 40 year old used motorcycle part and think you can get away without paying 300 Euros just for piston rings!S o the only way to tell if they can be re-used is to measure ring end gap eh? Pistons are already soaking in Kero-acetone mix..

[Grimly]

Have you measured the bores and pistons?

Measuring the ring gap will only tell you about wear, but in no way tells you anything about the state of the rings, and their history.
Rings can get overheated and fail, then or later.
Motorcycle owners /users tend to give their engines a harder work-out than most car users, and wearing parts that fly up and down at considerable speed take the brunt of that.
Re-using old rings is a foolish saving when they can be got from Cruzinimage relatively cheaply.
Don't listen to bad advice.

https://www.cruzinimage.net/2017/08/30/suzuki-gs650-62mm-standard-piston-rings-set-4-rings-include/

[zed1015]

The honing below the stroke of the rings is original but the coarser makings on the actual bore and overlap look to have been done recently by a blind man and some sandpaper.
If they were mine i would have them correcty plateau honed if limits allow and fit new rings.

[1978GS750E]

"Re-using old rings is a foolish saving when they can be got from Cruzinimage relatively cheaply.
Don't listen to bad advice."


"If they were mine i would have them correcty plateau honed if limits allow and fit new rings."

What they said!

[Kara25]

Tomorrow will be the measurement of the bores hope there is no need to go overbore. Unfortunately cruizingimage is no option for me bcs i live in europe greece. Import tax will take the 4 sets of rings from them to the same amount as the OEM suzuki ones...Grimly thought so.there was no way that the factory crosshatch will look that rough zed1015

[Suzukian]

We have to be aware that people in certain parts of the world do not have the options we have. That being said, a little lube, and seeing how the pistons drop through the bores will tell you if they are tight, or way too lose. I don't know how many miles are on that engine, it would be good to know. Once you have matched a piston with a bore, wipe it dry, and with your hand, slide the piston up and down the bore to see if there is any wobbling. Do this relative to where the piston pins line up on the connecting rods. If the pistons slap around, the bike you put together may work, but will be on borrowed time. In your situation you can only do what you can do. Try and line up parts that fit best. If you get the bike running, be gentle with it, and you will get much us out of it. Times are hard in Greece. I commend you for making do with what you have and having such a good nature about it.

If the piston rings are too tight (oversized), you can always grind off the ends. You can't add metal though.

[Kara25]

Suzukian Thats the nature of the game if you live in europe not only you have to hunt down parts from the continent but also from inside the EZ otherwise strict import taxes shoot the total amount of parts to crazy amounts of money. Unfortunately you hit it on the spot there is not the vast amount of suppliers here like in the states were you can practically build a motor from scratch with NOS parts and still be on a reasonable bugdet for o a total rebuild. Main concern is not having a smoker on my hands. I dont mind buying OEM miscalenous stuff for my build to around 400$ but just 300 for the rings sure stings.! Gonna measure everything tomorrow and hope at least i can use the STD pistons. The mileage of the bike was 35.000kms according to seller meaning 21747 miles!

[Grimly]

Thats the nature of the game if you live in europe not only you have to hunt down parts from the continent but also from inside the EZ otherwise strict import taxes shoot the total amount of parts to crazy amounts of money.

You might have missed that I'm in the EU, too.
I expect that $40 for the rings, plus shipping, plus taxes will turn into well under €100 by the time they get here.
Last set of GS850 rings I bought from Cruzinimage were about that in total - a massive difference from OEM prices.

[Suzukian]

You two should be able to have a better conversation on sourcing. Kara25 it seems you know enough about motors to make an intelligent decision. I wish you the best of luck, and hope Grimly can help you on sourcing parts.

[zuluwiz]

Not sure what you're thinking about that wrist pin, but I definitely would not put that back in there. New wrist pins and top end bearings would be a sure bet for me. I don't know what replacements would cost, but those are gone. in my view.