honing

[nitro3custom]

I need to hone my cylinders, and see that both ball and stone types are used. I have used both types for other applications. My question is wouldn't a stone type give a more uniform hone? The ball hone is understadable but we're talking about maximizing compression with this use. I think the stone hone is going to uniform the bore. and the ball hone conforms to irregulatities in the bore and the rings might not conform to that. What is the concenses of this ?

[Agemax]

take it to someone who knows what they are doing and get it done properly. you cant go wrong then, unless they do but then you got someone to blame

[Nessism]

Use a ball hone - 240 - 320 grit. Straight hones are better for freshly bored cylinders but they don't conform to minor cylinder wear abnormalities. And forget taking it to someone unless they have a ball hone of the proper grit and know how to use it.

[gssuzukixxx]

I've used a stone hone on 3 bikes now, that I have put new rings in, and have gotten good results. My dad gave me a bunch of tools and the hone was part of that so I use it.

Never used the ball hone so cannot comment on that.

[7981GS]

FYI, the machine shops use stones when they do it.

Daniel

[Nessism]

FYI, the machine shops use stones when they do it.

Daniel

Maybe your machine shop does, but not any I've visited. Remember, we are talking about honing a used cylinder, not newly bored.

[blowerbike]

machine shops use a ridged sunnen hone not the crappy stone hone's like everybody else has access to.
use a ball hone like was already mentioned.

[bwringer]

The ball hone is pretty much foolproof and easy to DIY.

Unless you're reboring, there's not much reason to use the stone-style hone.

You can get good results with either -- it just takes longer and is more subject to variation with the stones.

[Graham]

Both types will do a good job as long as it is done right.

[gssuzukixxx]

A bit more detail on the stone honing I did on my GS's:

I used a variable speed drill with the hone on the end. I gave each cylinder 100 up/down strokes stopping every 20 strokes to wash the cylinder and hone with varsol. I adjusted the drill speed and up/down speed so as to get about a 45 degree cross hatch. That is a pretty slow drill speed. When they are all honed I take some clean varsol and a plastic brush and give the cylinder walls a good cleaning then wipe them and blow them and put some motor oil on them. It takes less than 10 minutes to hone all 4 cylinders.

BTW these are all on existing cylinder walls with new rings. These bikes have all broken in quickly and never had an oil burning issue right from the first firing.

Brian

[Big Jay]

We don't like ball hones and would never use one on a customers cylinder.

[Nicholaschase29]

We don't like ball hones and would never use one on a customers cylinder.

Why's that?

What do you suggest as an alternative?

[Nessism]

We don't like ball hones and would never use one on a customers cylinder.

I don't understand the rational is for this comment. A bottle brush hone is widely accepted as the proper tool to hone a worn, but still within the serviceable limits, cylinder.

Sure, a bottle brush is not as sano as a fresh bored/honed cylinder, but its better than trying to cram a straight hone down a used cylinder since it can skip over low spots, or the hone will have to remove a bunch of metal to make the cylinder round again.

[7981GS]

... and, you want 120 degrees.

Daniel

[blowerbike]

who uses a 20 dollar blade hone from autozone ?
oh wait..
i have seen pictures posted around here before...not to pretty.