Question about getting a new piston

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avg_joe
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Re: Question about getting a new piston

#46

Post by avg_joe »

Well, I suppose I should give an update on this whole mess....Which has worked out, so far.

Against popular advise, I did just put it together with new rings, and a new head gasket.
It really needed to get off my bench, and table, and floor, and shelves, and at least be put back together....It had been a long time apart. And other stuff that needed attention was starting to suffer for it....

It started up right away, and ran nice....(it never sounded that good when I started it the first time before) I did a proper break-in, with several oil/filter changes, and have put almost 1,000 miles on it without blowing it up.
I ran across an aluminum Supertrapp pipe with all the discs, at a scrap yard...$50. The pipe that was on it is an old style Supertrapp without any disks, or endcap. It was loud. It sounded really good, but too loud. Now it sounds good at a volume level way below 'obnoxious'.......
The only drawback to the lower exhaust volume level is, now when I am rolling along, all I can hear is the sound of....
robin1731 wrote:Any place in the engine that lives on oil was damaged. Crank, rod, cam, transmission maybe.

No way would I do anything without a complete disassembly to look all moving parts over.

.
The sound is deafening, and relentless....It is slightly less noticeable when the front wheel isn't touching the ground, but it comes back.(this thing is a beast, now...an angry beast)

SO.....Apart it will have to come....hopefully just as 'peace of mind' exercise. And not until winter. After the garage re-do/organize endeavor. I have been limiting my riding of it to the nearby surrounding area, so if I do blow it up, my wife doesn't have so far to go to rescue me.

At least now, when I go to tear it apart again, I know a little bit about what I didn't know I needed to know, ya know?
confused22
Thanks for the help, and advise. If I blow it up before season ends I will be update again. lolol :crosso
In the garage:
1977 GL1000
1982 GL1100 with California Side Car hack
1982 FT500 Ascot(Wife's bike)
1983 FT500 Ascot
1983 XL600R(with some 85 parts)
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Goboy
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Re: Question about getting a new piston

#47

Post by Goboy »

Quite the saga Joe, good to see you are getting rewarded in the end. Sounds like its a hot rod.
You're too small to ride a hog Billy!

Mike
1978 GL1000
Previous bikes: 05 Yamaha FJR 1300, 79 Suzuki GS 1000, 75 Yamaha XS 650, 73 Kawasaki S2 350
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avg_joe
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Location: Pennock, Minnesota

Re: Question about getting a new piston

#48

Post by avg_joe »

Yeah, I am really happy that it runs, and seems to run pretty good. I have replaced lots of different parts on lots of different machines before, but have never done a performance build.
Then in the middle of it all, my Father-in-Law had a diabetic incident, resulting in a coma for almost 5 days. He has since made a remarkable recovery, and is doing very well. But now he and his wife are living in an assisted living facility, so there have been LOTS of trips back and forth(about an hour drive each way) to take care of stuff. Father-in-Law isn't back to driving yet(and maybe never will), so whenever we get the chance, my wife or myself will go get him, or both of them if Mother-in-Law want to go, and go out to the farm to do work. Mother-in-Law isn't up for so much of the work stuff, but still likes to go out to the farm, fill the bird feeders, and check the flowers, and gardens and such. Father-in-Law likes to get out and do the mowing, and has a couple of low areas that he bales hay in, and has a whole farm site that has collected a lifetime of junk, stuff, parts, tires, implements, parts of implements, and various things, so there is always something to do.

So with it turning into the never-ending story, I pretty much just stuck the thing together to get it out of the way....And as a bonus it actually works! I learned a lot, and it is a hoot to ride.
Now I really want to do one up 'right'. This bike probably was never a good candidate for this build in the first place. It has had a long, and most likely a very brutal life. The frame was broken, and welded by PO. Then broke again, so I had it welded up and a gusset put in. And it is a first year of the run bike. Later years had a few improvements, and some of the bugs worked out.
I didn't do any frame painting, or any suspension updates....It looks sort of rough with the engine paint worn off, and showing previous color through. Cracked plastic that was melted back together on the right side....It's a beater of a street legal dirt bike, and it's perfect for that. But eventually it would be cool to have a 'nice' version, after I have finished rodding the ever-loving snot out of this one. And after I learn how to properly do a performance build.

In the meantime, maybe I will start looking around for a 1200 engine for my sidecar rig. I have been reading about a few folks doing that swap lately, and I figure if that's what all the cool kids are doing.....
In the garage:
1977 GL1000
1982 GL1100 with California Side Car hack
1982 FT500 Ascot(Wife's bike)
1983 FT500 Ascot
1983 XL600R(with some 85 parts)
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Goboy
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Location: Hinton Alberta

Re: Question about getting a new piston

#49

Post by Goboy »

I'm in the same boat, Mother-in-law is hospital and won't be coming home, but only an hour a day taking the wife to visit. Her house is old, roof is shot (job one) and everything inside is wornout. She wants us to take over now so she has money for the
Sunnyvale rest home. So more financial burden, less beer, less bike parts...... :lol:
You're too small to ride a hog Billy!

Mike
1978 GL1000
Previous bikes: 05 Yamaha FJR 1300, 79 Suzuki GS 1000, 75 Yamaha XS 650, 73 Kawasaki S2 350
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