Cast iron cylinder honing - air-cooled Honda?

**Sully60** · 18th February 2009, 18:56

Does any body have experience with honing cylinders from old school air cooled Hondas?

I'm just wondering how coarse the stones need to be. From my earlier experience coarser seems to be better but I could be wrong.

I purchased a cheap flexi hone that was designed for master cylinders (the bore is only 47mm) and has the equivalent to 240 grit stones. But testing it on some old liners I think that may be too fine.

I suppose my question is what are the requirements of acheieveing the correct finish to cylinders to aid the bed in of the rings?

**Number One** · 18th February 2009, 19:10

mmmmm rufff!

**Sully60** · 19th February 2009, 08:07

Bump for the daytime crew.

**tri boy** · 19th February 2009, 11:28

Are you "honing to size", or honing to fit fresh rings?
A med-coarse bottle brush type hone will deglaze the bore quickly and to a reasonable standard to bed in fresh rings.
But for an accurate sizing hone, then it is difficult without a professional honing kit, and vertical honing drill/work area.
For the cost, I'd go to an engine rebuilder with the rings, and get them to size, and finish the cylinder. MHO

**Sully60** · 19th February 2009, 16:24

Originally Posted by tri boy

Are you "honing to size", or honing to fit fresh rings?
A med-coarse bottle brush type hone will deglaze the bore quickly and to a reasonable standard to bed in fresh rings.
But for an accurate sizing hone, then it is difficult without a professional honing kit, and vertical honing drill/work area.

For the cost, Wash your mouth out! I'd go to an engine rebuilder with the rings, and get them to size, and finish the cylinder. MHO

Bored to size on the lathe at work, checked the ring gap and it's as specified.
Just wanted to make sure I get the finish right, the maintenance engineer at work thought that the finish off the lathe would be ok and the bores may not need honing. I've never seen a bore that didn't have hatching marks , even coated cylinders.

**tri boy** · 19th February 2009, 16:54

Try and get a 60 degree cross hatch with a stone hone, and that should see you right.

**Motu** · 19th February 2009, 18:15

The standard procedure used to be bore,then dry hone to size.If you have bored to size,I'd just use a bottle brush hone to get a good finish.I've dry honed to size (002'') - standing on the barrels and pumping up and down with a monster drill at low speed.It's not like a glaze busting wet hone,takes more effort,and you can make a mess of it real easy.

**MXNUT** · 19th February 2009, 18:35

Originally Posted by Motu

The standard procedure used to be bore,then dry hone to size.If you have bored to size,I'd just use a bottle brush hone to get a good finish.I've dry honed to size (002'') - standing on the barrels and pumping up and down with a monster drill at low speed.It's not like a glaze busting wet hone,takes more effort,and you can make a mess of it real easy.

The trick is to use a very slow drill, a rechargeable unit will work well to get the required 60 degree marks.
DONT OVER HONE,deep marks in the bores will leave u with oil consumption problems

Bottle brush hones work well for this type of job.

**Number One** · 19th February 2009, 19:20

Slightly off topic but it will do Sully's heart good to see that there ARE some KBers left on here that have a technical/engineering bent who WILL respond to these kind of threads.

...instead of just the shit that people like me (and many many others) post and respond too

**Trudes** · 19th February 2009, 19:23

Are you trying to say this thread is lacking shit?
I like having my cylinder honed occasionally, I ride a Honda and I blow a lot. There ya are, still on topic!

**Motu** · 19th February 2009, 19:27

Originally Posted by MOTOXNUT

The trick is to use a very slow drill, a rechargeable unit will work well to get the required 60 degree marks.
DONT OVER HONE,deep marks in the bores will leave u with oil consumption problems

Bottle brush hones work well for this type of job.

Rechargable drill is great for glaze busting,set to low speed,and they are so damn gutless they run even slower so you have time to get a nice crosshatch.For hand dry honing you need a monster 1/2 breast drill,it will try to spin you off the barrels you are standing on.In a fully equipped reconditioning shop everything will be clamped down and safe as.....if you do these things down the back of the shop as a homer when the boss isn't looking - things can go wrong.....

**Number One** · 19th February 2009, 19:40

Originally Posted by Trudes

Are you trying to say this thread is lacking shit?
I like having my cylinder honed occasionally, I ride a Honda and I blow a lot. There ya are, still on topic!

I would never say that any thread I have had anything to do with is lacking shit

Just that Sully was lamenting last night how KB seems to be mostly full of blow hards and time wasters (like us

) and that the real serious biker techie peeps look to have given up on bothering with the site anymore due to the blow hards and time wasters (like us

)

FWIW I believe the serious techie peeps are actually more likely to have tired of this place because of the 'school bully boy arrogant abuse hurling arsewipes' out there...yeah you know who I mean

I'm just saying...

Keep it up Motu and MotoXnut and Triboy...you are slowly one post at a time restoring the faith

**Trudes** · 19th February 2009, 19:51

Oh we're just trying to keep the humor and fun in this sad and dry land that is KB.

But I know what he means, sometimes you just want an answer to a question not a 12 page discussion on who has the biggest (or smallest as is normally the case) cock.