Expressions of interest - 338cc kits.

wombat200 · Post by **wombat200** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:05 pm

Hi All,

I have a couple of these kits at home (ART), and while I don't want to part with them, I do need an extra set of rings for them. I am considering investigating having new sets of rings, and pistons, made. We have a company here in Australia that specialises in short-runs of vintage pistons & hard-to-find pistons, and they will re-make them from a sample. They make alot of bike pistons & their quality is excellent.

Obviously, it may or may not be an economical proposition, but if I was to do it, it may only be worth it if I could get rid of 5-10 sets.

Without committing to anything, are there many here who might be interested if these were available again? What sort ofmoney would people be prepared to pay?

Regards,

Rob.

sotxbill · Post by **sotxbill** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:12 am

Maybe if we knew the price, more folks would chime in.. I see an s0 piston on ebay for $46 a piece, and ring sets going for about $29.., but not real often. So $150 a set would run along ebay pricing last month. S0 pistons are pretty rare where s1,2 and 3 are more common. Can they do it for that kind of money or maybe a bit more.. Especially if the bump up the compression ratio a bit.. That would make it worth considerable more. Maybe $250 a set with wrist pins or $299 tops for the performance folks?? Maybe I'm just whistling in the wind..

wombat200 · Post by **wombat200** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:22 am

Bill;

That's why my post says "no commitment" - I'm not asking anyone to put their hands in their pockets. I just want to know who might be interested if they're available.

If I had read this posted by someone else, I'd stick my hand up, without promising to buy. As my post indicates, I havn't got a quote yet, hence I can't share it with you - when I do, I will.

bear in mind I'm talking about 3mm oversized (S12 to you guys) pistons here - not standard sizes, they can be bought reliably with some certainty. New Wiseco pistons, with rings & pins, run to about US$250-$300, so a new 3mm over set would be at least similar, or a touch more, depending on volume........

Vince Lupo · Post by **Vince Lupo** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:49 pm

I'd be interested, so you can put me down on the list.

sotxbill · Post by **sotxbill** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:46 pm

if higher compression ratio.. definately.. thanks, Bill

wombat200 · Post by **wombat200** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 5:37 pm

sotxbill wrote:if higher compression ratio.. definately.. thanks, Bill

Higher than what, Bill?? There were a few different compression ratios used in these engines, depending on market, configuration (type 1/2 etc), level of tuning, etc.....

If I do arange them, the compression won't be crazy - around the same as stock - because they need to appeal to those building reliable engines, touring engines, etc - they need to appeal to the masses. You can always skim a head or barrels for a little more compression.

Something else that has been pointed out to me is that due to the resulting liner thickness, you don't want one of these over-bored engines to be a fire-breather, lest you risk a cracked liner....... As I'm sure others will point out, the idea of these 'big bore' kits was to provide a bit more torque, not to build a race engine....... Better off to try one of the other ways of increasing capacity - CB350 pistons, kawasaki 400cc pistons, along with oversized liners, etc, if you want big power...... These engines have been taken out to 440cc & even 500cc, with substantial modification.......

sotxbill · Post by **sotxbill** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:10 pm

higher than 9.5????maybe a 9.8 or a 10?? What compression ratio would these be if not 9.5?