After fighting to get this thing running, I finally pulled the exhaust and cylinder head off last night. Well, of course it won't do more than sputter: 1) half the studs are broken off; 2) NO head gasket!! 3) front of piston appears seriously chipped with resulting scarring on front of cylinder. Only good thing is the bike is completely dent free and beautiful (Of course I already knew I need to rebuild clutch basket and have already rebuilt carb and dressed points). It is the only motorcycle my wife will let me have for the forseeable future, so I have to make do or do without.
Here's my dilemma: Searching for pistons and cylinders, everyone seems to believe Wiseco pistons come in .020-over increments. Maybe that used to be, but the new online Wiseco catalog indicates .050-over increments. I found an e-bay old Wiseco piston that is .080 over I might bid on, but is it safe to bore these cylinders that much?? It would be cheaper than buying a new .050-over Wiseco. I found one cylinder that seller says needs to be bored. I found another that is already bored .020 over. Of course if I use mine, I'll have to drill and tap the studs and bore it also. (I believe my Clymers manual tells me not to bore these cylinders as they are chrome plated, but obviously, that is not an option.)
So, I'm thinking maybe buying the cylinder that needs to be bored, buying the .080-over piston and taking them to the machine shop. Maybe putting my cylinder on the shelf for next time and keeping my eye open for a piston in the future that is .040 over or .060 over. Of course, I'll need a head gasket too.
Any suggestions other than parting out the beautiful money pit??
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