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why i love nikasil (and cast pistons)
Posted: October 19th, 2010, 8:20 pm
by 2strokeforever
this rod is from my perfectly jetted cr 80 with a good motor till i let my cousin ride it assuming she knew how to ride... first mistake
well she held it WFO in first gear for 2 MILES DOWN A ROAD...
so it made it 100ft from where she was going till it died, most of the coolant was gone
heres the rod, the bearing is non removable now, its welded itself in there

now to the point
the cylinder is perfect
the cast piston isnt scored at all
and since i was broke i just rebuilt the bottom end, didnt even do the rings and it still started first kick, good comp and was good as new
now if that was a iron bore there would ve been a smeared piston and it would have needed to be rebored for sure
and ive owned 2 cast 80s and 2 nikasil
never needed to touch the nikasil, and 3 rebores iron
and i had the iron when i was small, and the nikasil when i was 14-17

Re: why i love nikasil (and cast pistons)
Posted: October 19th, 2010, 8:40 pm
by qkenuf4u
2strokeforever wrote: now to the point
the cylinder is perfect
the cast piston isnt scored at all
and since i was broke i just rebuilt the bottom end, didnt even do the rings and it still started first kick, good comp and was good as new
now if that was a iron bore there would ve been a smeared piston and it would have needed to be rebored for sure
and ive owned 2 cast 80s and 2 nikasil
never needed to touch the nikasil, and 3 rebores iron
and i had the iron when i was small, and the nikasil when i was 14-17

ya its all good till ya have to redo the nikasil... $$$.... just like FI on a street bike.. its all nice and dandy till ya gotta so work on the system/figure out what part failed....

Posted: October 19th, 2010, 9:34 pm
by 2strokeforever
never did nikasil, nor do i know anyone who have had to replate from wear,
ya the kawi stuff sucks and some earlier ktms didnt work great
but if the bike is taken care of it should outlast the bike
Posted: October 19th, 2010, 10:33 pm
by 100hp honda
plating or specifically nikisil is supposedly harder than the other parts in the top end. theory says it should be the last item to wear out. simple concept

. who applies the plating most likely has a huge part in how long it lasts. heard some after market banshee cylinders were flaking within weeks. other end of the spectrum the 440 is confirmed 15yo original. chrome is the same way. who applies it can make all the difference in the world.
Re: why i love nikasil (and cast pistons)
Posted: October 20th, 2010, 5:20 am
by KE 336
qkenuf4u wrote:2strokeforever wrote: now to the point
the cylinder is perfect
the cast piston isnt scored at all
and since i was broke i just rebuilt the bottom end, didnt even do the rings and it still started first kick, good comp and was good as new
now if that was a iron bore there would ve been a smeared piston and it would have needed to be rebored for sure
and ive owned 2 cast 80s and 2 nikasil
never needed to touch the nikasil, and 3 rebores iron
and i had the iron when i was small, and the nikasil when i was 14-17

ya its all good till ya have to redo the nikasil... $$$.... just like FI on a street bike.. its all nice and dandy till ya gotta so work on the system/figure out what part failed....

It is not overly expensive to have one replated. I've used this place a few times and cyl. have come back looking better than new. Cost has always been $200-$250. Not exactly cheap but cheaper than a new one.
http://www.langcourt.com/index.htm
Posted: October 20th, 2010, 5:42 pm
by 2strokeforever
and you get better ring heat tranfer and lose a bit of weight too
Re: why i love nikasil (and cast pistons)
Posted: October 20th, 2010, 5:56 pm
by NightBiker07
KE 336 wrote:qkenuf4u wrote:2strokeforever wrote: now to the point
the cylinder is perfect
the cast piston isnt scored at all
and since i was broke i just rebuilt the bottom end, didnt even do the rings and it still started first kick, good comp and was good as new
now if that was a iron bore there would ve been a smeared piston and it would have needed to be rebored for sure
and ive owned 2 cast 80s and 2 nikasil
never needed to touch the nikasil, and 3 rebores iron
and i had the iron when i was small, and the nikasil when i was 14-17

ya its all good till ya have to redo the nikasil... $$$.... just like FI on a street bike.. its all nice and dandy till ya gotta so work on the system/figure out what part failed....

It is not overly expensive to have one replated. I've used this place a few times and cyl. have come back looking better than new. Cost has always been $200-$250. Not exactly cheap but cheaper than a new one.
http://www.langcourt.com/index.htm
i used Millennium Plating on mine. same price