To hone or not to hone that is the question. NGC

[steven c]

 I'm trying to figure out some issues with my 09 KLX250 with a Bill Blue 351 kit. I took off the top end so I had to order some new gaskets from BB to put it back together, even though I only have around 500 miles on the big bore he said I should have a ball hone run through it so the rings will seat. First time I heard of doing this while putting used piston back together. Is this something that needs to be done or just one of those you should do but no one ever does things?
 Oh the bore and rings look fine. I had low compression and it would not start, valves seem okay .

[Vagrant]

It’s his kit. Listen to him.

[Moparnut72]

I would run a ball hone through it. It will help the rings seat. No harm, the ball hone depending on the grit won't go deep. Common practice with our 2 stroke outboards. We use ball hones because they chamfer the ports. A straightforward hone may be better though. Other minds will probably offer their ideas.
kk

[PeteS]

I guess the question is can you see the hone marks? They should still be there after 500 mikes iif they were there when you received it. That said honing doesn’t take much material away and not sure it has to be a ball hone. A few passes with any hone should do it.

Pete

[MerleLowe]

Used the same rings?

[steven c]

 Yes ,I guess i'll get it honed.

[faffi]

Never heard anyone recommend a hone without new rings, but honing and old rings is better than new rings and no honing. But the stock rings and bore should have lapped well together by now - would honing improve things?

[John A]

Total seal piston rings has some informative videos on the subject, maybe you can find something there.
https://youtu.be/-LnyqSXi65Y?si=4Gw3vUUcUwmJIPHY
This video I watched at 1.5 speed but there are some better ones there.

[chuck peterson]

Total seal piston rings has some informative videos on the subject, maybe you can find something there.
https://youtu.be/-LnyqSXi65Y?si=4Gw3vUUcUwmJIPHY
This video I watched at 1.5 speed but there are some better ones there.

GREAT video…that’s some crazy software that guy on the left built…he is stoked

Portable Surface Roughness Tester, and the software…tool that visually looks at surfaces on the microscope level and maps a picture on screen…describes the effect as ‘walking around inside the cylinder’

Think before and after comparison testing of oils, break in, longevity

They had an Alusil (Aluminum-Silica?) engine case behind them