I would not put it back on, it's a waste of space IMHO, mine has been gone for over a year. Just be sure to keep an eye on the vacuum cap you put on the carb, it likes to get hot and break down over time, and will create a vacuum leak that will make your bike idle very strange.

 

I woudln't put any smog stuff back on.

Great pics and writeup! I'm sure people will find this very helpful. When you take the head off - if you're scrubbing the valves or whatever. Be careful if you flip the head over. The valve buckets can slide up a bit and a shim can get knocked loose and flip over.. If you're flipping it over stuff some rags in to hold the buckets down and tape them down.

For the timing - when you have the "T" in the notch you are correct - that's TDC. When there is when you want to set the cams in per the manual, count the chain rivets, and make sure it lines up on the other cam. This is what it should look like:



When you're sure that it's right, put your cam cap back on, tensioner in, and roll through one revolution of the crank manually with the wrench. Watch the cams go around and make sure you get compression. After the revolution and all is well it's pretty safe to say you're good to go. Should fire right up.

Another thing I thought of - be careful on the cam cap and the head. There's two cylinder spacers between the head/cyl, and between the cam cap/head. Before putting everything back together do yourself a favor and if those spacers are on the head or cap, pull them out. Put the cylinder ones on the cylinder then put the head on. The cam cap ones slide them into the head first - then put the cam cap on. If you leave them in either of the pieces when installing you risk knocking one loose and down into the deep abyss. Then you will be swearing while you're taking your side case off to fish it out. Don't ask me how I know.

good luck, you're halfway there.

 

Ok, I'm done for the day. I have the cylinder back in and the head on. I just need a torque wrench to tighten the head bolts so I can't continue tonight.

I did end up flipping the head over and one of the buckets came out. I put it back on and it seemed fine. I didn't see any shims in there but I don't know what they look like. Also, all cylinder spacers are accounted for!

I put the smog blank off plate on. We'll see how that works.

All

 

Nice job AC, your making it look pretty easy It's a pain in the but to stop and take pics, but a nicely done thread like this will be so valuable for anybody else doing the same in the future.
Dan

 

Armycopter, I screwed up just one thing. And it was because, like you, i didn't have the time to do it all at once. So i had all my parts lined up and ready to go, and forgot the washers under the 4 large head bolts. had it all torqued down and the cams in when i noticed them on the side of the work bench. Had to do it all over.
Make sure the new wrist pin slip fits into the piston bosses. (should be a fully floating pin) Mine was tight and i had to press it in. Bill Blue says it's OK, however, it will be a bit of a bitch to get it out when it comes time to do the top end again. Also i see you have Gasgacinch for the bottom gasket, don't forget the Neverseise on your head bolts so that you get the right torque specs.

 

Gary, just so I'm clear on the piston. (forgive my lack of correct verbiage). The pin (more like a tube) that holds the piston onto the piston shaft might be tight? Is that what you're saying? Mine was quite tight. I put one ring clip in on one side of the piston and then when I tried to slide the pin (again, looks like a tube) into the piston, it went in very tight. I had to tap it in slightly. Then I put the other retainer ring on. Is that normal?

 

That pin is called a wrist pin and it should be tight to put back in. If it was not tight it would slap against the piston and eventually stuff would break.

In automotive engines the connecting rod has to be heated up and the wrist pin must be pressed in.

 

Good luck with the big bore- I did one a few years back- I had a stupid smile on my face for days. I was so impressed with Bill's work. I has a 331 kit the 350 kit has got to be great.

I think some of the most fun I had with motorcycles, was getting back into riding- buying my klx and spending lots of time wrenching making it better.

When this is done you will all the power you need. Then revalve the suspension, and you will have one of the best dual sports made that will run forever.

 

How did you get wristpin circpin out?
How did you get circpin in?
What procedure did you use to compress rings?


Thanks,

Earl Proetzel CDR, USN Ret

 

The wristpin on the old piston came right out. It was not tight at all (not loose either). The circpin came out using a small pair of needle nose pliers and a small flat head screwdriver.

I put the new circpins in a little differently. Using some info on the JE Pistons website, I found that if you bend the clips a little (not too much), you can use a combination of pushing the circpin in on one side and using small needlenose and a small flathead screwdriver to push the other side in. I ended up putting the piston into the cylinder on my work bench. I compressed the rings by hand and just slid it in one ring at a time. I left the piston out just enough to put the circpins and wristpins in on the bike. My son held the cyclinder/piston combo over the piston shaft while I attached it. It worked pretty well. It only took a few minutes.

I haven't finished the job yet. I still have to torque the head down and finish putting the bike back together. I also have to set the timing which I'm not looking forward to. I think it will be the hardest part of the whole job.