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hey guys

with Christmass and its bonus closing in i am finally ready to get the project bike rebuild
ive been chipping away at it....slowly and the main thing it needs now is a replate and a new top end kit

im located in Michigan but i dont think anyone is within driving distance so i will be sending it out regardless

so, who do you recommend and do you know thier fees?
ive emailed langcourt and they qouted 192.50 for the replate plus 165.38 for a new wiseco top end kit
that totals 357.88

(im sure i could get the top end kit cheaper but i want them to have it when they do the cylinder to ensure a proper fit)

any thoughts?

Langcourt must have raised their prices. When I got mine done by them over the summer it was $175.
I bought a piston kit from them as well. Pro-X for $80 which was cheaper than anywhere else I could find.

Anyways, they did great for me. Cylinder came back spotless all over and the plating was perfect. Turn around time was I think 10 business days.

There is a thread I believe somewhere on here where people voted who they recommend.

cheapest kit ive seen was about $130 so its not far off and that doesnt sound to bad. i got quoted at $375 for the sleeve job. im going to do it my self and hell maybe even do a KDX250 Sleeve ;) i like experimenting. but a sleeve alone is $80-$100 if you were to buy it yourself

havent heard a lot of good about sleeves
it seems replating is the way to go nowadays

sides, so far i have $538.00 into this bike so with a replate from langcourt ill be looking at about 900
turn around and sell it for 1200 :)

i just cant decide if i want to keep my engine in my DD or swap the rebuild top end in ?

diymirage wrote:i just cant decide if i want to keep my engine in my DD or swap the rebuild top end in ?

Is this a 200 or a 220? If it's a 200 and you are going to just flip the bike don't bother with the Wiseco just throw a Pro-X in it. If it's a 220 then yeah, get the forged.

But if you do decide to swap the new top end over, I would just throw a set of rings in the old one if they need it and slap that puppy together.
You aren't going to lose a whole lot of resale value between "brand new" top end and "recently serviced" top end you know?
And of course you get a shiny new cylinder and piston in your primary bike.

its for a 200
it took me a good 20 minutes of prying and finagling to get the old rings out, there is no way that piston is going to run again
(only one pic but here she is)
http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 33#p118633

so a replate and new top end kit are on place, and if im spending that type of money anyway i might aswell go with the "better" brand

but i am still on the fence about where to go with the rebuild motor
one the one hand, i KNOW the tranny and clutch are good in my DD and on the project bike this is unknow
on the other hand, were talking rebuild top end here, i know the one on my DD is good, but also old

diymirage wrote:its for a 200
it took me a good 20 minutes of prying and finagling to get the old rings out, there is no way that piston is going to run again

Just so we are clear when you say DD you are referring to another KDX you own correct?

What I was saying was put your DD's top end on this bike you want to flip with a set of rings and stick the fresh top end on your DD.

For the bottom end, IMO unless you have a reason to believe there might be a problem down there (fragments of piston missing, etc.) I would just leave it.
Make sure the bearings feel smooth with no slop in the crank ends and no play with the rod.
I took my bottom end apart and regretted it because it was a big hassle and extended my project another few weeks and ~$75.

yep, there are 2 96 KDXs in my garage
one i bought several years ago, its plated and my main wheels when its not raining or freezing (DD as in Daily Driver)
the other one i bought half a year ago for 400 dollars
this one is my project, it wasnt running when i bought it (still isnt) and isnt plated

it is the project bike that needs a new top end and i dont have a spare cilinder laying around to put on it
i like the idea of putting my the top end from my running bike on the project and slapping a brand new top end on the DD
but im not sure if i could call that "recently serviced"
maybe with the aforementioned rings and (obviously) a fresh gasket set it might fly

something to consider i guess

quick question about the KIPS, i got everything out except for the very inner parts...the actual valves
any suggestions on how to remove those?

When I did my KIPS I just followed the service manual. The little bushing at the top didn't want to come out initially but I just kept wiggling them and they finally did.

As for a replate, Millenium or Langcourt. Both do excellent work AND have great customer service.

Avoid U.S. Chrome! My cylinder is from them and it was not fully cleaned and the chrome had pits in it. It is a real good thing that I chased all the threads before assembling it or I would have for sure ended up stripping a few of them. Tons of people say the pits are not a problem (US Chrome even claims they are beneficial ) but I don't see the same pits in the plating from Langcourt or Millenium. Plus, they are very freakin rude when you ask just normal questions. Too much BS for me so they will never see any more of my cash.

I had a very similar experience with US Chrome a few years ago, when I re-plated a KX80 cylinder. The cylinder even had a little tag on it explaining the benefits of the very visible pitting. When re-assembled, the bike sounded and ran just fine, but, like SS109 said - you don't see that with other re-platers. That said - if US Chrome is less expensive, I might still consider them. Otherwise, I would use Langcourt or Millenium. Both if them have stellar reputations across the web.
Another thing I noticed is that the finish on the US Chrome bore was very dull and grey (very "cast iron" looking)- not something you would expect from any company with the word "Chrome" in their name (well, I certainly didn't!). Every other plated cylinder I have ever seen is very smooth and shiny.

As a said in a previous post on this subject, I was very happy with the replate job Millennium did for me. I would certainly deal with them again.

Ditto the US Chrome reviews. They are awful. I messed with an FRP ported cylinder for several years (re-plated by US Chrome) trying to get it to run worth a hoot. Never did get it to run. Finally figured what the problem was...it was out of round.

My last two replates were done by PowerSeal USA. I had not heard of them until Mr. Black recommended them ('cuz I asked him about it).

Cylinder came back looking like the machine works of art coming from Mr. Black. Beautiful.

AND...my first replated cylinder (had also included some repair welding) didn't run over five minutes. My fault. I sent it back to them for a second fix. More welding required. They cut a LOT of $$ off the price on the second go-round. I called them, said, 'How come? This had NOTHING to do with you folks, it was 100% MY error. I want to pay you what I OWE you for the job.'

Their response? 'We want to do what we can to help you get your bike back in shape.'

I said Thank You. They said You're welcome.

WoW!

When have you ever heard anything like that?

IF you send anything to their shop, DO NOT use the USPS. I'd had good luck with Priority Mail, thought I'd save some $$ over shipping my cylinder UPS. The destination PO lost my cylinder FOR A WEEK! Don't know that it ever would have showed up except I asked for a trace on the package. 'All of a sudden' it got 'found'.

Good Luck!

Millenium did a good job on my 220.

i just checked with powerseal
they charge 179.00 for a replate
143.68 for a piston
(201.23 for a top end kit, piston, gaskets, bearings)
and another 20 to ship back
so thats a high estimate of 400.23