1100 rebuild

[vern]

Hi. I am rebuilding my 91 1100 engine. What is the best way to get pistons back into the barrels?? Put the barrels on first and pistons through the top? Or crank and pistons into cases and slide barrels on??

Any advice very welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

 

[wraith]

Welcome to OSS

I take it being a 91 it's a oil cooled motor not air ? 

You will find the best way is to build the bottom end and fit the positions to the con rods then slide the barrels onto the piston.

You can get piston ring clams but I've never got on with them.

 

[TonyGee]

as wraith says, its the way ive always done it. put 2 blocks of wood under the middle 2 pistons and then carefully slid the cylinders over. im the same never got on with the ring clamps so an old blunt screwdriver works for me with plenty of oil round the cylinder taper.  

[Gixer1460]

3 hours ago, vern said:

 Put the barrels on first and pistons through the top? Or crank and pistons into cases and slide barrels on??

Whilst that may be possible with car / truck / tractor blocks, it is virtually impossible through the bottom of a bike crankcase - as others have said either 2 x 2 or all 4 together is possible with a couple of pairs of hands!

[vern]

Thank you all. Seems pretty unanimous. I'll let you know how I get on.

[TonyGee]

1 minute ago, vern said:

Thank you all. Seems pretty unanimous. I'll let you know how I get on.

just take your time and make sure the rings are in place, the thin oil control ring can pop out and get trapped between the piston and the bore, let gravity help with gentle taps with your hand on the top of the cylinders. 

[vern]

41 minutes ago, TonyGee said:

just take your time and make sure the rings are in place, the thin oil control ring can pop out and get trapped between the piston and the bore, let gravity help with gentle taps with your hand on the top of the cylinders. 

Will do. Thanks.

[Jonny]

There is a Suzuki ring fitting tool you can buy. I have a Cheapo cheapo set from Eblag but I needed to cut the ring clamp in half lengthways in order for it to fit between the block and the casing for the second pair. This had the added benefit of giving my two of them, which I needed. 

[DAZ]

Heard of, but never tried, of people using wide zip ties to compress the rings then snip off when the rings are in the bores.....

[TLRS]

Does seem impossible to damage anything with plastic tie wraps..

[wraith]

Have tried the zip ties bit and didn't get on with it at all.