Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original

Newbie hello, and 1987 KX500C-1 top end.

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dean350b:
Almost fire-up time. New piston, KIPS valves, gaskets, etc. all installed. Wayyyy mucho compression, she will need an iron dirttrack boot to fire her up.

Rigged the KIPS valves to not overshoot on closing and opening, that took some time. I lapped them in with valve grinding compound, and then installed with nickle anti-sieze. I ended up using a 1988 set of valves and rack, better parts, all steel, not the crap hard anodized aluminum valves like a 1987. Also, the 1988 rack has different rigging hash-marks, makes overshooting the valves really not an issue.

Found my reeds were memorized to the open position by .012". Flipped them around, but then common sense prevailed and I ordered new super stock Boysen petals for insurance. Don't want to clean out this new piston and nice cylinder with a broken reed petal.

The "B" piston really brought my piston to cylinder clearance back into spec. Nice. I have .005" clearance, just .001" bigger than ideal, I am happy.

I am blown away how much the old piston was worn down 360* around!!! That Nikasil is great stuff, it hung in there while the piston grinded down and blew out the exhaust pipe in the last 22 years.

Will fire her as soon as the Boysen's arrive, and get installed.

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