KX Riders

Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Original => Topic started by: Bower100 on March 16, 2019, 03:58:15 PM

Title: Scouring the Parts Interchangability thread leads to piston questions.
Post by: Bower100 on March 16, 2019, 03:58:15 PM

In repairing my 1984 air-cooled 500 I'll first need a useable cylinder I can fit to a new piston. But while waiting to source a cylinder I need to understand what piston I can use in it. I see where KawiMan indicates a '88 thru '04 will work and thats certainly good news for me, but are there stipulations doing this?
       I'm confused because I see single ring, double ring, domed, flat top crown for various years. Then I see the OEM part numbers are all over the place. Then on Ebay I see some options...... some old new stock Rocky Dist. aftermarket cast pistons and Wiseco's forged pistons they list for '88 thru '02.   
      I don't want to get involved in modifying the head or cylinder. What are my options.
Thanks, dave

Title: Re: Scouring the Parts Interchangability thread leads to piston questions.
Post by: sandblaster on March 16, 2019, 06:43:52 PM

Dave, I know Kawiman and he is a cool guy  :lol:
You can run a Wossner 2 ring piston all the way from 83-04.
However, Kawi ran several different port timing specs as well as compression specs over those years.
So, if you want factory compression in your 84 but want to use a newer piston you will need some head work done.
Tom Morgan at TMR has a head cut that will set you up nicely.
Otherwise you need to get a NOS 84 piston and there are some available on ebay right now..

Title: Re: Scouring the Parts Interchangability thread leads to piston questions.
Post by: Bower100 on March 17, 2019, 07:03:24 AM

Ok great! I’ll all for just using an OEM piston with no mods... it’s actuslly my goal ( besides being cheaper). 😁
  The pistons you saw , are they the Rocky Tucker distributed ones ? Think they’re ok ? ... not timebombs? 
I’d like to snag one quick before they’re gone but I don’t have a cylinder either to choose the size piston for. And I’m stuck right now, blocked from the Wanted/ForSale threads.
Dave