Kawi2strokes.com Forum

i was fitting the new rings on my H1 yesterday and they come with a spring strip that fits inside the bottom ring , is this really necersary i cant imagine that it does very much as the rings are pretty stout as they are.
and on disasembly of the motor one of said strips was broken.
thanks mark

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she will never be pretty but she is a fun ride.

73 KAWASAKI H1 (Sold).
82 YAMAHA RD350LC
2000 KAWI KDX200H
2001 Triumph TT600

Most will say they're not necessary...but they make them for a reason. I think it might prevent rings from sticking if the bike stands for a long time....so I always use them.

I KNOW I'll get all sorts of flak on this, from the so-called "experts", but PUT THOSE EXPANDERS IN THE BOTTOM RING GROOVES ON STOCK KAWASAKI PISTONS, THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY NEEDED FOR STREET PISTON OPERATION/LONGEVITY. The second rings are trhinner from face to center than the top rings, and, those expanders help keep the piston centered in the bore as it operates. Without them, the piston rocks front to rear and side to side in the bore, because the pistons are tapered, larger at their bottoms, vs smaller at their ring land areas. .

PUT 'EM IN

If you are racing the motorcycle, with stock Kawasaki pistons in place, you would have already put only the TOP ring on each piston.

Interesting to hear that, thanks. I had previously thought of the expander ring as something to help the ring itself seal, but the way rings are made, floating in the groove and never bottoming out, they wouldn't tend to center the piston at all without something radially connecting them to the piston. I bet the difference would be especially obvious when listening to a cold engine, before the pistons have expanded.

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

execent ,just what i needed to hear,
thanks to all, makes sense now.
cheers mark

_________________
she will never be pretty but she is a fun ride.

73 KAWASAKI H1 (Sold).
82 YAMAHA RD350LC
2000 KAWI KDX200H
2001 Triumph TT600