dawg, the valve seals should come with your top end set, and if youve got the head off, you should be able to see if youve got a problem with the rings. just run your fingernail vertically to the top of the cylinder to see if there is a "ridge." this will be where the rings reach the top of their travel. then see if theres anyscoring on the cylinder wall (vertical). run your fingernail around the cylinder wall. also lastly, check to see if the piston is loose inside the cylinder....you shouldnt be able to get much, if any movement out of it. and if the scoring or the ridge is enough to catch on your fingernail, then you need rings, a hone, and possibly a piston.
good luck...just ask with anymore questions. and dont be scared to try fixin it yourself...not that hard...

 

I agree!!!!! and are you asking if the trike has too little compression or too much? because you said you weigh 215#'s and can stand on the kick starter? but it kick easy?????????????????

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

What Im trying to say is that it isnt a nightmare to kick over but every once in awhile at the top of the kick when the kick starter is at the very top I can give it a lot weight and it wont go down. Most of my problem with kicking is that my freakin foot goes all the way down to the footpeg and when my foot makes contact with the footpeg with all my weight and it freakin hurts my ankle! I guess I will just have to get the compression checked.

To sum it up sometimes its hard (standing on kicker at very top of stroke) to kick other times its pretty easy(My foot goes down and hits the footpeg with all my weight)

Maybe it has something to do with the decompression cable?

 

Ok I get you now.....It would not be a bad idea to get the compression checked anyway, but you may just have a problymn with the adjustment on the decompression cable.....the perpose of the decompression cable is to make it easy to kick over! Too many people just want to dive into an engine and rebuild it. As far as the white smoke is concerned it may just be a slight fuel thing.

 

As far as how hard it kicks will depend on where the motor is in relationship to the stroke, if you're not on the compression stroke it will seem to kick easy because at least one of the valves are open. I have an 85 350x and bought it new in 85, the best way to start these machines is to lightly kick it over until you feel the kick starter stop then stand on it and give it your kick, kicking it any other way will seldom start this machine. Like I said, I've owned and ridden mine hard since 1985 and never cracked a bolt on it yet and it still runs like new with a lot of power. The only thing I've had to replace is the cdi box, mine's always started hard but seems like every since I've replaced the cdi box it's started better. I've found there's no sense in even trying to start the machine unless you (feel) for the compression stroke then give it all you've got, it might take 2-3 kicks but always work for me

 

If its running good and doesn't smoke after it warms up its not the rings my 86 350x smoked like a chimney when it first started it had a newer wiseco piston in it the whoever did the rebuild didn't mess with the valves I ended up putting new crank bearings in it since I had to split the case I put a 12:1 high compression piston timing chain I didn't replace the valves I just had a shop redo them I gotta run race gas now but it runs like a champ

 

Doing valve seals and doing the top end is a big difference if you don't want to spend the money I would just redo the valves and put valve seals these old motors are going to smoke some 20 hrs after I did mine it still puffs alittle smoke when it first starts up just watch building these old air cooled motors up they like to over heat mine gets really hot that's why I run race fuel it burns cooler and that's after only putting a piston in I couldn't imagine how hot it would run going all out building up the motor

 

Fuel problems don't make white smoke it's either darkish blue or black and if its burning oil you can smell it valve seals aren't the end of the world just run it when it starts going you will know it have fun ride it the only reason I did mine cause the crank was knocking if it didnt need crank bearings I would have just rode it was fast anyway