I have heard a lot of people talking about using a file or sandpaper on there new pistons to remove sharp edges. I was wondering if you could give me some insight on what you guys do to prep a new piston. I have always taken it out of the box and put it in. I have always had great luck without touching my piston. Also I have always ran a Wiesco piston and have never had a problem. What pistons are you guys running and why? I am always looking to find ways to get better performance and I figured who better to ask then my fellow Honda riders. I figure if your smart enough to buy the best brand ever made then you should have some great advice. Thanks a million!

Brian
Michigan
87 Honda TRX 250R

 

Well Brian, we only file and sand the ports in the cylinder. Not the pistons.
I'm sure there is a reason that it is done, but I have yet to ever hear of one that really made enough sense to go through the trouble.

We lightly sand the port edges of the cylinder to keep ring wear down to a minimum by elimianating the sharp edges that could possibly "catch" the rings.

We use Wiseco for customers who request a forged piston and Pro-X for those who want cast. We recommend the Wiseco in an engine with a traditional cast iron sleeve and the Pro-X in bikes with the nickel plated sleeves. But we have done both piston types in both cylinder types.

You will find that everyone does their set up differently. This is just the one that we use.