Running in new piston rings

[Kookaburra]

Back from the Scrap Heap Adventure (95 bikes including 3 R65's and all up we raised $70,000+ in sponsorships for down syndrome.) Did 1700 Km round trip  but now time to do some maintenance.

I have cleaned up the cylinders and put in pushrod seals and new piston rings. Its a 1985 bike with Nikasil barrels. So the question gurus is what sort of running in of the new rings do I need to do if any?

[Tony Smith]

Just go easy for a few hundred kilometers and the rings will bed in just fine. The rings in the Nikasil bores are deliberately very soft so that they "sacrifice" leaving the bores undamaged. As a consequence they run-in very quickly.

[MichaelSydney]

Wel done, sounds like a great adventure for a worthy cause.

I can't offer any advice re your rings but it would be good to know more about the Scrapheap Challenge. Do you have photos of your ride ?

[Bob_Roller]

[movedhere] Discussion about "Lesser" makes, er, Non-BMW ;-) [move by] Bob_Roller.

[Kookaburra]

Bike back together after fixing the pulled stud and putting in new pushrod seals and rings. Took it for a gentle 50km test ride and bed down. Very noticable increase in bottom end pulling power, lot less clatter and a marked reduction in vibrations across the range. Fully warmed up the idle had dropped to 750 rpm so a minor adjustment needed. I am so happy. The last of the 20 or so leaks I inherited with the bike are now gone!

This is a big thank you for all the advice I have received from many good people on the forum over the last 18 months which has given me the courage to go where I have never been before and turn an almost dead and dangerous R65 into an easy starting, smooth running airhead.

BTW the only bit of advice that didn't work for me was trying to fit new rings in through the base of the cylinders, I just couldn't manage to do it so resorted to a ring compressor and top down entry . (Monty you are a stronger man than me.)