(1999 sportster)

So my bike was smoking heavily i pulled the plugs and saw that the rear cylinder plug was all oilly like badly so i pulled cylinder to see that the oil rings at the bottom were over lapped and was letting the oil rush up towards the valve area making it all chard. So i moved the rings around and it looks better and is sealing properly i hope! before i put the cylinder on i was wondering weither i should replace the rings? or just leave the ones onn that are on it now. The pistons and rings are not even a month old and no more than 100 miles on it. There is no score marks on the cylinder or piston, and the rings arent bent or chewed.

(Pistons KB272 .020)

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I think it would be fine. Just make sure to orient all the ring gaps per instructions and you should be good to go. I'm pretty sure your FSM shows how to align them, and hammer's website has a great diagram of where the ring gaps should be positioned.

Is the front cylinder okay, as far as ring position?

Good luck.

John

 

Thanks! I double checked everything and I'm ready to install the cylinder. But I have the piston compressor that doesn't split in half. So I was thinking about using a fosters beer can and zip ties to compress the rings, or a 2 litter plastic soda bottle? Any thoughts?

 

That should work. I believe the bottom of the cylinder may be chamfered a bit to ease the rings in. I used a beer can on my old VW engines when installing cylinders, very similar to what you're doing. I think I've heard of using a large hose clamp as well.

John

 

Be certain to follow the installation instructions!

 

usually you can just use your fingers to compress the rings to go in from the bottom of the cylinder..

 

yea the Front Cylinder is fine.

 

It's been a long time since I installed a set of KB's, but I thought those things had a pin in the oil ring groove, to keep the oil ring gaps from rotating to the wrist pin hole. No?

 

+1 on this. I just squeezed the rings with my hands/fingers and slide the piston up into the cylinder last time.