Nikasil coating
- Thread starter jseng1
- Start date
concours
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Four stroke?
2-stroke?
Norton 750 twin bored to 73.5mm
Maybe you used chrome rings or chrome plated rings which are very popular such as XC rings. Chrome in the rings should be avoided. Better to use nitrided steel rings or best yet to have steel nitrided rings TI coated to prevent the "bar coding" as shown below. The bar coding is not the same as peeling but it looks wierd. Some say chrome faced XC rings are fine in Jap bikes with Nikasil coating but I wouldn't take the chance. It would be a bummer to find out that it fails and peel off in some cases.
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I am under the impression that piston rings are supposed to be sacrificed, however wear is strange. To cut something which is very hard, it is usual to use a softer stone. I think in Australia, most guys who have used Nikasil, have applied it to aluminium surfaces. However when barrels are lined, I suspect the liners are usually steel - not cast iron. Cast iron is full of carbon.
t ingermanson
VIP MEMBER
All the liners I've looked at for Nortons have been spun cast iron. And just so we're all hip on 4000 year-old tech: iron+carbon=steel. (shakes head...)
I've talked a couple US based Nikasil plating shops, and both said it's a 50/50 if the plating sticks to cast iron barrels or liners, and neither guaranteed the $1500-ish in work. Millennium was one of the shops I spoke to.
"Bore tech" used to offer a carbide process that was actually embedded into the cylinder wall metal and wouldn't peel off. It worked great was highly recommended for eliminating bore wear. But the owner retired and they closed shop which is a great loss to this industry. Seems a no brainer that someone else wouldn't pick it up and offer it.
Not to be confused with the gun products company which is still is buisness.
Not to be confused with the gun products company which is still is buisness.
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Have you considered putting an aluminum liner in the iron barrel and have that coated? I discussed this with the Millenium specialist, who was willing to give it a try. They would prepare the sleeves as well. Certainly an experimental undertaking.
I backed off and bought Molnar's alu barrel instead, which Millenium later plated. No experience with longevity of their plating as yet.
- Knut
I backed off and bought Molnar's alu barrel instead, which Millenium later plated. No experience with longevity of their plating as yet.
- Knut
I would just go for the Molnar cylinders like you did. I currently have 750 Maney cylinders with iron liners.
texasSlick
VIP MEMBER
I would look into nickel plating a bore. The plating thickness can be enough to bring an over bore back to stock. It is expensive, but is a million mile solution.
Slick
Slick
htown16
VIP MEMBER
Just out of curiosity how many miles per year are people doing on their old Brit bikes? Street riding, I realize racing is a different proposition. Even when I had only one, I doubt I did much more than 1 or 2K a year on it. With a small collection they all see less than that.
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12 so far this year on my Commando. That's almost 20 in kms though. 
Hope to do a lot more but in reality a couple thousand will likely be about it with other bikes to ride.
It's running great on all original internals from 1975 and will probably see me out still on those parts.
Glen
Hope to do a lot more but in reality a couple thousand will likely be about it with other bikes to ride.
It's running great on all original internals from 1975 and will probably see me out still on those parts.
Glen
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I had a E-series Mercedes V6. The bores had Nikasil or similar embedded in the aluminum block's bores. One doesn't bore these engines and put oversize pistons in. I don't know how long they run. Mine had nearly 200,000 miles when I sold it and no sign of oil consumption. Aside from the running gear, the rest of the car was a minefield of built-down-to-a-price problems with wiring and body hardware chief amongst them. This was during the forced marriage with Chrysler. That said, my GM Suburban has 210,000 miles and no sign of oil consumption. I don't know what the block is made of or if the truck engines (7.4) are sleeved with something amazing.
concours
VIP MEMBER
I ran my A4 VW for 636,000 miles.
MB & longevity are no longer synonymous. Even the stoutest checkbook shrivels up like a scrotum in the North Atlantic in January.
I sold mine to a fellow with a very stout checkbook. He was a retired shrink. I can't speak to the shape of his scrotum. He was relocating to Rochester NY where it is indeed very cold in winter and needed a 4x4 wagon. His grandson drove it across the country some 3,000 miles, using 2 qts. of oil and three speeding tickets.
There are apparently speed limits in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota these days. I was ticketed by a very apologetic Montana cop in the days of the double-nickels (55MPH) for going 74 in a 55 zone. Cost me $5 in 1976 dollars. They only enforced it because the Feds said they had to or lose their highway funds.
There are apparently speed limits in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota these days. I was ticketed by a very apologetic Montana cop in the days of the double-nickels (55MPH) for going 74 in a 55 zone. Cost me $5 in 1976 dollars. They only enforced it because the Feds said they had to or lose their highway funds.