Valve replacement/seat cutting/etc

Ok...

I got the head back around January 15th, but I wanted to wait until I had the bike all buttoned up before updating the thread.

Please note - this was over the Christmas holiday, so I have no issues whatsoever with it taking a week or 2 longer than they thought.

So.. how did the process go?

First off, the head was immaculate when I got it back. It is a slightly lighter shade now than the rest of the engine because they got it really clean. I'm assuming they probably just stick the disassembled head in a sonic cleaner or something. The valves looked good as well. I didn't take any pics because it didn't look much different from when it came off, just cleaner.

When they told me how to ship the head, they told me they didn't need the camshaft but they did need the camshaft holders.. Don't know why, but what that meant to me was that I had no idea what size shims I would need when I got the valves back. So I had to start with my old shims, check clearance, and go from there. This took longer than it should've, but that's not on APE/bigborethumpers at all, I just don't like messing with valves.

So...got it all together, and then I accidentally had two of the washers for the valve cover on the same bolt, and I cracked the valve cover. Didn't realize it at the time, so ran it for a few minutes and found that I had oil all over the skid plate and on the floor. JB weld for now to stop the leak, and I'll get a replacement valve cover- saw a cheap one on Ebay, need to grab it before it sold - it was cheap, but I think it was the only one. I think the fix would be fine if I never remove the valve cover, but repeated install/removal will probably flex that area and start leaking again.

So after the JB Weld cured, got everything on it again, and had an oil leak at the cam chain tensioner. So that comes off. I can't see what the problem is - new gasket, good surface, etc.. so I used a little silicone (put on my finger and put a very thin coating on each side of the gasket - as little as I could so there wouldn't be excess everywhere.

Smartypants that I am, next I wiped the engine down, and put baby powder all over it, so that if there were any other leaks, I would see them right away. Ran the engine for 5 minutes, no problems. Good to go!

Now - how does it run and how much did it cost??

Well, the first thing I noticed was that it has noticeably more compression than it did before. The kicker is also a little harder to move throughout the range, probably due to stronger valve springs. But it does start well, first/second kick. It also seems to have a bit more power than it did before, although I haven't run it into high RPMs yet. I just went up and down the street a few times, and a few wheelies in the backyard.

I wasn't at all going for performance improvement though, I just wanted durability, so the feel that it performs better is just gravy to me.

Cost:

• They listed my cylinder head as the first line item on the invoice, but no worries, they didn't charge me for my own head - it is at $0.00.
• Labor - $79.00
• Valves - 2 intake + 2 exhaust x $40.00 = $160.00
• Springs - $99.95 for all 4 (this will vary, as they didn't have suitable springs in house - remember the KLX450 is relatively rare - probably would've had them for the KX450)
• Valve guide seals - $24.87 for all 4

Total = $363.82 + $28.00 shipping = $392.12


Good/Bad/Average? Don't know, don't care. I had very good communication with them, and they did exactly what they said. I checked in every 10 days or so via email, and always had a response same day, never got the impression I was bothering them or anything. Works for me.