Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Trying to get your Spree/Elite to run, or run better? Post your questions here.

Moderator: Moderator

Post Reply
User avatar
fairlead
Goped
Goped
Posts: 84
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 6:21 pm
Location: Manistee, MI

Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by fairlead »

I have recently purchased 3 stock 49 cc top end kits off ebay. Each time I've installed them, I've had good runners for about two weeks, and then while riding they seem to seize up. Waiting a few minutes, you can restart them and go again. Two of the three kits have failed, having the bottom ring go to pieces and embed/scratch the * out of the piston and cylinder. Someone has suggested ring gap clearance may be to blame? I also wonder if a light honing might be in order?

I hate to give up on the sprees if the part quality sucks this bad. Maybe I should be buying from elsewhere like Treatland?
85 Iowa Spree
86 Spree Limited Edition
09 Nautilus "Seahorse" (homebuilt)
10 Nautilus "Seabrook" (homebuilt)[/color]
79 Honda Express
67 Harley~Davidson golf cart
User avatar
patthesoundguy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3159
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:38 am
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Contact:

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by patthesoundguy »

Who are the kits from? Is it this one? http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-NQ50-SPRE ... 93&vxp=mtr
I got one of those out of curiosity. No go. Checked ring gap on install all good. But the cylinder seems to not be parallel. The cylinder is smaller in part of it or seems to be. Im going to pick up the snap gauges I need to properly measure it. I could get a few min out of the cylinder before it got tight. I heat cycled tons and was easy on it to start break in but simply no good. I have a good stock cylinder on the motor now to try when Ihave the time.to ccompare. And if you were using the base gasket from the kit and diddnt cut it. The intake ports and boost port can't breathe at all as the gasket is a pump gasket or something. And the exhaust port was already raised a mm or 2 from the factory.
Dude! Ya Can't Fix Stupid!
84 Spree stock
84 Spree Dio AF18E MHR Cylinder Arrow Pipe 28mm OKO
80 Express, 47mm DR BBKit, Weak Ends Intake, Boyesen Dual stage reeds, 19mm Delorto carb, MLM pipe
79 Express
85 Aero 80 stock
84 elite 125 stock
User avatar
patthesoundguy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3159
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:38 am
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Contact:

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by patthesoundguy »

I was thinking of taking the cylinder with the piston to wall clearance specs to a machine shop and get them to properly measure and check the kit. Honing at home might not do much good if you dont know where to remove material and how much.
Dude! Ya Can't Fix Stupid!
84 Spree stock
84 Spree Dio AF18E MHR Cylinder Arrow Pipe 28mm OKO
80 Express, 47mm DR BBKit, Weak Ends Intake, Boyesen Dual stage reeds, 19mm Delorto carb, MLM pipe
79 Express
85 Aero 80 stock
84 elite 125 stock
User avatar
fairlead
Goped
Goped
Posts: 84
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 6:21 pm
Location: Manistee, MI

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by fairlead »

Glad to see I'm not the only one. I have no machine shops available to me here. Keep me posted. This sucks and I hate to give up on Sprees altogether due to inferior parts. I don't trust the thing over 2 miles! Good to hear from ya Pat. How's things in the Maritimes?
85 Iowa Spree
86 Spree Limited Edition
09 Nautilus "Seahorse" (homebuilt)
10 Nautilus "Seabrook" (homebuilt)[/color]
79 Honda Express
67 Harley~Davidson golf cart
User avatar
fairlead
Goped
Goped
Posts: 84
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 6:21 pm
Location: Manistee, MI

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by fairlead »

Btw, that is the kit, and I did spot the untrimmed gasket problem. Do you know of a better supplier, or is this all we have?
85 Iowa Spree
86 Spree Limited Edition
09 Nautilus "Seahorse" (homebuilt)
10 Nautilus "Seabrook" (homebuilt)[/color]
79 Honda Express
67 Harley~Davidson golf cart
Johnniespeed
Elite
Elite
Posts: 316
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:18 pm
Location: Sunny Surburbon Sparta Michigan

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by Johnniespeed »

I also had the cheapie cylinder kit not last more than a week, I think it was the same one you used. I ended up using an oversize OEM Honda brand piston and having Metric Motorsports in Muskegon bore the cylinder to match the piston with .0015" clearance. They do great work and cheap. I found the piston in the Netherlands, may have been the last one they had.
1984 Aero 125 57 mph for sale.

Elite 150 64 mph for sale.

Elite 250 77 mph. for sale.

Red Honda Grom, modded to 250cc, 87 mph.

GSXR 1000 168 mph. My new favorite, scooters seems way too slow now.
User avatar
paulpauly7
CB900F
CB900F
Posts: 1945
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2012 6:57 pm
Location: nz

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by paulpauly7 »

the cheap cylinders need a light hone and the ports chamfered befor you install them .
86 Nifty Fifty (spree)
ZX disk brake
Kitico 120kmh speedo
AF18 ZX ported
Polini corsa
Malossi crank
CTmani
24mmOKO
40pilot118main
Scorpion pipe
8.44 to 1
Michelin s1
71.3mph
92 yz125, 94 crm250
User avatar
patthesoundguy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3159
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:38 am
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Contact:

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by patthesoundguy »

paulpauly7 wrote:the cheap cylinders need a light hone and the ports chamfered befor you install them .
I did that on mine before install. Maybe if Ihad measured it before hand and honed it out more where it was tight. Chop chop aka taz here on the board has quality stock size kits. He has a great supplier for his bbkits and I'msure the stock kits come from the same place. He only sells good stuff. http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-NQ50-SPRE ... 4948&rt=nc
Dude! Ya Can't Fix Stupid!
84 Spree stock
84 Spree Dio AF18E MHR Cylinder Arrow Pipe 28mm OKO
80 Express, 47mm DR BBKit, Weak Ends Intake, Boyesen Dual stage reeds, 19mm Delorto carb, MLM pipe
79 Express
85 Aero 80 stock
84 elite 125 stock
User avatar
patthesoundguy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3159
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:38 am
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Contact:

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by patthesoundguy »

This eBay seller started selling these spree kits in the past little while. It says stock size but if the kit truley is the one in the pic it looks like the big bore kit the way the ports are an how thin the skirt is on the bottom of the cylinder where it goes in the block. I may order one to check it out.
Dude! Ya Can't Fix Stupid!
84 Spree stock
84 Spree Dio AF18E MHR Cylinder Arrow Pipe 28mm OKO
80 Express, 47mm DR BBKit, Weak Ends Intake, Boyesen Dual stage reeds, 19mm Delorto carb, MLM pipe
79 Express
85 Aero 80 stock
84 elite 125 stock
User avatar
fairlead
Goped
Goped
Posts: 84
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 6:21 pm
Location: Manistee, MI

Re: Honda Spree top end kit problems.

Post by fairlead »

I hear there's a video on youtube detailing the port chamfering. My friend who has blown up 2 of the junk top end kits called the seller, who him-hawed around whether we even bought from him, and then said to send us a photo of the failed bottom ring (in all 3 cases) Never heard back from the dude, of course. Does chopchops kit need any chamfering or anything before install? I always port my intakes, but I've never screwed with chamfering the other ports on the jug.
85 Iowa Spree
86 Spree Limited Edition
09 Nautilus "Seahorse" (homebuilt)
10 Nautilus "Seabrook" (homebuilt)[/color]
79 Honda Express
67 Harley~Davidson golf cart
Post Reply