Crank rebuild question

[Vintagetz]

What price range are you seeing for Crank rebuilding?  what is included or what options are there and at what additional cost?

Thanks in advance for any information.

[Striker1423]

This varies by who's doing it. Most crank rebuilders charge labor for the rebuild. The parts are extra. Either you source the parts, or they can.

Bill Bune Enterprises was around $200 labor, but they are increasing their rate this year.
Ed Toomey is similarly priced.
John Ritter (a member on the forum here and who I recommend highly) advertises his crank rebuilds here. https://www.2strokeworld.net/forum/index.php?topic=4359.0
Do believe Ed Erlenbach does cranks.
Economy Cycle does rebuilds as well (also another high recommendation).

There's others as well.

Parts are your biggest price difference. Rods, bearing choice, crank work itself. Like lightening, welding, etc all adds up. A bare bones rebuild... Well, that runs parts and labor. Not to mention shipping.

For shipping: I use parcelmonkey.com as a shipping broker. I actually got a box with heads and top end shipped back home from Mr. Ritter, next day air for around $45 once. I didn't pick that, it was done automatically.

[Vintagetz]

Thank you,  I see where the pricing is and I understand the parts side.

Do any of the builders provide you with the status of the crank? (condition of the crank based on pressure required to press the pins)

[bitzz]

"Do any of the builders provide you with the status of the crank? (condition of the crank based on pressure required to press the pins)"
They may if you ask nicely... but when he stops working on your crank to call you, while you're paying him by the hour, to tell you it took 3750# to break the pin... what judgment call are you gonna make over the phone. I've built lots of cranks and I don't think can you make decisions about whether or not is usable, whether or not it has to be welded, over the phone and if someone wanting a "status report" on, it it is someone trying to second guess my abilities as crank rebuilder and resent it.
... but maybe that's just me

[Vintagetz]

I understand not interrupting the job, I was thinking of it as a report on the condition as part of the re-build service. "this is the last rebuild you should do on this crank"

[1976RD400C]

You can use Suzuki lower rod bearings that have 18 rollers compared to the 14 Yamaha bearing have.

[m in sc]

any reputable builder will tell you after they tear it apart if they were 'too loose'

[rodneya]

Who needs a press to rebuild a crank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4927zMC18yg

[Vintagetz]

Thanks for all of the input, I am well aware of the parts and process, contemplating offering the service.  I have done my own cranks and limited my outside work to a couple of racing buddies.

[rodneya]

If I was in the market for a rebuild Id be interested in a service offering bearing options like Koyo 8 ball, Suzuki big end bearing and maybe even the small end bearings iwt an extra roller (cant remember what they come from at the moment). Sure I could supply the parts myself, but its so much more convenient and eliminates delays caused by possibly ordering incorrect parts or supply chin issues.

[Vintagetz]

That's what I run in the 400 although I do have a personal stash of the silver-plated titanium cage TZ G bearings.  I will work on sourcing the better bearings and the "long" brand rods.  It's hard to get the Pinned bearings, the race motors are hard on the bottom ends, spinning an outer race is never a good thing

[1976RD400C]

FYI, if anyone needs a labyrinth seal, the one that Yambits sells for $26 is an exact copy of the real thing, that is no longer available. I bought one and measured up and down, felt the fit on the crank and cases, and all was good. It looks just like the OEM one too.

[busa1300]

Getting bearings is a problem for some bikes.
If you could supply a service that does machine work on standard bearings to have pins, grooves, and areas removed for seals.
Suzuki stopped selling main and lower rod bearings for the GS1000/1100/1150....
Yamaha has stopped selling middle main bearings for the TZ250 4DP/TZR250 SP/SPR...
RGV250 VJ23 has a seal built into the one outer bearing...NLA...
Same with NSR's...
If you could do machine work on the bearings, you would have business for sure.

[Vintagetz]

The bearing side is beyond my scope,  although if I can develop a source I may carry/stock the correct bearings for RD/TZ cranks (once I get setup)

Tony Doukos has the ability to do some machining on bearings but the best source is worldwide Bearings, they can source and build specific bearings.  They have the knowledge and the capability to provide specialized bearings and have the number off the bearing you need, the Yamaha / Suzuki / Honda part number will not get them what they need.

Doukos racing / Banshee superstore has everything needed for RZ350/Banshee crank's and transmission including trick ceramic bearing kits.  he also provides custom-configured crankshafts. or custom application and racing RZ/Banshee cranks Tony has great options and builds 100% quality racing and stock cranks. He also has offset sprockets and bearing supports for wide-wheel applications. 

www.bansheesuperstore.com




I am interested in building RD and TZ cranks, and any other cranks that are within my scope (2-stroke and 4-stroke singles, etc.).  I have all the tools and experience. I have been doing it for 45 years.  just need to get my stuff set up again.  I have special fixtures and jigs I built to minimize stress on the disassembly and rebuild / trueing (I built the jigs - fixtures Lyn Garland used).  I use ground shim blocks to set the individual crank widths dead on spec with no back and forth. I then assemble the two halves after they are trued to spec. this greatly reduces the stress put on the pins and pin holes during the building process.  I can also rebuild a single side when there is a seizure (if someone is on a tight budget).

Normally a crank comes out of the fixture within the factory spec of .002" runout and dead on widths, I can normally true to a runout of .0003 or less.   I can also weld the crank and rebuild previously welded cranks. If I see a low-pressure press fit indicating a crank is at the end of its life I can weld it so it to keep it stable.

I do not currently have a phasing fixture that would let me re-build an RZ crank center section, they are not keyed in the center like RD's/ TZ's.  Also the cost of a new hotrods RZ/Banshee crank makes rebuilding more costly than just buying a 100% brand new crank. 


My jigs are not structured to do a 4-cylinder crank but I have rebuilt a Skitsu 500cc Yamaha triple, it had a Hockle crank, it came out 0/0/0.  I have not done a Kawasaki triple. 

[m in sc]

I know chuck quenzler had good luck getting bearings from vxb, and if memory serves correct he could get them w the clip groove, but we had that conversation maybe 10? yrs ago. I know he got some for me when i did my crank (since he had them on hand) just .02

https://www.vxb.com/