Oil seal kit

[Bryanj]

Yup they are

[Oddjob]

I thought the idea was to wait and see what the barrels cleaned up at rather than buy the pistons first, and Cruzinimage should be a lot cheaper than DS

[Bryanj]

Checked Ken and DS is cheapest at moment plus going to 0.5 so should clean, its 0.25 thats a problem, plus i can always bore a set of 500 to that size as max

[DomP]

Yeah I've had a look Ken, IMD come close with the ebay discount code they have at the moment

[Oddjob]

Oh that's interesting Ken,  as I'll be doing a DS order for the pistons I might as well order the  Vesrah kit from there while I'm paying postage.

I've just done all 9 crank clearance with plastigauge just to be on the safe side and as it was quite interesting, I took my time with it to guarantee my reads were accurate, they all came out at near on exactly the same readings - photos to follow.  So I think I need to get the pistons ordered up for Bryan and drop them off with him but I'm fairly confident in saying the bottom end is in pretty good health, just the top end that's taken a hammering which makes me wonder why.

Or someone blew the old head up etc and changed it for what they could find at the time.

DS is £36 a piston plus P&P and Cruzinimage is $110 for a set of 4. https://www.cruzinimage.net/2017/08/17/75-77-honda-cb550f-0-5mm-oversize-pistons-set/  or $136 inc postage. You may get customs charges but they are a known make and from what I've read a decent one. The DS ones aren't as far as I'm aware.

I may know someone with a brand new wiring harness for the 550F, made by one of our members on here BigAl, he also has a load of other parts which I've asked him to send me pics of. Just bagged some parts for myself off him, really good 500K petrol tap for £5 and a full set of genuine bagged engine oil seals as well.

[DomP]

Isn't there an unknown import charge when buying from Cruizinimage though?

[Nurse Julie]

Isn't there an unknown import charge when buying from Cruizinimage though?

No, but you could be unlucky.

[Oddjob]

There is a chance of import duty but there's also a chance of none.

I've had a few packages from Japan recently and only one got import charges. It's a chance you take, saying that, the difference in quality might be worth taking that chance, I can't say, don't have any experience between the DS pistons and Cruzinimage pistons, I do know the latter are rated quite highly.

Just done a few sums, 4 pistons from DS are £152 inc P&P. 4 pistons from Cruzin are £109 inc P&P. That's £41 difference, not sure import duties would be as high as that considering the value of the parts. Plus goods ordered from a retailer in a foreign country are reputably exempt from import duties if the value is £135 or less.

[DomP]

You've convinced me Ken, ordered from Cruizinimage so we'll see if I get charged import tax but as you say its worth the risk

[DomP]

I bought this seal kit (POSK CB500F)  from ds but it doesn't contain the clutch arm seal as well as a few others just so people know.  Annoyingly they don't do a 550 kit.

[Oddjob]

Did you get charged import duty BTW?

[DomP]

Did you get charged import duty BTW?

Nope, turned out to be cheap pistons.