brearing shells

[roverboy]

hi all at sohc hope you can help me regarding replaceing my crank and con rod bearing shells am i right in thinking as all the original shells have green coding that  its ok to order like for like also should i reuse the old crank bolts or are they torque to stretch type and also i normally use three bonds1215 sealer but would honda bond be better would appreciate your comments and tips kind regards john

[Nurse Julie]

Hi John.
Using all green shells in theory sounds great but that will only work if there is no wear on the crank shaft. You need to measure the current clearance with Plastiguage to see if they are all within spec still. Yes, you can use the existing crank bolts and Hondabond or similar is fine for the crank case halves and should be used very, very sparingly.
Out of interest, why do you think you need to change all the shells? Are they really pitted or scored?

[archmill]

Roverboy, a number of years ago I did a technical article for Practical Sportsbikes on this very subject I.E. how to measure your crank and which shells to buy.
Would you like a copy

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Presumably all five of your crank case code letters are the same e.g. A A A A A A for the mains shells, that's pretty lucky that you could see all the original bearing shell colours, presumably low mileage or shells have been replaced recently.

As Julie says crank measurement are ideal as you can check for any ovality,  you could use Plastigauge to check for wear against a single pair of new mains & new big end shells.

[Laverda Dave]

Roverboy, a number of years ago I did a technical article for Practical Sportsbikes on this very subject I.E. how to measure your crank and which shells to buy.
Would you like a copy

That would be a great article to put in the Aladdins Cave if you can please👍

[archmill]

How do I add to Aladins Cave ?
I have two articles, one on how to use Plastigage and one how to select shells

[taysidedragon]

How do I add to Aladins Cave ?
I have two articles, one on how to use Plastigage and one how to select shells

I think SteveD has to do it?

[roverboy]

hi all thanks for all your replies much appreciated not sure how i reply to each of you individually not good on computers  regards john

[roverboy]

Hi John.
Using all green shells in theory sounds great but that will only work if there is no wear on the crank shaft. You need to measure the current clearance with Plastiguage to see if they are all within spec still. Yes, you can use the existing crank bolts and Hondabond or similar is fine for the crank case halves and should be used very, very sparingly.
Out of interest, why do you think you need to change all the shells? Are they really pitted or scored?