Best Engine Upgrades During Rebuild

[coreman4]

So it seems that my 2005 XB12R needs an engine rebuild. It started having a metallic knocking sound that I think I have traced down to bad con rod bearings at the crank. So its time to crack the case and make it right, but what else should I do while I have the engine scattered about my table? Is there a good crank and rod upgrade that can prevent this failure in the future? Upgrade Bearings? I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I do want to make sure that this is the last time I even have to open this thing up again, and some extra power is always a bonus too. Thanks!

[strmvt]

get the crank welded lightened balanced get the 1450cc kit heads worked performance cams. Revolution Performance (http://www.revperf.com/XB9-XB12/XBHome.html) has all you need [up] I got 2 years on the extended warranty til I work mine

[coreman4]

They look like they have some pretty fancy parts. Specifically I am looking for bottom end rebuilds. Things that would make me never have to worry about cracking the case open again. I see that Revolution does rework on the crank and rods, but how does it compare to say the Darkhorse unit (http://www.darkhorsecrankworks.com/) that is a full replacement?

[fireinxb]

Im going to be in the process of a bottom end rebuild this winter as well. I'm very curious about bottom end rebuild options.

[coreman4]

Any other thoughts on this, or links to other threads? Thanks!

[joebuell]

be really careful with those big bore kits,sure there lots of fun but beware they don't last,they've got a reputation of burning oil around the 5 - 10k mark

[taylor]

Any one else had issues with big bore problems? I have been thinking about it for awhile. either big bore or R1.

[dallasb]

my vote is to do a turbo build[smirk]

[anrkizm95]

^^ R1 [up]

[BlackandChrome]

My 08 has been chugging oil and needs to be rebuilt. It's a few months out of warranty so it's my bill. I was thinking about a big bore kit but kept reading about reliability issues. Added power would be nice, but reliability is my #1 goal.

[dave_xb12r]

Big bore = wheelie in any gear. Good luck getting it tuned though.

[black_xb12r]

i have almost 4,000 miles on my big bore kit ( NRHS performance 1250 kit ) and i havent had any issues other than a leaky push rod tube right after initital start up but that was the idiot (me) that put it togather... tore an o-ring puttin the front head back on...

i love my big bor kit makes quite a bit more power and so far is very reliable...

i will also add that my bike makes it to the drag strip quite often and gets the snot beat out of it... and i also ride alot of wheelies for long distances and havent run into any oiling problems with it...

[black_xb12r]

oh bike is a 2004 firebolt...