Piston rings Burning out???

[Noobto2strokes-]

Ok, so I have a 1997 250cc suzuki king quad 4x4 and my buddies I go trail riding with ride a 250 2stroker dirtbike and a ltz450. needless to say, I cant keep up with them and I'm getting bored with my quad. I found a guy on craigslist that will trade me his blaster for it. I dont remember the exact year, but it's an older Blaster with an 04' engine in it, Bored out. I have riden them, but never owned or bought one. My dad does NOT want me to get this quad! because his buddy has two and has to replace the piston rings all the time.. So, the point of this posting is: Are blasters bad about burnin' out the rings or is my dad's friend just an idiot???

To Blast?... Or not to Blast?

 

[93blasterlover]

ask the guy when it was last rebuilt. they do go bad faster than your king quad, but is a simple and cheap fix when they do. the motors can last a very long time without having to replace them if jetted and oiled correctly. SO BUY IT

 

[B-1]

Hes and idot. If u maintain it well blasters will last many years. Use good 2 stroke oil, make sure its jetted properly, clean your air filter and change your gear oil when needed and you will have little if any problems. Ud be surprised by how badly people will take care of their stuff then complain when something doesnt work right. It is what u make it.

 

[blasterdemon7]

Blasters are a hands on type of quad. It's that way with any 2 stroke. You have to make sure it's jetted correctly and make sure you don't have any air leaks. It's not like a 4 stroke where all you have to do is gas and go. To me, 2 stroke power is worth a little extra work and is alot cheaper when things do go wrong.

 

[Noobto2strokes-]

Im pretty sure I'm going to take the trade... BTW, what is the best 2stroke oil to use in your opinion?

 

[cole454]

Im pretty sure I'm going to take the trade... BTW, what is the best 2stroke oil to use in your opinion?

That's the problem. Everybody has an opinion and every opinion will be different. I:I
I myself use Yamalube 2-R.
http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/productDetail.do?navType=type&priceRange=allPrices&navTitle=Chemicals&webTypeId=397&webCatId=23&brandId=322&prodFamilyId=2925

 

[blasterdemon7]

Im pretty sure I'm going to take the trade... BTW, what is the best 2stroke oil to use in your opinion?

You can go with any oil made for sport 2 stroke quads. I would not use the cheap stuff like you find at walmart and the auto parts store.

 

[xjma]

Where do you live? I'd trade my blaster for a king quad!!

And yes, your dads friend is an idiot. I tore open two blaster motors in 08, they were both 00s that had been sitting for 2-3 years out under a tarp. They were immaculate inside and had not been very well taken care of. The previous owner just beat the bag out of them, but the motors were fine, they just needed carb cleaning and adjustments. I ended up honing the cylinders and throwing in new rings just because I had it apart...not that they really needed replacing (although it certainly never hurts, haha).

If your dads friend races the blasters then it would be somewhat reasonable for him to change the piston rings like every racing season or every few months, but that's racing where you run the motors a lot and beat the absolute snot out of them!! It's also accepted that you're going to be rebuilding much more than just the top end somewhat frequently on racing motors!! One benefit to a 2stroke over a 4stroke is that they're so damn simple, anyone can rebuild the top end and if you have taken care of it all you'll need is a set of new seals and a new set of piston rings. If you messed up and burnt up the top end, you'll have to have the cylinder bored out to the next size and get a larger piston. Still, not very expensive and you dont' have to be a mechanic to figure out how to do it yourself.

If you have a totally stock blaster with oil injection they are pretty low maintenance but if you want to make it really fast and start modding it it will be a little more hands on - requiring you to actually change stuff in the carb every so often (with the changes in the seasons/temps....if you live where seasons change, haha).

blasters and utility quads are like apples and oranges. They're both very fun just built for totally different purposes.

 

[xjma]

Also, on keeping up with a 250cc dirt bike and an ltz450, the blaster isn't going to smoke them unless it's really well modified but it will definitely be able to hang in with them a lot better than a utility quad with really low gears.

Rider skill will have a lot to do with it too...once you learn how to ride the 2stroke you'll be faster. Also, if you weigh 300#s, the blaster is probably not for you. I'm 6'2" 230 and I'm on the big side for a blaster....actually I'm too big for it but it's what I have and the motor certainly isn't lacking, it's just a smaller size quad....but it can be modified!

 

[Larry's Shee]

You will have a lot more fun on a Blaster. The more I drive mine the more I like it, and I'm an old fart , been burning 2s before they had reed valves. Jetted right and plenty of oil (I run 28:1) they last a long time. Even when they need rings you can do it for about $50. Ask your dad how many hours he's used his weedwacker or chain saw, and bet he uses cheap oil.

Factory owners manual calls for 24:1 for a Banshee. My 72 250 Elsinore uses 20:1, oil is good.

 

[xJust_Causex]

mines going on 2 years on the top end. It doesn't get rode much but when it does its pretty well balls out. I'm 295 and I have alot of fun on the blaster its still plenty fast for me, I wish i had the money to add some motor work, or upgrade to a 250r, but I'm not complaining at all about the blaster I say jump on it, and tell your pappys friend to learn to maintain things and he won't have to changed rings ever few months, ( unless he ride A LOT or races, then theres no way around it. Most racers rebuild ever couple race, unless they have the money then its usually every race.)

 

[Rubbersalt]

Sound's almost like his ports arn't chambfered and he is wearing his rings out fast.

I know BOTH my YT175 engines(damn near identical to blaster) had stock pistons in them.. They both came from 1983... 1 lost a rod bearing and took the piston, the other was worn out. Needed a new piston/bore.

Blaster must be modified to keep up.

Here is how I modify my smokers. Porting first - Pipe that matches the porting, Carb that matches the RPM ranges of pipe and porting, Reeds, Head modifications, Timing adjustment that matches the porting.

I do my own porting and build my own pipes - So they are in tune always. If you buy a pipe, get a port that that matches it. Your carb will breath X amount at X RPM, get the carb closet to where you want to be running most of the time.