Hey B,
I guess I got a differing opinion of what I see...
(pretty nice pics...)
IMO
It seems to me this photo-spread is kinda confirmation that just about everything we feel abt chinagirls is correct.
...It would be a great idea for everyone buying a new chinagirl to follow Alf's advisory for new motors...l
Here's my take on why Alf is a wise fellow, in part...
That cylinder head is drilled too close to the combustion chamber to provide suitable sealing surface for marginal parts used in these assemblies... whatever may come down the line, today, or next week... everything is from job shops... and QC is basically non-existent.
The cylinder actually looks poor. The wear pattern is really shabby.
It is spotty, and shows many signs of binding and other seizing and hang-ups,though nothing really serious...
Basically, what I see is a sure sign that these cylinders should be honed out before they are started.
As you said, the flashing inside the port is yer basic hand grenade looking for a time to happen.
Let's talk about the rings and piston.
An awful lot of soot on top the piston crown, the rings seem to be totally gunked and sludged, and there is black sooty sludge beneath the rings and their lands n grooves.
Among other things, I think it might be time to re-visit your break-in procedure, and the oil/mix ratio employed... and the run-in process.
The rings didn't seat properly, soon enough.
They are NOT the best quality rings, but we don't hear of them breaking in actual service very often... I think proper honing might be a good idea...
Everything about the amount of soot, gathered in less than 400 miles says the mix is too fat, and too oily.
Part of the cylinder head did apparently burn itself clean, so it was getting up to operating range in temp. It doesn't seem to show any scorching, nor does the piston skirt...
Perhaps someone wiser than me will come along who can read that piston & cyl head to determine what is really going on...
Also, in my opinion, a two stroke cylinder head is little more than a chunk of aluminum to provide a combustion chamber. if it's got suitable fins, and a hemispherical shape, perhaps with a fancy squish band, they are all pretty much equal.
I don't think a chinagirl warrants expense of a puch head.... that is to say.
If the stud holes were not so large on the factory head, and close to the effective gasket compression zone, it would work dandy. Certainly not as kool looking as a puch head, though.
Boost bottles look kool, too!
And it's even more fun to tell people you are running a boost bottle!
But that's all what I think, from looking at your pics.
I'd get a second opinion!
Good luck
rc
