wb wrote:What's wrong with simply having worn or damaged cyls re-plated?

In the US, there are NO spares. Everything is either at Charles' place, or not here at all. Shipping is very expensive, and not all sellers may disclose just how badly exploded the barrels are so buying used is always risky. The only set I've felt comfortable buying were from Tyga and we all know how expensive shipping from Thailand can be. The truth is I really haven't found any advertised for sale except maybe 3 cylinders total in almost a year. I don't check Yahoo Japan because it's very frustrating for an impatient person like me (haven't completely figured out the translation stuff).

And like Max said, buying new is just nice sometimes. It would be great to have another option. I looked at MoriwakiMan's deal and think it's great. Nothing, but nothing is better than original Honda parts. What I'm thinking about would be much cheaper for a whole engine but I will be the first to admit that the lifespan/reliability just wouldn't approach "Honda-like". I'd take the trade off though to be able to wring the hell out of the racebike and just replace the barrels when it went boom, provided they had Chinese pricing of course. I just can't afford the price of the NOS Honda stuff to have a lot of spares sitting around which may or may not ever be needed.

Craig