MC Tested: Race Tech Engine Services

A few months back we published a post about suspension powerhouse Race Tech returning to its roots and re-opening a machine shop and engine-service department (see Race Tech Engine Machining Services here) at its Corona, CA, headquarters. Since learning of "the Engine Room" I've visited it a half-dozen times, often on the verge of panic.

Why panic? Because I race motorcycles and prep them for others. And as anyone that’s spent time racing or building racebikes knows, the smelly brown stuff loves to fly at the fan a day or two before you or your customer is due at the track. Quick turnaround is critical for a guy like me, and Race Tech’s speed and precision has made them my go-to machine shop.

Warped cylinder heads, cylinders that needed to be bored to match replacement pistons, cranks that needed to be trued, and other engine parts from various KTM RC390 and Honda CBR300R engines are all projects I’ve dropped off with a deadline or race start looming near. Race Tech’s machinist magician Andrew Flores knocked all those projects out quickly and easily—after all, the KTM and CBR are modern singles, pretty much the same setup as the motocross bikes that are Race Tech’s bread and butter.

The real test came when I threw Andrew a curve ball in the form of the cylinder head off my vintage Honda CB350 racebike. The Honda has been in my family for decades and is one of my most prized possessions, and its head was in need of some serious TLC. Andrew admitted that he'd never worked on anything like it before, but he did a bang-up job and made the Honda's old head look like new. Andrew installed new valves, valve guides, and springs and put on a fresh three-angle valve job and cleaned-up combustion chambers. Labor was all of $300 (I supplied the parts), and he had the head done in a matter of days.

A fast turnaround is always nice (Race Tech says most projects are completed in three to five business days), but the quality of the work is of greater importance. When it comes to precision, Andrew puts his years of experience and Race Tech’s high-end equipment to use to insure the best job possible. And he supplies data to prove it. While most machine shops simply hand over your finished parts and say they’re done, Race Tech supplies you with a detailed spec sheet that includes before-and-after measurements for bore diameter, valve-seat concentricity, and more. For me, that’s a huge plus and valuable information to add to my service records.

If you’ve got a project that requires expert machining, the Engine Room is the place to call. Pricing varies based on the project, but out of all the parts I’ve throw at Andrew, the bill has always cost the same or less than what other shops have charged me. If you’ve got a motocross bike, Race Tech has a handy database that lists pricing for all of their available procedures including valve seat replacement and valve jobs, cylinder boring and honing, crank truing, and more. If you've got a streetbike—even an oddball vintage machine like my '68 CB350—give Race Tech a call for an estimate.

RACE TECH ENGINE SERVICES
PRICE: Varies based on project
CONTACT: racetech.com

MC GRADE: A+
VERDICT: Fast, precise, and competitively priced. Race Tech is an ideal ally for your next engine rebuild.