Valve Related question for Honda ATC 185s

[Bernard3rd]

Hello All,

I tried posting this in the New Members Forum, and wasn't able to get a response. I now see that I've been "upgraded" and am now allowed to post in this Forum, so I'll try here.

I have recently purchased a 1983 ATC 185 s which is very clean and in overall really nice shape. I want to do some mild mods, I will be replacing the Valves, Valve guides and seals as well as putting in an XL Cam, and down the road I may put in something from Webcams or Megacyclecams.

A few questions:

I have looked at the Kibblewhite Valves, Bronze Valve Guides and seals. However, it seems that often times the people with experience in these matters prefer the Original Honda Equipment when possible to obtain, and all of these parts are still available. Are the Kibblewhite parts superior or just more expensive?

Additionally, It seems lika a good idea to replace the valve springs and If I may put in a hotter cam down the road, installing stiffer springs seems logical. Both Webcam and Megacycle offer spring kits for up to .450" valve lift. Would this be Acceptable to run with the XL cam, or would it be better to just stick with the stock springs until upgrading to the aftermarket cam? The Webcam that I am considering is the one with .375 lift. The only thing that I can think as a potential drawback of the aftermarket springs is that there would be increased friction/wear, but I don't know for sure.

Thanks so much for any and all pertinent comments/information.

Bernard

[YTZ drew]

The OEM valve springs are the same for all variants of the 185/200 engine regardless of cam (XL/XR/ATC,etc). None of the stock cams are aggressive enough to need stiffer springs. Some feel that stiffer springs don't hurt anything, and are extra insurance against valve float in case of high revs, but my opinion is that the increased spring loaded on the rockers arms is only going to increase wear on the rocker arms, which are prone to wear in these engines anyway. I took out a set of Kibblewhite springs and titanium retainers from my 200x when I rebuilt it. The previous owner had installed them, but I didn't see the need for them.