How much does a machine shop charge to hone a cylinder?

The cost of honing cylinders in a machine shop is not fixed; it depends on the type of parts you bring in, the condition of the cylinders, and the machining precision you require.

● Basic Pricing Model

Charged per cylinder: This is the most common model. Typically, the shop will charge a fixed fee per cylinder. If you only need simple "cross-hatching" (restoring the surface pattern to help piston ring sealing), the cost per cylinder is relatively low.
Minimum charge or starting price: Even if you only have one motorcycle cylinder to be processed, many shops will have a minimum starting price. This is because setting up the machine and fixturing the parts also takes considerable time.

● Key Factors Affecting Price

Simple honing vs. boring and honing: If the cylinder is severely worn, simple honing won't solve the problem. It will require "boring" (enlarging the hole) first, followed by fine honing. This combined service usually costs more than double the price of simple honing.
Influence of coating material: Many modern motorcycle cylinders have a special hard coating on the inside (such as a nickel-based composite coating). These cylinders cannot be honed directly; they often require removing the old coating, re-plating, and then honing, which is a very expensive process.
Processing with a "pressure plate": For performance-oriented enthusiasts, it's sometimes required to use a special steel plate (pressure plate) that simulates the pressure of the cylinder head during honing. This simulates the stress deformation during engine operation, resulting in a rounder cylinder, but the added assembly steps increase the cost.

● Additional Hidden Costs

Cleaning fee: Machining is a very precise and sensitive process. If your parts are greasy and covered in years of carbon buildup, the shop will usually charge an additional fee for "ultrasonic cleaning" or "hot dip cleaning" to ensure the parts are clean before machining.
Disassembly and assembly fee: If you bring in an entire engine block, or even an engine that hasn't been disassembled, the shop will need to remove bolts, pins, and other attachments, which will be charged extra based on labor time. Parts Matching Fee: If you ask the workshop to match the new pistons and piston rings for you, ensuring precise clearances, this "precision matching" service will be slightly more expensive.

● Common Classification Scenarios

Single-cylinder motorcycle engines: Due to their small size, the pricing is usually transparent, making it an entry-level service for many workshops.
Inline four-cylinder or multi-cylinder engines: Although the average cost per cylinder may be slightly lower due to batch processing, the overall cost will be higher due to the larger number of cylinders.