Need Advise on 86 ATC350x Restore!

[350xman]

HeY Guys
I am doing a motor restore/complete restore on a 86 atc350x that I picked up last year and it was in okay shape except for the piston and rear fender. I have a few questions about restoring it and where and how to do some of it.
1.) I am interested to know which in your guys opinion is a better piston and ring set up. Is a weisco 10.25 hi compression piston & ring combo better than a OEM piston and ring combo of the same size? Are the weisco pistons alot hard to turn over when you trying to start your 350x than OEM piston? Is one piston more durable than the other? Do you get more power out of high compress weisco piston then oem and can you feel the difference in your power if it pulls or hits harder or not?

2.) Another area that I have a few questions about is how easy/hard is it to change out the rear swing arm carrier bearing, rear swing arm pivot bearings and front fork seals if you don't have the proper tools( I know the correct tools make a big differenc but can it be done properly)? I have a repair manual for it and have read the respective section and it seems that I can do this but I don't have the various tools(drivers etc) to take off or put on the new seals etc. Is there any retailer or atv shop that sells these tools for a decent price unlike my local honda dealer? Or should I take the bike in to get this stuff done by atv mechanic. I know it will cost money but on the other hand I am interested in knowing how to do this type of stuff but I don't want rect something or make it unsafe to ride. I know a guy at the local riding area/track and he told me he has done all of this type of work before on his 85r and tri-z with out the proper tools. I see him riding his bikes and they seem to work fine, now I don't know him to well and don't know if he B.S. ing me or not but can it be done? I have take a few cr250r dirt bikes apart and put them together but never did any seals or stuff like that, just basically motor ,reeds, rear shocks.
Sorry, for the novel but I want to get my 350x ready and running like a top before the May long weekend when we go for a trike trip.
Thanks in advance for any help/opinions on the matter
350xman :beer

[350xsx]

i did the fork seals and bearing carrier, both where decently easy, i made my own tool for the forks based on a site i saw -- http://www3.sympatico.ca/g.boudreau/ForkSeals.html -- everything you need to know bout changin fork seals....... on conventional forks at least

[HRC1]

The wiseco piston will be harder to kick over as the comp is higher. It will make a diff and you will feel it. You will have to run premium gas though, the stocker will live on 87 oct all day. I am doing a 85" 350x right now with big cam and 12:1 wiseco, so i will be feeling your pain starting it. I did the fork seals on my 85" 250 R with simple hand tools and drove the new ones in, after lubing them up, with a peace of PVC pipe from the local hardware store. Thats all the cycle shop down the road uses. Just make sure it is about the same diamater as the seals. As far as carrier bearings., they are simple too, If you have a manulal and some common sense, your all set. Good luck, and if you have any Q's about doing something, just ask here, everyone is happy to help.

[grundlegrabber]

As far as the carrier bearings they are not too hard to replace, but the axle locknut can be difficult to remove if it's super tight. A pipe wrench with a piece of irn pipe for leverage will get it off if you don't have the right wrench to fit it. Be careful with the notched part on the left where you turn it for chain adjustment. A spanner wrench is the proper way but you can use a hammer and punch if you're real careful. That part of the carrier damages easily. As for the pivot bolt, sometimes they come right out and sometimes the inner sleeves sieze to the bolt, making it nearly impossible to remove. Keep your fingers crossed, and if you do get it out, make sure you grease it up well before putting it back together. As for the piston, I prefer the stock ones, but if you need some more power out of the bike the higher compression piston will do it for you. Of course it will be a bit harder to kick, and you will always need to run premium fuel, possibly a mix of pump & race gas.