Piston ring compresser

Use hose clamp and grind the side of the adjuster screw holder on one side so the clamp will not slip off the rings. Some one on here did it with popsickle sticks. Really? Really! Well that didnt work for SHT. WORN OUT rings yeah, but new ones phogetabottit! First time i used two ring installation tools in tandem. I borrowed them from a motorcycle mechanic at a local dealership. I dont have a clue where to get them either.Just turn the knobs and they STAY tight. I dont know about you guys but the first two times i put wiseco pistons in a kz, the oil ring expanders were way too long and i had to cut some off. No ring compressor would work and the friction from being so tight would have burned the rings up. The clamps worked very well. Use one clamp on each piston

Yeah this is a subject with a multitude of different options for ring installation including using the factory Kawasaki tool. And yes some swear by the use of popsicle sticks. Some just put rings in using their fingers too! In my limited ring install experience I think regardless of new or old rings proper setup of the rings before installation is a key to success and having a REALLY good chamfer on the bottom of the cylinder sleeve is critical. While I may have paid more for the cylinder boring on my KZ-1000 than some others may have wanted to, the person that did the work did an outstanding job of chamfering the sleeve at just the right angle and my pistons literally didn't need a ring compressor for installation, but I still used a clamp setup that I bought from a place in England. As a precaution I polished the interior of the ring compressors before using them to assist in the installation process and things went quite well for me.
Rick H.

Jay at Ape told to use my fingers and it worked like a charm, the chamfer they did helped I'm sure. First time too and trust me I was sweating bullets. Comp was dead even on the first and last check so it worked good for me.