Cylinder Center

APE is recognized as one of the leading suppliers of racing pistons for motorcycles. With over 22 years experience setting up cylinder assemblies, APE has developed a skill that allows them to provide the top of the line boring and honing for all makes.

The next step is the hone finish. APE does not use hand hones or bottle brush hones. All honing is done on a state of the art power stroke honing machine. This machine features micro processor adjustable cross hatching. The honing process from the bored surface to the final finish uses multiple stones. ( This is as specific as we will get about this ).

Over the years, APE has developed cylinder wall finishes that promote excellent ring seating and long piston and ring life.

The APE machine shop can handle all of your machining needs including upper case boring for larger sleeves. Resleeving, both stock and big bore.

Join the top racers such as Formula USA standout Chuck Graves, and let APE handle all of your cylinder work.

Visit the machine shop web page to read about special pricing and services.

APE is the leading supplier of pistons for Japanese motorcycles, with the largest selection. We are warehouse distributor for Wiseco, Arias, J.E. and MTC pistons. No other aftermarket supplier has as large of a piston selection as APE.

APE Crankshaft Department

APE has been modifying and race prepping motorcycle crankshafts for over 22 years. The most popular service is lightening and race balancing cranks for racing and hot rod street bike use. This service consist of precision machining the crank for weight removal and counterweight reshaping, computer race balancing for extended high RPM use, reworking the oil holes on rod journals for increased oil flow at the bearing, and micro polishing all journals. The balancing department uses the latest state of the art computerized balancer that is capable of measuring dynamic out of balance to .01 of a gram. No other balancing shop can balancer closer than APE.

These APE crankshafts have won championships in virtually all kinds of racing; road racing, drag racing, three quarter midgets, dwarf cars, mini sprints, etc. Every model crank is different and requires a different style of modification.

APE experts have reworked every kind of four cylinder plain bearing motorcycle crank there is. From the old Honda sohc 750 to the latest GSXR750.

The advantage of a lightened crank... Much quicker throttle response, less power wasted trying to turn a heavy crank means more power to the rear wheel. The engine accelerates faster. Harder pull off the corners. Reshaped counterweights move through the oil mist with less drag. Lighter cranks have less gyro effect. As all racers know, heavy wheels and brakes spinning fast act like gyroscopes, and resist being moved off their axis, such as leaning the bike over for cornering. Same with the crank. The heavier the spinning crank, the more it resist being tilted when cornering. Light cranks not only make more power, but help improve handling.

APE performs the complete lightening and balancing to the customers crankshaft. Magnuflux to check for cracks, highly recommended on oil cooled GSXR1100+s and FZR1000+s . Visit the Crankshaft web page for a complete listing of services and prices.

APE's crankshaft department is now lightening and race balancing crankshafts for the Suzuki Hayabusa. The APE crank is a full two pounds lighter than the stock crank and features reshaped counterweights to give less drag when spinning through the oil mist. Rod journals are fluted for more oil to the bearing, and all journals are micro polished.

The crank is them computerbalanced for sustained operation up to 14,000 RPM.

For services available and pricing for your crank, click here to be taken to the APE crankshaft page.

APE Machine Shop

APE operates one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities devoted exclusively to racing components for Japanese motorcycles.

In the beginning, APE manufactured aerospace parts as their main product line and motorcycle parts were a sideline. The racing products were manufactured to the same precise quality demands as the aerospace parts. This quality soon led to the use of APE products by the top racers world wide. Seven years ago, APE dropped the aerospace product line to devote all of it's focus on the demand for it's racing products.

Many of the aspects of the aerospace business is now incorporated in the racing parts line. This includes the use of state of the art computerized CNC ( computer numerical control ) machinery.

computer controlled machines, APE is able to produce products with extreme accuracy that racers can depend on. Perfect fit, perfect function. Product cost can also be kept down because of the machines accurate production.

APE programmers use a sophisticated CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing ) system to design products and program the machines to produce them. With this capability, sophisticated parts can me manufactured with no variances.

The new Haas VF-OE CNC machining center features all of the latest features available in a CNC. The 20 hp machine with an oil mist lubricated spindle allows for very high machining speeds. The new machine joins with the company of other CNC machines that are backed up by a state of the art CAD CAM computer system.

Jay Eshbach, APE president states that the company is continually exploring ways to increase production which allows prices to remain unchanged. "I am often asked how we can still sell adjustable cam sprockets and starter plates for the same price we did four years ago? The answer is that we make many more per hour than we did four years ago. This way we can build the necessary increases in net revenue, build higher quality products, without having to charge more for them".

The New Haas is the latest step in this manufacturing philosophy at APE.

Our machine shop has always featured high tech machinery, including the CNC Turning Acromax chucker. This machine is used primarily to make our titanium valve spring retainers. No other company in the motorcycle industry manufactures, in house, a larger selection of titanium retainers than APE. Besides retainers, the chucker is also used to make valve seats, cam sprockets, manual cam chain tensioners, clutch hub nuts, wrist pins, and other products

CAD/CAM. The heart of the computer machining operations. After the computer designs a part, it writes the special "CNC code" program, necessary for the machine instructions. All of the CNC machines are hard wired to the CAD/CAM system and programs are sent directly to each machine so they can make parts. This system actually allows the APE engineering staff to completely machine a part on the computer before ever sending the program out to the machine.

The HAAS HL2 lathe is used to make cam sprockets, cam sprocket adapters, valve seats, starter nuts, alternator block off plates, oil filter bolts, and other parts. It's programmable tail stock will permit APE to manufacture transmission shafts, and camshafts in the future.

The Haas VF-OE machining center is the milling work horse of the company. It has four axis capability and a 16 tool automatic tool changer. With the VF-OE, APE uses "gang" fixtures to run multiple parts in one loading. It will slot 25 cam sprockets at one time, hex 220 head nuts at once, etc. A second VF mill will be coming soon.

As business demands, APE will continue to add state of the art equipment to its design and manufacturing facilities.

Click here to read about the new APE facility in Rosamond.