Above: Where it all begins… pistons being designed with the SolidWorks software

Caroline Carr
Sales Manager


     In late July, I had a chance to visit United Engine and Machine (UEM), home of the KB Performance Piston brand, in Carson City, NV (about 15 miles north of our offices). UEM has been in the piston business for over 80 years now and at the current Carson City location since 1978. The company delved into the motorcycle industry about 15 years ago and is now gearing up for some major growth in that market. I received a thorough overview of the new motorcycle pistons KB is introducing and was treated to a tour of the facility as well as a quick lesson in KB’s piston-making process. 

     While much of UEM’s manufacturing is now based outside of the Nevada plant, the facility in Carson is still very active. Though it’s a fairly modest set-up, I have a (some may call it unusual) fascination with manufacturing processes, so I naturally had to soak up every little detail and ask questions about every part and function. The pistons begin with computer generated designs and stereolithography models that are then transferred to a variety of different machines that cut, grind, drill and clean until the piston is ready to go. 

     Nothing is “cookie-cutter” about UEM’s operations, so while I was very impressed to learn about the company’s proprietary machining technology, I wasn’t necessarily surprised. UEM manufactures the pistons from scratch, so when the company saw a need to design a machine that significantly increases the accuracy of the final product, that’s precisely what they did. According to co-owner Scott Sulprizio, UEM developed this exclusive technology in the 1950s to assist in the piston manufacturing process and the machine has been adjusted along the years to keep pace by adapting computer controls to give a very flexible and highly accurate skirt-finishing platform. In fact, even today, the KB machine out-performs the latest technology as far as its accuracy is concerned. 

     To give an idea of the significance of the growth and commitment on the motorcycle side at KB, the new motorcycle pistons will basically double the size of the current line. The original offering from KB is the Hypereutectic series of pistons. According to Sulprizio, this line offers very low thermal expansion, great wear characteristics and low thermal conductivity. The Hypereutectic pistons provide an accurate fit, which helps to quiet the motor. The new forging line of premium pistons utilize a revolutionary lightweight design and will feature a wide variety of applications and compression ratios. Twin Cam pistons alone will feature 16 new offerings from 95 inch to 117 inch. 

     So when will you be able to get your hands on the new additions from KB? The basic answer is very soon. According to Sulprizio, the new, updated catalog will be available in mid-October and product will arrive from that point through the first of the year. So get ready to take advantage of this exciting, new line from KB Performance Piston and contact your regular distributor to start ordering.