I have two Saitos, a .72 in a Seagull Decathlon, and a .100 in a Hangar 9 Corsair. They both run fine and make lots of horsepower. After a year and a half of hard use, approx. 50 hours of run time, the .72 ate its' bearings. This following a long cold winter in the garage, the bearings rusted. The metal paste from the disintegrated retainer ring of the rear bearing mixed with oil, ate the camshaft lobes and the lifters as well. Any preventative tips are welcome. I decided to learn how to repair these engines, and ordered the parts from Horizon, here in a few days. The .72 is back to running like new and sure sounds a lot better and makes the original horsepower. Since then I have re bearinged two OS 2-strokes, and an OS .61 4-stroke, and all are running like new. Great fun rebuilding a tiny engine on the work bench without getting dirty or damaged. So engine tinkering is going to be part of the hobby now for me. I have observed all manner of engine gremlins at our field, and they seem to avoid the Saitos more than any other brand, but even they are not imune completly. I'm a Saito fan and would like to join the club.

Regards from old bird.