Hey, I KNOW I've seen posts on what size of hone to get before, but I can't find any. What happened to all the posts? Anyway I remember one recommending a hone 10% smaller than the bore. Why? I would think one 10% larger than the bore would be what a guy would want, to provide a constant pressure.
When using ball hones, the only cylinders you need to go 10% smaller on are Kawasakis with the original OEM plating. The original plating on these is pretty weak and is easily damaged. Once a Kawasaki is replated you can use a proper sized hone.
The plating in late model barrels is incredibly hard so you don't have to worry about removing too much material with a 240 or 320 grit ball hone.