rings

[hi$toy]

is it recommended to change piston rings and hone cylinders when doing cylinder head upgrade?

[SP33DY]

It depends on the condition of the cylinder. If you still have full crosshatch on the thrust faces (front and rear faces of the cylinder) you don't need to do anything. If the thrust faces are worn smooth or have scratches that you can catch your fingernail in, you need to hone and re-ring.

[kd]

This is a good reason to do a compression test before disassembly.  If the test shows even compression with no ring wear signs leaving them alone is OK.  If you're only doing head work I wouldn't even consider pulling the barrels unless you have a base gasket issue or something you are also addressing.