Carb Kits for the KZ650's

I found this place to have decent priced carb kits.

Might help others looking for good priced kits for there bike.

www.rustyriders.net/carburetor-parts/new...-1977-1978-1979.html

If they're made in China, DONT waste your money, Ya get what ya pay for !!!!

OH CRA- !! I've already placed my order for 4 kits.

Well, I'll post back to let you know how they fit.

I sure don't want to miss lead any of the members here to junk parts.

So I know what to look for, if they are less than desirable kits, what is the main problem with the China kits ??

Thanks for the notice.....

I've used a rusty riders kit before. They aren't the same quality as OEM or K&L parts. They use really cheap paper gaskets that will rip fairly easily but they'll do the job if you don't mind resetting your fuel heights etc.

Maybe the paper gaskets will at least give me a good pattern, to be able to make my own gaskets then. I've made my own a lot in the past. I have a handful of leather working tools that punch nice holes in the gasket material, and a nice sharp pair of medium size scissors work well for me. Worst case scenario I guess.......

I usually just buy the parts needed and not a kit. The pic in the link shows a pilot screw and not an air screw - so this kit wold only provide for the carbs that have only a pilot screw and not those that have an air screw. Further not sure just what the Y63 needle is?

gd4now wrote: ... Further not sure just what the Y63 needle is?

That's the aftermarket designation for the jet needle. In a Keyster carb kit Y63 is supposedly equivalent to the 5DL31, but I did not see the size listed for any of the KZ650s. The kit linked below is from a UK website, so the needle number may be appropriate for a European model.

NRP-carbs-UK --- Kawasaki KZ650B Keyster Carb Kit Mikuni VM24SS

The KZR link below has an explanation of the jet needle taper by Jeff.Saunders. A typical comment or complaint about some aftermarket kits is that the taper is wrong when compared to stock. From WG's reply the 5DL31 could be worth trying??? ... assuming the stock needles are shot. But different main jets may have to be used (?).

KZR topic --- Mikuni Needles - What do those numbers mean?

THANKS for the info martin_csr !! Good stuff !!

Here is the info I have been able to find on the meanings of the Mikuni needle ID stamps.

The first number is the length series. Lets take the series 4 needle. It could be 40.00-49.99mm in length. In turn a 5 could be 50.00-59.99mm in length.

The second and sometimes third characters being letters describe the taper from the clip end to the tip in 15 second (1/4th of a degree) increments. For example "B" is 30 seconds, and "E" is 1 degree, 15 seconds. Therefore a "BE" would be a taper starting out at 30 seconds (1/2 degree), followed by a second taper of 1min 15sec.

The last digit be it one or two characters is the suffix or revision number. Example. 4D3, and 4D8 are the same style needle, similar in length and taper. However the taper may begin higher up on the needle than the other. This would make a smaller tip diameter, or a shorter needle. If shims, or clip positions were incorporated on one needle it is possible that it may effectively perform like the other. For this reason we sometimes suggest ordering a 4D3, or 4D8 for example if an OEM application calls for a 4D5 which is not available, instead of a 4E6

Lastly there is sometimes a number designated by OEM's and this designates the clip position. Example: 5DP3-4. However this "-#" designation is not part of the needed part number.
One last note: A suffix number has the following unknown variables between one needle and another. Exact length, Major OD, Point of beginning of taper in reference to clip position. Without physically measuring them there is no way to determine these characteristics just by looking at the part number.

The Sudco on-line digital catalogue has a bunch of information. Sudco.com
The Mikuni jet needle info is on pg 202 (but type 206 in the pages box - the pdf page numbers aren't synced w the catalogue page numbers). It's kinda handy how they have a leaner <<-->> richer column for some of the stuff. I haven't been to the Mikuni site yet, so it may have some data as well.

skooterburn, if you have a digital caliper, you could try measuring the jet needle taper at various points for comparison. It would be interesting to see how close the aftermarket parts are to the info in the Sudco catalogue. I use a HarborFreight 6" d. caliper to measure stuff ($20).

Thanks guys !! I really appreciate this info !! It's certainly going to help me to get as close to the correct settings as possible the first time around, rebuilding the carbs on this bike !!