Tk26 vs Tk27 how to identify?

I'm working on an '82 GPz550 with the tk26 carbs that were molested by the previius owner. The way I understand it I can use the later model tk27 without changing manifolds, Lou, let me know if I got that wrong.

The #1 carb body on my tk26 carb reads "15101k4" anybody know what the tk27 would have stamped on it?

Heading out to look at a set semi-locally in just a bit.
Thanks!

The easiest way to tell is where the idle knob is located. On the Tk26 it's middle of the rack down low. On the Tk27 it hangs out on the side of the (I think) #4 carb with a remote spring-cable.

I thought i had a set of TK27;s due to the side mounted idle knob but they turned out to be TK26 carbs from a 1984 Z550F (ZR550-A2) with the 4A00 needles


TK27's will have non adjustable 4A10 needles.


1984 carburetors

That is interesting. I did not know the shaft-drive TK26's had the side knob. It doesn't show that on the parts fiche.

When I look at it on the parts fiche, it shows a center knob.
This image is for the U.S. version 1984 Kz550F2 shaft Ltd.

Is there a chance someone modified yours?

I think its a non US model 1984 Z550F. you can see the knob behind the float bowel

Ahh, non-U.S. 550F

There are two ways to designate the models. One is the factory designation, and the other is the marketing designation.

Unfortunately, the marketing names overlap the factory designations in a confusing way.

The factory designation Kz550F is a shaft drive, cruiser model, known by the marketing name Spectre, or Ltd. Shaft. (depending on the year, 83 or 84, respectively).

The factory designation Zr550A is known by the marketing name Z550F. But that is not based on the shaft drive Ltd. It was actually based on the 82-83 factory designated KZ550H, which was known by the marketing name Gpz550.

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However, there is still a chance the Kz550F had a side mounted idle knob since the Kawasaki fiche's are not to be trusted.
When I looked at the ZX550A (84-85 Gpz550), the carb diagram shows the idle knob in the center. That is definitely wrong.

loudhvx wrote: The easiest way to tell is where the idle knob is located. On the Tk26 it's middle of the rack down low. On the Tk27 it hangs out on the side of the (I think) #4 carb with a remote spring-cable.

(I think I was thinking of the Kz400 remote idle knobs being on the right.)

If the knob is on the side, it should be on the left side near the #1 float bowl on the Tk27 Zx550A's.

Here is the 84-85 Zx550A (Gpz 550) carb fiche from Kawasaki's website. This is not correct. There should be a remote idle knob, not a center knob.

And here is a 1984 Kz550F shaft Ltd. It shows an idle knob on the side, as Wozza said. So it appears both (kz550F and Zx550A) parts fiche's may be wrong after all.

EDIT: Further searches show this to be a change made in 1984. It looks to be a simple bolt-on accessory change. The 1983 shaft carbs, in photos, have the center knob, as does the 1983 Kz550A4 standard Kz550, which also came with TK26 carbs.



Note:
It should be noted that the factory designated Kz550F actually had two different marketing names.
In 1983, the Kz550F1 was called Spectre.
In 1984, the Kz550F2 was called Ltd. Shaft Drive.

In 1983, there was a one-year only model designated Kz550M1, known as the Ltd. Shaft Drive. It was pretty similar to the 1983 Kz550F1 Spectre. The Spectre was a little fancier with gold trim. I think Kawasaki realized those two models were redundant, so they dropped the Kz550M model, and dropped the Spectre name, and the Kz550F model to took over the Ltd. Shaft name.

So, as another side note, in the U.S., there were no less than five Kz550 models in 1983:
1983 Kz550A4 (Standard)
1983 Kz550C4 (Ltd. Chain drive)
1983 Kz550H2 (Gpz)
1983 Kz550M1 (Ltd. Shaft drive)
1983 Kz550F1 (Spectre )

Now my head is spinning. This is another reason why I stick with the Tk22's, far less to keep track of.