1981 ks650 carb options?

Why do you want a rebuild kit? Are the jets you have stripped? Reason for asking is because the Japanese made Mikuni components in your carbs are superior to most of the Chinese aftermarket carb kit parts.

Nessism wrote: Why do you want a rebuild kit? Are the jets you have stripped? Reason for asking is because the Japanese made Mikuni components in your carbs are superior to most of the Chinese aftermarket carb kit parts.

It's just been running terrible. Took the carbs off while doing the valv shims and figured I'd rebuild while off. Do you recommend only doing the gaskets and o rings but leave other existing components? I had em apart to clean a couple months back and they werent bad besides o rings stretched out. needles weren't too worn or anything.

The carbs shown at www.powersportswarehouse.com/p/Kawasaki#...50-H1-1981/070087C-7 for the 1981 KZ650 look like Mikuni VM24SS carbs to me; not 32mm carbs. Ed

650ed wrote: The carbs shown at www.powersportswarehouse.com/p/Kawasaki#...50-H1-1981/070087C-7 for the 1981 KZ650 look like Mikuni VM24SS carbs to me; not 32mm carbs. Ed

1981 Z650/KZ650 Edit
CDI ignition (instead of points) was introduced. The front end from the 750E was grafted on meaning a change to the brakes, front wheel and clocks[citation needed]. The kick-starter was removed and a passenger grab rail was fitted. Larger 32mm Mikuni CV carbs were fitted, allowing the redline to be lifted from 9,000 to 9,500 rpm. A new generation of Kawasaki cruisers, the "CSR" was introduced.
I was going off Wikipedia. Is that incorrect?

Trumpology101 wrote:

650ed wrote: The carbs shown at www.powersportswarehouse.com/p/Kawasaki#...50-H1-1981/070087C-7 for the 1981 KZ650 look like Mikuni VM24SS carbs to me; not 32mm carbs. Ed

1981 Z650/KZ650 Edit
CDI ignition (instead of points) was introduced. The front end from the 750E was grafted on meaning a change to the brakes, front wheel and clocks[citation needed]. The kick-starter was removed and a passenger grab rail was fitted. Larger 32mm Mikuni CV carbs were fitted, allowing the redline to be lifted from 9,000 to 9,500 rpm. A new generation of Kawasaki cruisers, the "CSR" was introduced.
I was going off Wikipedia. Is that incorrect?

Yes, that is incorrect; Wikipedia is junk. You'll be better off using authoritative sources.

The Factory Service Manual (FSM) indicates that all models of the 1981 KZ650 use the Mikuni VM24SS carbs, as Ed indicated.

Carburetors. the 1981 KZ650-H1 CSR came stock w VM24 carburetors. the airbox ducts are NLA. the 82-83 650-csr came with BS32 carbs and those models use the same airbox ducts & carb holders as the 750-4s. the ducts are still available. the stock airbox on my 81 csr is embossed with KZ750E/H, so it's actually a 750 airbox. the earlier 650 airbox is different, having different sized duct holes.

Instead of getting new carburetors, you could clean yours thoroughly if needed, and replace the gaskets & o-rings & other rubber parts if available, Z1Enteprises.com has most of the stuff. A harbor freight metric nitrile o-ring kit has several sizes that work fine & may even be exactly the same as stock. Hard airbox ducts would need to be replaced.

ps: in that wikipedia page the 750E stuff may be in reference to the Z650-F2 which was not sold in the USA.