TOPIC:

I have two sets of carbs so I thought I might convert one of them over. The main reason being it is such a pain to install/re-install carb and airbox, especially on a cold day. And it's usually a cold day where I live, and when it isn't I sweat like a banshee due to the high humidity. I figure somone here has to have experience doing this on this particular bike which would include the 83 model and a couple variants of the KZ550 as well.
It is my understanding that only the main jet has to be changed. No, I wouldn't be doing K&N or Dynajet, maybe 1PZ.
I know it's probably a lot of time and money, but that d*#$@ airbox and rubbers!
And if it gain some power, so much the better.

Go to the links here .Everything you need to know about the 550. www.kzrider.com/forum/8-about-the-site/600635-signature#702657

One issue with those carbs is that they have that dreaded extra circuit with the jet-plug.

If I was going to re-jet for pods and not use a known solution like the Dynojet kit, then I would start with eliminating the extra circuit. Kawasaki eliminated it on all the TK26 and Tk27 carbs that came out after the 82/83 Gpz550.

It makes it much simpler to jet since all you would have then is a pilot and main and needle. You will basically be making it into the TK26 found on the shaft bikes and the 83 Kz550A4.

I'm not sure exactly how I would do it, but this page shows the port routing for those carbs so you can get an idea.
s3.amazonaws.com/gpzweb/TK26mainPage/TK2...TK26portRouting.html

Removing the carbs on the 550s is such a nuisance, thanks to the position of the air filter...

If you figure out which combination of filter and jets work, please share it here. I've often thought of dumping the air filter connected to my TK26s. It's very awkward indeed.

Lord Osis wrote: I have two sets of carbs so I thought I might convert one of them over. The main reason being it is such a pain to install/re-install carb and airbox, especially on a cold day. And it's usually a cold day where I live, and when it isn't I sweat like a banshee due to the high humidity. I figure somone here has to have experience doing this on this particular bike which would include the 83 model and a couple variants of the KZ550 as well.
It is my understanding that only the main jet has to be changed. No, I wouldn't be doing K&N or Dynajet, maybe 1PZ.
I know it's probably a lot of time and money, but that d*#$@ airbox and rubbers!
And if it gain some power, so much the better.

Sorry (and no offense intended), but I must ask - how many times do you need to remove the carbs - and why? I've owned my 1977 KZ650-C1 since it was new (I've put more than 63,000 miles on it) and I have removed the carbs 2 times. Once because I screwed up and let them sit all winter with fuel in them so I had to clean them and once to replace the carb holders. Having the stock airbox in place caused me to use at the very most 10 - 15 minutes extra, so really no big deal. I don't consider that to be a major inconvenience over 43+ years of owning the bike. If you find that you are removing the carbs on a regular basis maybe there's a different problem? Ed