Possible Kawasaki 650 X2 mods???

[Ignis]

Hello, I recently purchased an 1986 X2 and am VERY new to jetsking.

What possible mods can I do and what will I gain from each?

[slag]

86 was a good year for the x2. NO REV LIMITER!!!

first things first, get rid of that carb and put a 42 mm keihn or some other aftermarket carb on there.

Get a westcoast head or get yours milled.

Some people like to swap out the handlebars, but i like the stock ones.

Send your impeller off to impros to get it repitched.

You'll also want to add a bilge pump

Remove the stock oil injection and premix, especially on an older ski like yours.

[chris w]

the Kehin 42 works well on that motor, but you will need to do some matching of the stock manifold to the carb. The stock 28mm carb can be used as a paperweight.

[ebloc]

there is no point in changing the carb if your not going to change the exhaust....the pipe will give you the best gains in h/p...you can probably get your ski to 65 horses very easily...with a pipe and carb

[Ignis]

Thanks for the advice.
-Bilge system is already installed
-The original owner already went to pre-mix. However, I was considering buying the parts I need off of eBay and just use the oil injection method. Why is that a HORRIBLE idea "especially for an older ski"???
-Also, with having no rev limiter, should I be worried about blowing the motor whenever I jump out of the water?
-What do you mean by "matching of the stock manifold to the carb"?

Thanks VERY much!

[ July 23, 2003, 10:54 AM: Message edited by: Ignis ]

[slag]

Originally posted by ebloc:
there is no point in changing the carb if your not going to change the exhaust....the pipe will give you the best gains in h/p...you can probably get your ski to 65 horses very easily...with a pipe and carb

Well, i disagree with the statement about not needing to change your carb if you dont change your exhaust, but I would agree that an aftermarket exhaust really really wakes these up. I personally owned a pretty stock x2, but rode a guys who had a 42 keihn, impeller, and pipe only and it was a huge difference over stock.

[chris w]

The carb is the FIRST thing that needs changing on that year ski. The stocker was a 28mm until 88 I think. The carb is a Big improvement.

[jesutton3]

The oil injection is a bad idea on that model ski because the oil injection on the 650 kawasakis had a history of failing. So as you know that isn't a good thing and just alot safer to run premix.

[Ignis]

Okay, I checked and it still has the original carb on it. If I find and purchase a Keihn 42mm carb, how do I get it to fit my manifold? Wouldn't I need to take it to a machine shop to get the openings to match up?

Thanks for all your help,
Joe

[slag]

Joe, either do that, or use a dremmel to open the intake on your own.

You can also purchase modded intakes regularly on ebay.

[chris w]

to mod the stock manifold, it is easy. Place the new carb on the manifold and mark the manifold where the carby sits. Hog it out making sure to keep the transition smooth, be carful as to not make the manifold too thin, but it is easy all in all.

Also have the head machined and squish cut to run pump gas.

The carb and the head will make a big change in performance and be solid reliable. add a pipe if you want more.

[JaggerX2]

Re: Possible Kawasaki 650 X2 mods???

The last thing that I would change (And I've done many of them) is the carb.(Yes that little 28 works great) Putting a 38 on will lose low end grunt. It may gain a little on top but most of the fun with a X2 is down low blasting barrell rolls,tip dips, front flips & etc Not running in a straight line like a big turd sit down. Change head (Westcoast with inter-changeable domes)or re-cut squish in head. Shoot for 185psi and maybe as high as 195 with premium pump gas. (Fingers crossed) This will help snap out of hole. Next Exhaust pipe and MANIFOLD. Manifold is more critical in my opinion than the pipe but get both.If you can only afford one or the other get the Manifold. Now I would change the water box (Supertrapp)and add a water bypass to pipe. Change Impeller but be aware that if you plan on doing the next suggestions then hold off on what impeller to get. Porting, If you can get someone to port your transfer ports this will be a BIG help. It will make all the other stuff kick ***. The matching up of the ports when pressing the liner in the cylinders of the early 650's sucked. They would some times get them way off resulting in very tiny transfers,once you hog them out to match the castings and maybe widen just a little.(Don't go up or you lose low end grunt and gain higher revs) Do a little porting on you exhaust and that is it.You motor will come alive. Now you can set that pair of dual 38's on and go pick a prop.

[JaggerX2]

Re: Possible Kawasaki 650 X2 mods???

Oh yah, One other thing. Grind the steering stop or change it.(First thing) They suck stock!

[Boston Racing]

Re: Possible Kawasaki 650 X2 mods???

First things I changed on my 91 X-2 was the steering setup, exhaust and i used a Kiehin 42mm CDK-II. It runs awesome and is a huge difference over stock

[chris w]

Re: Possible Kawasaki 650 X2 mods???

I wonder if Ignis is still trying to get his x-2 modified :D