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tk22 carb jets 09 Dec 2019 17:02 #815140

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noted, when I get a new exhaust stud i'll replace the one that I used.

I have some that i ordered previously, but they are made of different material (copper as opposed to the ones that came with the pipe). Think it's okay to replace just the one? or should I just undo it all and replace all of them. I could be mistaken but i think the copper ones are ever so slightly thicker.

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edit: yeah was not thinking correctly. will replace all of them.
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)

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tk22 carb jets 13 Dec 2019 08:36 #815302

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Think I need some advice,

I was going to attempt the two but trick to pull the stud out. I can get two nuts on it but there aren't enough threads to hold.

any tips on getting it out? makes it even harder when the OEM stud is painted on to the case. was thinking about maybe using jb weld to get the nuts to stick.
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)
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tk22 carb jets 13 Dec 2019 11:30 #815311

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For this kind of task a had a set of stud puller sockets. Some heat will support the extraction,



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tk22 carb jets 13 Dec 2019 13:26 #815316

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Caleator wrote: Think I need some advice,

I was going to attempt the two but trick to pull the stud out. I can get two nuts on it but there aren't enough threads to hold.

any tips on getting it out? makes it even harder when the OEM stud is painted on to the case. was thinking about maybe using jb weld to get the nuts to stick.


The studs on the frame have a nut on the inside. On the head I suspect they used a locking agent on them. I pulled mine with the help of a little heat.
Steve
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tk22 carb jets 16 Dec 2019 17:29 #815501

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striped the screws out of a pair of locking pliers but ended up getting it out. sooo much time torquing, 1/8 turn, un-torque, repeat (lots of pb blaster lol).

Put the exhaust on with a bit of a struggle only having two arms. I definitely like the copper gaskets better than the ones that came with the pipe.

Sounds great! perfect bass note, louder than stock without being obnoxious. 4 into 1s are Soo cool...

back on topic, I took the air screws in a 1/4 turn each and it runs awesome. if anything it seems to run just a little rich oddly enough. Runs even better than the stock exhaust did. I'll have to put new spark plugs and test for a true reading but other than that I'm really happy with it.

Thanks for all the help guys.

side note I found a pretty neat site that sells jets, Japanese based company. "Keyster carburetor parts". I ordered one of their kits out of curiosity (kit comes with a bunch of different jets, needles, and pilot jets. but only for one carb). I'll update back later with how the kit looks
1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (KZ550D-1)

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tk22 carb jets 15 Jan 2020 10:19 #817134

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Hello again.

So recently received some keyster kits and they look great. The main jets that come with it have the same flow as the TK stock mains.

Currently my air screws are nearly turned in all the way, so I was thinking about putting the 95 jets in them (94 are in currently)

My question is: roughly how many air screws turns is one jet size worth? The next size up from the 95 is a 99, which seems like too high of a jump for how decently its running right now.

On a side note. I'm currently burning oil... so hopefully sooner than later I open up my top end and take a look at the valves. So while I have it off and open I was going to install a set of those APE plates you mentioned. Do the plates need gaskets? I cant imagine too much oil getting up there.
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tk22 carb jets 15 Jan 2020 14:45 #817155

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The keyster main jets are usually #92. The stock mains for the 550D1 is #94. They do flow pretty similar, but definitely not the same.

Main jets and air screws have very little to do with each other. Air screw setting may be affected by pilot jets, but the correlation is likely different under different circumstances. The TK22 website shows the very approximate throttle ranges affected by each of the jetting variables.

Are you still running the airbox and Yoshimura exhaust? Also, are you using the factory needles or the kit needles, and what position is it? There are too many variables to give an exact formula, and there is more than one solution to getting a well-jetted bike. It also depends on what you are looking for, like fuel economy, cold-weather running, maximum power etc.

With the airbox in place, it should still be able to run without much change from stock jetting, but may need choke a bit longer.

How do you know the airscrews are set where they should be... in other words what procedure did you follow to set them. If you set them while cold, then they probably need to come out a bit.

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tk22 carb jets 15 Jan 2020 20:59 #817173

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Okay, so i definitely see now how I left out too much information.

So I found out the yoshimura 4 into1 pipe isn't really open, but has a fair amount of internal baffleing in the middle of the pipe.



When I initially put the pipe on and went for a test ride it honestly felt exactly the same as stock exhaust but sounded better. Prior to the exhaust installation I put new spark plugs in and ran them for a bit and they looked near perfect. Since I have put the exhaust on I have not changed the plugs to see how it has reacted to the change but I will do so soon hopefully.

So what brought up my concerns for changing the jets is two minor things.

-very specifically holding the rpms at a steady 3k while riding I can hear some quiet popping. (Slightly suspicious of an exhaust leak but I don't think so.)

-Deceleration pops when rolling off throttle from high rpms. (I don't really spend too much time in the higher rpms. I don't like to thrash this engine too much unless I'm doing a canyon. I like the bike too much)

Overall tho the bike feels to be running really well. I have no issues cold starting, (live in southern CA so lowest maybe 45°F ish?). Power feels good, but can't really compare to anything else, last time I owned a 550 was a long while ago. However I feel like my fuel economy isn't the best. Goal wise I would like the bike to be decent in all categories of tune, not really looking for more power but would like to be in the healthiest tune I can get.

The keyster kits I have aren't really the rebuild kits, but a keyster tune-up kit. comes with 6 main jets, 3 pilot jets, and 4 needles, all varying sizes (also gaskets o rings and everything else to rebuild)


Currently I'm on the Yoshi 4 into 1 pipe and stock air box which I'd like to keep.
The carbs I'm assuming are stock, I haven't opened them up since buying it end of last summer. past two previous owners just kept it clean in their collections.

So what I was thinking to do was to put it the #95 main jets and maybe a richer pilot jet? next pilot jet size is #38.
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tk22 carb jets 16 Jan 2020 07:21 #817190

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From your description of the Yosh exhaust, with the airbox, I don't think you want anything as drastic as a #38 pilot. Stock is #32.

But first I would eliminate the possibility of air leaks in the emissions circuit. That is notorious for backfiring through the exhaust. Did you seal them off somehow? The simplest solution is to connect the two sides with a hose. But that tends to look a bit ugly.

Another option which is almost free is to heat up, and press on a copper pipe cap. After painting black, you won't even see it.

Ape block off plates look really nice.


Next you will want to do a test for vacuum leaks around the carbs and carb holders, if you haven't already. That can lead to popping etc. Most people use carb cleaner spray for that. It might cause the RPMs to go up or down. The TK22carbs seal into the carb holders really well. The leaks are usually between the carb holder and the engine, especially if the bolts are too tight.

As you mentioned, exhaust leaks at the head can also cause the same popping. I'm not sure of a good trick for finding those.

The needle selection is the first thing to figure out. With four needles to choose from, you will have a huge range of variables juggle all at once. A totally stock bike with a different needle profile is like jetting the bike all over from scratch. I tend to like to work with the stock needle if possible because it is a very known quantity. With that, you have a starting reference point... the stock jetting.

With such minor changes to the bike, you probably only need minor changes to the jetting. Absent any air leaks, even the stock jetting should work without much popping at all. I rode a stock bike (550D1) with stock jetting and a kerker for many years with no popping or strange affects other than needing the choke longer (compared to some other Kz550's).
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tk22 carb jets 16 Jan 2020 08:05 #817202

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Yeah I think I'll leave the jetting alone for now.

I'll probably use the APE plates. No gasket is needed for those correct? I need to take off the cam cover soon to look at my valves anyways. Also I recall mention of a reed valve assembly when taking off the stock ones, is there a picture of the reed valve I need to be careful of?


thanks
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tk22 carb jets 17 Jan 2020 11:06 #817274

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If you take the valve cover off, be sure to read the warning in my signature first.

But you don't have to remove the valve cover to replace the air-suction-system covers. Each cover has 4 bolts. Two are long and two are short. The long ones help hold the valve cover in place, but you can remove them and re-install them without disturbing the valve cover.

I don't have photos of the reed-assembly but it will be pretty self-explanatory once you remove the cover plates. They stay in place and their surface is rubberized to form a gasket to seal the plates, so you don't need additional gaskets.

The APE kits are by far the nicest option for the Kz550's.

You will want to check the bolt lengths on the APE kit. Their prototype kit bolt lengths were a bit off from stock and would require some longer bolts which will require some modification to the bolt heads. The heads have to be reduced for the OD to fit into the sockets of the plates. That was 10 years ago. They may have corrected the lengths since then.

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