Can't get into full detail because I don't have much time... I gotta take off soon, but I can always come back later.

I'll spare you all the complaining about the bike I have and what I consider to be bad design flaws and get right to the raw data.

1. Drilled out the crankcase vent on the airbox. I believe I used a 1/2" bit if I remember correctly. Then I took a rough file and reemed it out real good to get all the pieces off and take off a few thousandths of an inch more off. Then I took fine sandpaper and smoothed it out. Finished it by using a moistened wipe to clean it.

2. Cut the backfire screen out.

3. Replaced stock air filter with a UNI.

4. Removed air intake snorkel on airbox. (At first I had the whole lid off but then decided to put the lid back on and just remove the snorkel, I'll get to why either later in this post or in another.)

5. Carb: N1TC needle on the middle clip. #130 Main jet, #38 Pilot jet, air/fuel screw 2 turns out, drilled slide hole to 7/64"s. (stock exhaust with majority of my riding between 1000ft - 2000 ft above sea level)

I have the stock gearing on still (14/42). I gotta say. Unless I did something wrong/don't have it dialed in right yet, or it's because I dont have the 13T CS on... I don't get how everyone is going nuts after they do these mods on how much better the machines. Yes it did improve. There is no sputter on deceleration at all (that I have noticed yet). It has more pull/snap to it when I give it throttle quickly. It's not like my ole CR where when I hit it it burned the tire regardless of gear or terrain...but it gets up and goes quicker than it did. And it actually has top end and it revs further easier. Before on the top end it just ran out of power, like there was no top end. And when you went past 7K RPM's it just wanted to run out of rev. Now It pulls all the way and 8K feels like 7K use to. So thats alot better. I do NOT like the sound it makes now. I don't like a loud bike normally to begin with. Espeically the low frequency barks, puts, and thumps, a 4 stroke makes. But I would rather have that now and have it sound like a real machine that runs well than this sound it's making now. The stock exhaust didn't bother me. I liked the "stealthness" of it. But that sound mixed with the "blowing air bubbles in a plastic bucket" sound of removing the airbox snorkel is just horrible. I listend to some sound clips online, but you have to hear it in person for it to be real..and I thought I would like it but I don't. I had the airbox lid off at first and it was even worse. Thats not why I put it back on though. I was testing air and fuel flow and I think I may need to keep it on with the current jetting. I don't know yet. I guess I have more testing to do. I may need to go richer if I take it off. It seems like I'm pretty rich compaired to most people. Most people have a pipe, DJ kit and snorkel removed and are running a 128 main with stock pilot and are lower in elevation than I am. Could having the backfire screen removed, UNI filter, and crank vent drilled out actually have MORE flow to it VS. leaving all of that in and a pipe?

Some proplems and strange happenings. I'm running out of time so I gotta wrap this up for now. But. Some jackass, whether be the previous owner, someone at a shop, or the dealer during assemble put the exhaust flange on wrong. How the hell do you do that? What they did was, instead of putting the nuts on by hand equally then snugging them down, they tightened down the top one first then the bottom one. YUP, you guessed it. The flange was at a 30 degree angle. It was only pushing down one side of the pipe. instead of the whole thing. It was most likely leaking and MAY explain why I had a #120 main / #38 pilot in it VS. a #118 main / #35 pilot and it was still running lean. The plug wasn't bone white, but it had a very light pinkish-tan hue to it. And it did pop a small amount on deceleration. Or do alot of U.S. models come stock with this jetting? Anyway, When I took the pipe off the upper nut came right off. But the bottom one is frozen to the stud so the whole stud came out. And when I say its frozen, I mean its like its welded......SOLID! I tried everything to get that off. It's not moving! So I went to Lowe's and Just picked up a few bolts, nuts, and washers. Figured I could go with several plans of attack. Use a straight bolt, or cut the head off and screw it in the juge, then use a nut to screw down the flange. Or use washers under the old one to act like a spacer so I can screw down equally instead of bottoming out. Oh, I'm doing this by the way because the exhaust leaked when I put it back on because I didn't notice it at first because you don't have a clear view of the flange from the right side of the bike. Back to the story...the exhaust leak was very small, but it was there. I had to hold my fingers down to the exhaust on the bottom side and I can feel a slight puff of air, and it was slightly louder too. After putting the washers under the nut of the old stud I tightened it down equally and it seemed to seal it from what I could feel and it was quieter and the bike revved nicer and more solid and no backfiring. I'll have to spray soapy water on it later when the motors cold to see if theres any bubbles but I think its good. But it still doesn't explain why I have a #130/#38 jets in with the lid still on and no exhaust and its not bogging. Maybe the leak isn't sealed...theres an airleak maybe. It's possible, but I don't know where it could be. I checked over everything when it was apart, I didn't see any cracks and I always check everything good on assembly, but its certainly possible between being ancy to get it together, frustrated, tired, etc... its easier to make mistakes.

Also, this is the 'part 2' of the other thread I started "all kinda weird crap with my bike" , or something like that. That may not be the exact wording.

Sorry for the typos, didn't have time to read over all of this. More later. Post comments/questions.

Peace yall.
________
Jaguar xjr-9 specifications

 

It was still running lean because, if it wasn't for the emission and noise laws for on road bikes, it would have come without all the 'choke', a #35 pilot and a #132 main. Thats the OE spec for the previous model KLX250's.

 

Sooooooooooo.....then if you open the bikes intake up more then you should be at #132 + ? So with my #130 and everyone else running a #128, we're all still running super lean?

Didn't they use to have the hi-flow intakes before though too? Once you get going on the road thats almost like a Ram air system, big air scoop out there.
________
Xxx Tube Videos

 

first off, I didn't think you had much time? I stopped reading your post halfway through cuz of it's length. Secondly, you should've searched the way I drilled my crankcase or didn't drill- I burned through. It took all of 2-3 seconds and I was done; no shavings or filing required. Removing the backfire screen is ineffective and was a waste of time. Sounds like your jetting changes and airbox mods did what they are intended to do which is offer better throttle response while adding increased acceleration. The real culprit is the stock exhaust, YOU NEED TO THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE! If you want the power to flow, you need a FULL EXHAUST system. People talk of these slip-ons being great, but those same people have never had a full exhaust bolted on. Do yourself a favor, stop comparing the bike to a MX bike, that's just dumb. And buy yourself a full Muzzy or BigGun and stop tearing up because your bike has no power or acceleration with the stock exhaust and gearing on. People, this ain't mo MX bike. It's a street legal trailbike for $4700.

 

Well then, let me respond to you, smartass. I did see your post about using the "melt through" method. I took it into consideration and rejected it. Why, you ask? Because I thought "that was just dumb". When you start melting through plastic you don't know whats going to happen. With all that oil around that its been soaked in all its life it could catch fire...plastic is pretty flame friendly already being made of petro to begin with. Secondly, the plastic could get really warm and droop, or worse yet melt a hole. Then what the hell are you suppose to do? Drilling a hole was much easier and cleaner. I would have been more happy if I could have removed the airbox but I wasn't doing that because I wasn't taking the shock off, and Kawasaki was dumb and put screws in the box to split it but at the same time glued it together like some sort of sick joke. And where was I complaining about drilling the hole anyway? Thats one of the things I DIDN'T complain about.

Number 2: I'm not comparing it to a MX bike "whoa is me" - style. I know its not a MX bike I was just using my old bike as a riding comparison. What I do compare it to is other bikes SUCH as MX models in mechanics and design structure. Because, quite frankly, they built this bike bad. When you got so many wires and cables, and hoses, and god knows what else you have to ram them all under your tank just to get it on..... thats bad. The carb is like doing open heart surgery... list goes on and on. And what my point is is it doesn't have to be like there. Theres almost no reason for it. But I say again, where was I mentioning this stuff in THIS post? Don't carry issues from one post to another.

C: Just for the record, I'm not the only one unhappy with the performance. I do believe I read something somewhere printed by Kawasaki comparing this bikes motor to their performance model. Saying something to the effect of its based on their racing engine. When I bought this I knew it wasn't going to be a KX250F.......I knew that. I knew they detuned them so they were more reliable and could be riden longer for on road cruising and such. But I didn't expect them to put a wet corked slug on two wheels and pass it off as a bike. But hey, I got it now, I'm working on giving it more power, I suspect I'll keep modding it to get some more ponies out of it the rest of this year and over winter so by spring it will be ready to rip. So no big deal. If I could change one thing about this machine, it wouldnt be the power, it would be its mechanical design. Thats my biggest complaint.

Quatro: I'm not sold on getting an aftermarket exhaust for legal reasons. I'm not so sure here in my area it would be inspectable like that and if I got pulled over thats one more thing to get a ticket for. If guys are getting tickets because their turn signals aren't DOT here in PA, then the exhaust would defo be up for grabs. I'm thinking more of getting the KLX 300 exhaust on it. And maybe even making an endcap for it for both looks and a bit more flow so you don't have that "butt plug" look to it as PlanetKLX so nicely put it.

Last but not least... I didn't have alot of time. That took all of five minutes to type...about like this. Your an irratated fellow, you know that? Go to the doc and see about getting hooked up with some Klonopin.
________
FERRARI F50 GT HISTORY

 

haha haha. caution- newbie.

the funniest thing you typed? that the KLX engine is claimed by kawi to be like their MX engines but just detuned. I've never read that, can you point me in the direction to read that? Cuz if that's true, I was mislead and want my money back.
Darn wires, I mean, jeesh, can't all the dot legal equipment be blue-tooth and eliminate the cables/wires? lmao
you, my friend, bought the wrong bike and I personally find it quite funny you're blaming kawi and the bike itself for your mistake. And you DID compare it to your CR; it's there in your original post and you just said it yourself again. If burning thru the airbox is so hard, why does anyone who does it say the opposite? No shavings to deal with and no drilling period. The KLX300 muffler is good, but you're still stuck with the anemic head pipe. Not to mention the 300 exhausts are like finding a needle in a haystack these days for the same reasons you want one. smartass signing off. hehe

 

wow, I think Lithium is what is needed here, or perhaps Tincture of Laudanum

 

You'll both be getting 10mg Midazolam IM Stat.
I do believe this bike was cutting edge in the year it first surfaced (1994) compared to similar offerings from the rest of the big 4. I personally feel privileged to own one in a current market where the availability and choice for this type of bike is shrinking fast.

 

easy guys.....


Jason are you sure you have kawi jets? because dynojet #'s dont equal kawi jets... 130 DJ does not equal 130 kawi jet.... i have a 128 kawi jet.

 

I wonder... at 1000 to 2000 feet, if maybe a #130 jet isn't a bit big? I'm at sea level, snorkel removed, and I'm running a #128 DJ 2.75 turns out.

As for the wires and hoses... its a street legal bike, it has to have these things to meet emissions standards. Its the nature of the bike, nothing to do with poor engineering. You point out that in PA they crack down on things like turn signals or exhausts. If they take it that seriously, I'm sure they would check emissions? And by backfire screen, do you mean the spark arrestor? If you removed that, I hope you don't meet a forest ranger. They love to stick a pencil into your pipe and see if there is a screen.

Good luck with continuing to uncork the bike! Maybe it'll grow on you eventually.