Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi,

I'm trying to get my old bike back (Kawasaki GPX600R-C3) together. I got it almost there but found that cilinder 3 wasn't firing (was sparking but the pipe was staying cold). I thought I might have a messed up carb (after doing a DIY clean job) so I got a "new" set from a breaker.

I'm putting the new set in and I've hit a snag. The old set (KeiHin CVK) have hot water de-icing that goes along their outputs (a pipe with plugs that circulate the water in small holes on the carb outlets. The new carbs (also CVKs) don't have this even though the guy at the breakers said they were from the same bike. I tried transplanting the bar that holds the carbs together and the de-icing tube but I couldn't get the one off the new carbs (I cheesed the first bolt - I'm not very good with stuff like this. ).

The GPX has a DOHC water-coooled head. The pipes that take the coolant into and out of the head have small tubes coming from them that feed the water to the de-icing pipes. Since the new carb has no pipe I have teh 2 feed pipes with a big air-gap in them (which obviously isn't a good thing). My thoughts are that I should either buy a piece of pipe and a couple of joiners and just bridge the gap in the de-icing pipe where the carbs used to be or find some way to bung the tubes on the head pipes and totally remove the de-icing kit. I'm worried if I bridge the gap that it may lower the water pressure at the head and I may damage the engine.

I'd really value some advice as to what I should do to fix this as I'm about to move house and I need to get the bike running to move it soon.

Thanks,
Paul.

I'd go back to the breaker and tell him they aren't the right carbs. They may be off of the same bike but a different year. If so they're not the same carbs. Plus the liquid cooling system of the bike is designed with the backpressure of the carbs in mind, not to mention that the carbs are being warmed up to make combustion easier.
Definitely go back and get new carbs.

They sometimes use the different style carbs on the same bike, but in different markets.

I've never dealt with any on a bike, but a fair few on snowmobiles. If they are jetted correctly, I don't think there will be a problem running the uncooled (O.K. actually warmed) units, except maybe in the most cool, moist weather.... if even then. It is possible, I guess, but most inline bikes are pretty good at throwing heat back at the carbs. Maybe that bike trapped too much heat and the coolant thru the carbs is to cool them in really hot weather....???

Bypassing the carb lines won't affect pressure in the system, but it will divert some coolant around the engine, instead of through it. Better off to plug the 2 outlets on the existing pipes/hoses.

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately I can't return these as I've hung onto them for far too long before getting round to fixing the bike. I'll cap the tubes, as suggested.