Ninja EX500 carbs on an XS650?

[ippytattoo]

56nomad I have successfuly transplanted a set of EX500 carbs to my '81. I have documented my trials and tribulations of the swap in my build thread here starting at post 63

 

[XS1961]

Nice write up ippytattoo.
I wondered at first where you were going with leaning of the main jets as I had to richen up two sizes immediately to get it to run beyond 1/4 throttle..
Afraid I got bored adjusting mine last month & installed my spare VM34's as I was running out of summer!
I'll wait til autumn to sort mine, maybe youll have it cracked by then & save me a lot of time!

 

[ippytattoo]

I have them all tuned and running well. I have put about 150 miles on them now since the last adjustments which were #38 pilots, #145 mains, 1 shim (1/2 mm) under the needles and the mixture screws at 1 1/2 turns from seated. My plugs after 150 miles of varied riding are a nice light tan/grey color with a small smoke ring about 2/3 up the porcelain. Hope the info helps those out who are looking at doing the same swap.

 

[XS1961]

Excellent, thanks for the update
I might try agan next weekend.
..Dont suppose you have a photo of your choke setup by any chance?

 

[XS1961]

Heres my idea today...Ball spring loaded ball-bearing which locates in drilled holes in the sliding choke bar

 

[jd750ace]

How about adapt this for cheap?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harley-Chok...5743&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

 

[XS1961]

Thats a good idea too if it 'twists & locks' , less work involved

 

[jd750ace]

This one is shorter. You can see the friction ring in the images.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harley-Tour...2114131384381143579&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=1&

 

[ippytattoo]

Heres my idea today...Ball spring loaded ball-bearing which locates in drilled holes in the sliding choke bar

That is exactly what I did. It is really easy to reach down on the right hand side and push the choke actuator over and kick it over. Once it starts you just gradually move the choke actuator back to the off position.

 

[hooktool]

Is there any difference in the carbs over the years?

John

 

[ippytattoo]

According to powersportsplus.com all the EX500's from 1987 to 2007 use the same carbs.

 

[XS1961]

I have 3 types here, internals look the same but theres a few differences externally on mine, fuel pipe feed/inlet , carb vent , idle knob etc.
We have the GPZ500 & the ER-5 , same engine but the GPZ is the 'sporty' version , jettings a lot bigger/richer

That is exactly what I did. It is really easy to reach down on the right hand side and push the choke actuator over and kick it over. Once it starts you just gradually move the choke actuator back to the off position.

Great minds thinking alike eh?

 

[jd750ace]

Is there any difference in the carbs over the years?

John

All US market EX500 carbs are the same. 20 years and about 160,000 bikes sold in North America. Should be able to dig up a set!

 

[hooktool]

Thanks.

John

 

[XS1961]

All the differences seem to be external ...

 

[56nomad]

56nomad I have successfuly transplanted a set of EX500 carbs to my '81. I have documented my trials and tribulations of the swap in my build thread here starting at post 63

Thanks for this and all other responses. It's certainly got me enthusiastic enough to try it for myself so I've bought a pair off a 1994 GPZ500S that were on ebay. Prepare yourselves for "how did you ..." questions!

 

[XS1961]

Mine will be on by the weekend ..Ill keep you posted

 

[XS1961]

Fitted mine today. Started first kick, idles nicely. Very light throttle
Heres my Youtube vid.

 

[56nomad]

Fitted mine today. Started first kick, idles nicely. Very light throttle
Heres my Youtube vid.

Cool! Nice one. Any tips for a fellow English man or do the posts above cover it all? How is your bike configured - pods and exhaust? Assuming that you've still got to check the jetting through the rev range please keep me informed as to what settings you end up with as mine will probably be requiring similar.

Cheers

Ian

 

[XS1961]

I'll start the road testing later in the week but starting & idle are absolutely spot on, no pops or farts, & it feels very responsive to throttle .
BSA A65 silencers ,Halco 1.5 downpipes ,Ramair filters.
So far..140 main jets.
Modified a spare XS cable.