buying a '88 600 with carbs missing- what year carbs work?

[black&blue]

So I'm looking at buying this 1988 Kat 600 locally that is complete, sans carbs.

It's an 1988 model and I know there are differences between the years for carburetors. I swore there was a sticky here somewhere but I couldn't find it.

Anyways, the local junkyard has Kat 600 carbs for pre-98 models but I want to be sure I don't go home with carbs that won't fit.

What year carbs will work on an 88 600?

Thanks! Prompt reply greatly appreciated because we're gonna go check out the bike in 2 hours.

-B&B

[cintidude04]

The pre carbs will work. If Im not mistaken, you will need the intake boots as well.

[arsenic]

You mean to just slap them on with no modification to anything? 1988

The pre carbs will work. If Im not mistaken, you will need the intake boots as well.

You are, in fact, mistaken. You do not need the intake boots. If they are 90-97 you need the air box, petcock, and left handle bar switch with the choke lever and cable. If they are 1989 you just need the left switch with choke lever and cable.

[black&blue]

You mean to just slap them on with no modification to anything? 1988


You are, in fact, mistaken. You do not need the intake boots. If they are 90-97 you need the air box, petcock, and left handle bar switch with the choke lever and cable. If they are 1989 you just need the left switch with choke lever and cable.

So I need 1988-specific carbs or else I need a variety of gear to get it to work with the 90-97 bits, yeah?

Effectively I'm screwed unless I get a set of 88 carbs, prolly. I was aware of some of the one-year-only weirdness of 88 models...

[arsenic]

You want my honest opinion? The 88-89 600 carbs suck anyway. You are way better off to just use the 90-97 600 carbs anyway.

[cintidude04]

You want my honest opinion? The 88-89 600 carbs suck anyway. You are way better off to just use the 90-97 600 carbs anyway.

+1
If you have trouble finding the stuff you need, I should still have everything I took off my kat over the winter.

[steves]

Also if you buy all that stuff new, you won't have to worry about old/used/cracked/useless ebay parts.

An 88 should really have almost all those items replaced anyway IMO.

[black&blue]

Well, we bought the thing. I'm going to find out shortly whether the junkyard has the 88-specific carburetors, as the bike definitely is an 88.



It's remarkably complete for $400, the carbs apparently were stolen by neatly removing them from the bike - all the rest of it is there, the all the fairing welting, the instrument cluster bezel isn't cracked to hell, the chain guard and rear fender are there and intact and that lattice-looking bit on the lower section of the tail fairing's all intact too.

It needs a windscreen, front tire and new battery, but that almost goes without saying.
Bike was last registered and running in 2009, and has had rags stuffed in all the carb holes and has likely been in a shed or something since.

It's my brother's bike now, and it'll be his first. I'm gonna let him do the leg work on getting the bike running himself- because i'm not gonna do everything for him ;P




And it's his problem removing the hilarious "PU55Y KAT" decals from the tail fairings

-B&B

[djdaredevil]

Thats a pretty nice find and even if you bought carbs from Arsenic you would still only have 800 in it

[black&blue]

+1
If you have trouble finding the stuff you need, I should still have everything I took off my kat over the winter.

Define what you took off? It'll all depend on whether or not we need the switchgear and such to convert.

Why are the later model carbs so much better anyways, if you don't mind my asking?

[black&blue]

Update: junkyard has 89 carbs, buying 89 carbset and left handlebar switch/choke lever/cable assembly.

Here goes nothing.

[cintidude04]

Define what you took off? It'll all depend on whether or not we need the switchgear and such to convert.

Why are the later model carbs so much better anyways, if you don't mind my asking?

Glad you found a set of carbs. And what I meant by what I took off my Kat, is my Kat isn't run with Carbs anymore.

[arsenic]

Why are the later model carbs so much better anyways, if you don't mind my asking?

It has to do with how the floats attache to the carbs. The 88-89 have the float between to "ears" that are part of the carburetor body. It's attached using a pin. It's very difficult to get said pin out to remove the float. If you don't remove the float, you can't change the float needle and float needle seat. Also, in the process of trying to remove the float, if you break an "ear", you are screwed. The 90-97 floats just use two o-rings and you push them into the carb. You'll see what I mean as you get into it. If you're buying carbs from a "junkyard" they will need attention for sure.

[muffinman]

Cool find.

I thought the "*****Kat" was a factory option.

[Jarvo]

Either thats not an 88 or the wheels have been changed as the 88 has 6 spoke wheels not 3 spoke like in your pics.
Just a heads up cuz if you ever need to order new brake discs dont order 88 onces cuz they wont fit those 3 spoke wheels.