thinking of upgrading carbs is it worth it

[kat2001]

i'm thinking of getting a jet kit and buying a new headers,i got a slip on yoshimura rs-3 exhaust already.just wondering if it is worth the money and the time to do these mods.if so what kind of jet kit should i get and what kind of performance i will get out of it.

[Court93kat]

If you decide on a jet kit, there is only one real choice. Ivan's Jet Kit. Hands down. Sure, there are other kits available out there, but none of the rest of them come to you ready to go with exact directions of how to tune it right the first time. Others provide vague directions and you have to mess with it to tune it properly. With Ivan's, you can call him to order it, tell him exactly what you have and it will come with everything you need. No guess work involved.

Just pick out your header first so you can tell him what you have. Don't waste any money on a K&N filter either. Ivan has tested Katana's and you gain NO power over a stock air filter.

If you visit his website (can't remember it off the top of my head), he has numbers for power gain, etc. Or if you search for "Ivan's Jet Kit" on here, you will find information about them, to include the link to his site.

Hope that answered your questions enough.

[05_katanatyson]

I just got done doing a Ivans jet kit,way easy to do, the hardist part about it was hookin your cables back up to the carbs . 1-10 I give it a 3.you have to call Ivans to order a kit . I had mine in about 4 days.

[The CyberPoet]

I've run both dynojet and Ivan's jetkits on the late model kats in both engine sizes (600 & 750). The Ivan's wins hands-down for power-performance across the board, plus it's far easier to install in terms of configuring.

https://www.ivansperformanceproducts.com

Tell him the CyberPoet sent ya, and he might throw in a Tshirt for free.

As for the aftermarket headers: IMHO, skip it.
The biggest constraint on the 98+ Kat lies at the collector (where the four header pipes combine), and the aftermarket headers generally use the same size collector as the OEM header. Thus, there is only limited performance improvement available from this high dollar item ticket on a 98+ Kat. Pre-98's for some reason can harness an aftermarket header's potential better -- not sure why.

What you can do is remove some of the excess header weld overage to regain what you should have had in terms of through-put in the first place. It's basically a freebie, just an half-hour or so of work and a couple dremel attachments. My write-up on how to do it is here:
CyberPoet's "How to improve your exhaust header volume for free by removing the excess weld build-up"

You could also consider putting a set of Katana 750 OEM headers on your bike (obtain from someone else who upgraded). Since you have a 600, this increases the exhaust pipe diameter by about 23% (compared after cleaning up the weld seams on both), which will balance with the Ivan's kit nicely without needing any jetting changes over the stock jetkit he supplies for the 600's. It will increase the intake sound a bit oddly enough, giving the bike a little bit more of an "aircraft" engine sound (not much, but some).

** I obtained a set of 750 headers from one of our members who upgraded, ground them out and then sent them out and had them ceramic coated (JetCoated is common name brand for the process, but any powder coater should be able to do it)... **

So, there you have my opinions:
(A) Skip getting an set of aftermarket headers, as you'll never get the performance-to-dollar benefit you hope for on a 98+
(B) Invest in an Ivan's JetKit and install it. It really wakes the bike up across the board.
and stuff you didn't ask about (yet):
(C) An five-degree ignition advancer (FactoryPro or V&H) will shift the power-band down the RPM range a bit, making the bike build more power earlier, especially in the first three gears... The only downside is that the bike will run a bit hotter at very low speeds -- which is only significant if you live in a very hot area or get stuck in traffic jams. A ten minute install process, about a 1 on a scale of 1-to-10...
(D) Keep the stock air filter and skip going for the K&N on the 98+ Kats -- the Ivan's puts out as much or more power with the OEM air filter than with the K&N's, and the stock air filter also filters better.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[The CyberPoet]

Oh, and 05_katanatyson, there is a trick:

A type of medical forceps (properly called Hemostats) in a 6 to 10" length. These will let you lock the cable into the hemostat about 1/8" shy of the lead ball on the end and then easily position it back into place on the carbs.



You can find them for a buck at most flea markets, or for not a whole lot more on eBay. Steel is preferable, and it doesn't matter if they're used or new (as long as they've been cleaned since use at some dr's office). Ones with a bit of curvature at the very tip work slightly better.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Anonymous]

and when your done with the hemos on your carb you can roll a fatty and use them when you get down to the roach too man

[05_katanatyson]

ya it makes it hard when you have a messed up hand to. and your fingers didnt heal up right, but the forceps would help me alot. I had gotten cought in a machine at work about a year ago

[The CyberPoet]

05_katanatyson, are those pics now, or when it was first treated? Because that coloration (after all this time) would imply a serious lack of sufficient blood flow and make you a prime candidate for gangrene...

Youch!

=-= The CyberPoet

[Mazda Bob]

What type of machinery so I know to stay far far far away?

[Court93kat]

I was thinking the same thing Cyber. I hope those are older pictures.

[kat2001]

An five-degree ignition advancer (FactoryPro or V&H)


do really need it,if so where can i find it?

[kat2001]

ya it makes it hard when you have a messed up hand to. and your fingers didnt heal up right, but the forceps would help me alot. I had gotten cought in a machine at work about a year ago

damn,if it is that hard to install some jet then i don't need it
just joking dude.

but thanks for the fast response

[The CyberPoet]

do really need it?

No, you don't NEED it, but then again you probably don't NEED a motorcycle either. You want it, though

if so where can i find it

try Ivan's -- he carries them.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[05_katanatyson]

those are from about a year ago, my index finger does not bend at all or at any joint, so its hard to work with small components on my motorcycle, like hooking up the cables. other than that you will notice a great bit of differnce with the jet kit from ivans. I just orderd my timming advancer today, and Ivan said I will be very happy when I install it, with having the jet kit.

[kat2001]

ok last ?,i'm going to get these mods and try shaving down my weld on the pipes,but what i want to know is if i'm riding w/a gxsr600 and we are @ high speed how far will i be behind the gsxr.
don't get me wrong i know my kat is not a gsxr and i know my bike ain't never going to be a gsxr just need to know if it will keep up with a sport bike and not be the last bike coming down the rd.