Prairie 650 valve adjustment?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 22, 2004
Messages
1,983
Location
New Brunswick
I bought a 2002 Kawasaki Prairie 650 (KVF 650 in Canada) last month for $2200. Probably paid too much for it but it's too late to do anything about that. It has 10050 kilometers on it but it looks like it wasn't ridden very hard. The tires are about half worn and the brakes are a little on the weak side but my main concern is its colossal appetite for fuel. The exhaust has a fuel smell to it, as does the oil. It's a bit tough to start from cold, and it coughs through the carbs until it's warmed up. Apparently if the valves are out of adjustment and too tight, this is the result. I've never done a valve adjustment on anything and I'm not exactly a highly skilled mechanic but I would like to tackle this myself with some help rather than pay a shop to do it. Anyone have any advice?
 
That is not very many klicks for a 13 year old motorcycle. I would suspect it has a classic case of [censored] in the tank.

I would try draining the tank and the carbs (I think you will find the float bowls have a drain on the bottom, a screw that you only need to turn a couple of turns, don't remove it!)

Fill with fresh fuel and an overdose of Techron, and you will likely see a great improvement.

Those tires may look OK, but if they are original, they are way too old to be safe. Good luck.
 
Last edited:
I tried to do a valve job on a 750 Brute and had trouble ensuring i was TDB so had to have a friend (mechanic in real life) come bail me out. Go careful, I think Quads are harder to wrench than a lot of card are!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top