How is everyone's motor running through the season? I recently found this thread and am very interested in going with a kawi on my next PD. Awesome thread with great info guys. Really can't express how cool I think it is how far a handful of you guys have come with this project in a year. Keep it up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess I've kinda dropped the ball here with the updates. We finally decided to go ahead and grind the billet camshafts and as far as I know only one has been installed as hunting season snuck up on us. Buddy is very happy with it and he had 4 guys and hunting load running around 27-28 on a 17'x54" PD boat. This's with an 8.7-1 CR and 180psi compression, makes for a good'n safe engine that'll run on safely on 87 octane. It took awhile but i finally got one of the engines completely CC'd and measured. I never could shake the nagging thought that the intakes were way too small so I jury rigged a kind of flap wheel tool so I could hone them out. That made a huge difference on mine and is essentially the equivelant power increase as most cams do with the Briggs (just for comparison). I'm still convinced a larger straight runner design would be the ticket. The rev limiter worked great in testing but the little pickup coil i ordered got lost in shipping for several weeks so all that was removed and hasn't been replaced yet. So far so good (knock on wood)!

I too dropped the ball a little on the updates, but have been extremely busy. Mine is still running strong on the stock cam with all the additional work. I received my billet also, but just haven't had time to mess with it. Esp during hunting season. One thing that Lee mentioned is the intake. We have done some testing and found that the short side radius on the intake needs to be addresses. It's forcing the flow of fuel more.toward 1 intake valve, thus cutting off the intake of fuel. When fixed,it make a noticeable difference. He'll I believe lee picked up a few mph. I have done mine also and it does make a difference. But loaded with gear and people, I still run 28-29 all day with stock cam. But the billet will get me back to 34-35 and get my rpms back in the 4800-4900 range with my 14p prop.

Banded how much total weight do you think that load is without boat and motor included?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea I guess that was more complicated than it had to be. Individually, what is the weight of the load in the hull and the weight of the hull itself? Trying to get some numbers to compare. I really need a torque beast for the loads I want to carry and I'm thinking this might be a solution for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My hull weight - not a clue
1748 3/16 bottom, 1/8 sides, .100 GA floor and decking. Open floor plan with side seat, 14 gallons up front.

Hunting load for me is 3 to 4, my 220 lbs ass, prob 2 more at 170, 5 dozen deks, 14 gallons of fuel, ice chest with food and drinks to hunt till limit, 1 large deep Cycle battery, all our guns and shell bags, 2 mojos and prob some other shit I forgot.

But, I'm turning a 14p prodrive prop. My motor has enough nuts to turn it with that load. Some cant, it will bog down. I'll spin that 14p with all that shit 4850

Same ol' same... Engine is @ 450hrs and runs at two speeds, idle and WFO.

Good to hear. I need to take the time to read this read over again. If/When my briggs grenades I may go this route depending on the circumstances.

I plan on tearing it down again soon to finally install the (stronger) billet cam and tweek the porting on the heads some more but it's been a fine engine so far.

I'm probably the newest convert, FX1000V and going to run stock, except air cleaner and I'll make a custom exhaust for it.

One question for Y'all did you pull that lower grass screen out of your builds? I did it with the Briggs to get the most cooling. Rough cut the hold down shoulder bolts with the porta-band, and then it was to the lathe and my grain scale that I load .45 acp with. Faced them off til they were within a few grains weight of each other for balance.
I thank all that moved on to the better design of the Kawasaki and posted their info.

Great info on a different build. There is always something better out there. Keep the info coming!!

Thanks for the input, the Briggs used a shoulder hex for the screen, that's why I had to crank up my 1946 Logan lathe for the Briggs work. The Kawi is just 6-1.0 mm which I can replace with SS button head socket screws. Now if this old guy gets crazy and I change the carb, it may be a vintage 38mm or 40mmm side draft Weber? Of course with velocity stacks only!

Just ordered the kawi FXT00V and was wondering if anyone came up with a simple mod list yet.

Just the basic heads, cam, carb, and exhaust really. Be sure to either replace with heavier springs or shim your stock springs.

If I had to do it over again I would probably shave the heads .040, use the lectron carb, and same cam that I have now. Timing advanced about 5-6 degrees. There is a lot of cleanup work to be done on the stock intake that can give you really good improvements.




Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Good deal, any suggestions on an exahaust? I'm guessing nobody is making them up yet.

Nope, everyone had to make their own

Yep, make your own, or buy a stocker and have it gutted.

If you do cam and headwork, make sure you pay close attention to the valve geometry once it's all back together. The angles are kinda ugly from the get go, and can get real bad with a high lift cam and even a modest amount of decking. Just pay attention and look real closely at the movement after everything is put back together.

The solution that seems to be working best for us (I think several others have gone this way as well)was to cut the push rods down to compensate for the decking and added lift. I'd rather be closer to where it was stock at max lift, and come in a little steeper angle when the valve is closed. Just pay attention. Take pics and ask questions once you get it all back together if you don't know.

Also, I think there's pic's of the shims we made somewhere back a few pages. They have been working well for us in both our engines. I liked this solution much better than the aftermarket springs. The way we did it, you also create a keeper to keep the spring from being able to walk around in the seat. Simple, cheap, and functional. I think a few other guys are doing something similar now too. I know I've texted back and fourth with a few people about it.

Yeah I'm just gonna try and get it all up and running for this season and maybe break it down after to start fiddling with it.

I was going to start a new thread, but there is so much in this one my question may help others thinking about the swap.
My question, and there is no rush on the answer, the FX1000 came basically pre wired. I can (once I pull my PD later this month and bring it into the shop) ring out the PD/Briggs wiring. But the Kawi which is sitting pretty in the shop has three wires from the main plug that has me confused.
The heavy red with the eyelet I'm fairly sure goes on the starter solenoid, since it comes from the rectifier.
That leaves the blue wire female spade connector and the red wire female spade which also has a jumper wire in the main plug.

One wire has to go to the starter solenoid, which one? Also what does the other wire do?
Thanks much as I'm trying to keep the mind busy after my ladies passing.

I made my own harness. Not sure where any of those wires go, but there ain't much to it. Wire from the regulator goes to the same stub on the starter that the main battery wire goes to. Spade that goes hot in the start position on the ignition switch goes spade on starter. Wire that goes to ground with key in off position or when the kill switch is pulled goes to the wires that plug into the coils. That's it, unless you have a factory carb with a solenoid. In that case, you'll need another wire somewhere coming off the ignition switch that needs to be hot in the run position and in the start position and neutral when in the off position. It would be hooked to the pos wire on the carb solenoid, the other wire going to the solenoid can be grounded on one of the intake bolts or something (or you can pop the solenoid out and replace it with a bolt or cut the plunger off and stick it back in, it's not needed in this application). That's it. Don't over complicate it.

There's one more Kawi on the swamp!

Just a quick look, remove that big ass air filter and install a different one. That sucker, with the 2 filter element setup is sooooooooooo restrictive. I think Lee did this immediately. I installed a mikuni from day one, so mine was never on, but Lee changed his.

Found his pic
IMG_2838.JPG

You use the existing stock filter setup, just remove the "tank" of an airfilter.

Just ordered a k&n for it. Now I gotta figure out something with this fuckin muffler stack.

Well, theres a few guys, several hours north in Tallahassee that might be able to help. haha

And one just got a new welding machine is about to start on a new high flow/quiet exhaust...

it about time you get off some of that money. First things first, build a barrier wall to keep the bears out.

Haha, not me, thinking about a boat though...

Getting real close with the swap, exhaust will take a bit longer. I'm into the re-wiring but my question is on the throttle connection. I will still be using the tiller. I could use some pictures of how everyone handled that part of the change over.
I thank all that have given me good input.

I did some thinking about the throttle cable and believe I have a clean way to hook the cable to the bell crank on the tiller. To zero in on that, the only thing I need to know is the approx throw of the kawasaki arm where the cable gets attached. from idle to WOT.
With the heavy spring to the governor arm I have no way to know till the engine is running, am I right in thinking that way.
Thanks, Wayne

Just saw this. I didn't use the stock linkage, I installed a mikuni from day one, so not sure how the others did it with the stock linkage.

I sort of finished the throttle linkage. Lee posted his picture and I went from there. When I finally get to fire up may be Christmas and 30 degrees, have I noted I'm old and slow. So I used stuff I had in stock. Plates are S.S. as is the 316 7/16 OD tubing. Inner cable is a S.S. Lokar kick down probably for a 700R4 that I didn't use years ago when I put a corvette TPI in a Jag. Turned the tiller end connection out of an old valve stem. The top connection is a piece of brass crimped to both the stainless inner and a piece of 3/32 stainless Tig wire and silver brazed for good measure.
I hope it works, after it's running I can reset the throttle stops on the tiller end at the bell crank.

At the end of the tiller, what did you use to hold the cable? Barrel with screw?