NOOB help thread - 650sx

[BRYANDENNY71]

Hey guys,

I've been looking and searching around on here and other forums trying to get my questions answered without posting cause I know how cutthroat forums can be with NOOB's through my experience with an off-road forum I'm a part of.

With that said........

My name is Bryan and I'm 23 from Corona, Ca (So Cal.) Been around Jet ski's my whole life but I finally bought one for myself about a year ago. I got a pretty good deal on it. I got an 89 650sx with an intake grat, ride plate (with side fins), aftermarket impeller (not sure what brand), flame arrester and adapter, FACTORY head pipe and I think the tail pipe and cone are FACTORY too, JETCRAFT waterbox, bars, finger throttle, Hydroturf mat, and oil injection block off for $700 off ebay. Since I've bought it I put a 44mm SBN carb on it with a WESTCOAST pipe and waterbox and a primer.

I'm posting because I obviously have some unanswered questions so here it goes....and to note my knowledge of these really only extends to the bolt ons that everyone knows these need....I think....


Pipe & waterbox - Did I shoot myself in the foot by putting that westcoast pipe and waterbox on? I'm attatching some pictures of the pipe and waterbox that was originally on it & what are those those long set screw lookin things with jam nuts?

Head pipe water injection mod - I was reading on another thread about plugging up the water injection hole on the head pipe with JB weld then redrilling it with an 1/8" drill bit and another about plugging and rerouting the water injection lines or something.......It kinda confused me......could someone explain this clear as day...pictures help....

Impeller - I have a couple decent dings on my prop that luckily I dont feel on the ski so Ive been procrastinating on fixing but is there and good repair places around here or maybe a place I could pick one up.......which are better, skat-trak or solas, and what prop should I get....pitch and soforth.

Milling head/aftermarket head - I have an Oceon Pro head but I'm not sure if I want to put it on because I really dont want to have to run race gas.....I checked my compression and its at 140psi on both cylinders right now.....whats the max psi I could run with pump gas? I know milling the head that .010 is about 10psi.

Exhaust manifold - I've heard to use the TS exhaust manifolds because they have a tall diverter whereas its almost nonexistent on the stock sx manifolds. Are they hard to find and how much should I expect to pay for one?

Quick Turn - Are they a preference mod are should everyone have one? I was thinking of just making an offset bracket to move the turn cable farther away from the center pivot.....is that what everyone else is doing?

Reeds/cages - whats a good reed/cage setup?

I'm really just looking for cost-effective and proven mods.

Are there and good shops to call and bug with questions like these in So Cal?

If anyone could help me out and point me in any direction it would be greatly appreciated.

Also I included a picture of the graphics I'm making for it......let me know what you think......the number is my dirtbike racing number......I was going for a simple design to just update the style.

Thanks,

Bryan

 

[Vumad]

I maybe wrong, but the factory pipe is better than the westcoast pipe. Those set screws in the head pipe allow you to adjust the waterflow therefor changing the temperature of the pipe. Altering the temp of the pipe changes the way the frequencies in the pipe act (because it's the sound waves creating back pressure that makes the pipe perform. The factory pipe allows you to tune the 'length' of the pipe w/o actually changing the pipe, therefor giving you the most power where you want it. All of that information is avail on the factory pipe web site.

As far as which pipe is better... dunno... you own the both... try them both, same goes for the waterbox. See what works best for you.

As for the prop, it's a waste of money to buy a prop w/o knowing what you have. Lets say you have a skat trak prop. You can look into the pump cavity and turn the drive shaft by hand and see the skat trak numbers. Lets say you have the prop you want, then it's a waste of money to replace it, just send it to skat track to be reconditioned.

That's all I can be helpful with.

 

[BruceSki]

jet craft waterbox is only a silencer, and is probably really loud...

i wouldve stuck with the factory pipe over the westcoast...

given that ive ran a westcoast on 2 650's ive owned but only because they came with westcoast on them already

 

[shawn_NJ]

Wait you took the FPP off and installed a west coast????!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!

 

[BRYANDENNY71]

Wait you took the FPP off and installed a west coast????!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!

I'm learing here.....be some help....I'm not sure which aftermarket mods are better than others.....So my best bet is to put the Factory pipe back on then should I run the Jet craft silencer or the West coast water box?

I know theres alot of knowledge out there to be had, so lay it on me cause I'm an open book here.

 

[sflsurfrider]

id stick with the FPP pipe and w/c waterbox

 

[kevbo]

The pipe that it came with was the best one ever made for the 650. Find a stock waterbox and use it, it won't hurt your ears and you will want the extra weight up front if you are over 5'6 140lbs. Zero degree bars and an extended ride plate will also help alot if you are big. The prop pitch is critical for accelleration, the pitch must be low. The best props I found were Skat 13-16 or 9-17, Solas ka-sc-a or ka-sc-I although new "I" props load the engine a little harder than the others. Straight pitch 15 degree props will work as well, they just vibrate a little more at low speeds. A scoop grate is also a must unless you ride on glass. Do not mess with the head until you have mastered carb tuning, a little extra compression does not do all that much these if the pump load is low. There are still a couple of old 650sx with 750 engines being ridden every weekend in my area.

 

[BruceSki]

i would stay away from the jetcraft too... too damn loud.

i have a westcoast box on one of my 650's and a bad bones silencer on the other and its deafening riding the one with the bad bones.

my sj will be running the stock waterbox to save my ears...and my ride spot

 

[shawn_NJ]

I'm learing here.....be some help....I'm not sure which aftermarket mods are better than others.....So my best bet is to put the Factory pipe back on then should I run the Jet craft silencer or the West coast water box?

I know theres alot of knowledge out there to be had, so lay it on me cause I'm an open book here.

I wasnt knocking you, just surprised you made that switch. That FP is the best one there is, definetly put it back on! Really cool water box you have there, but like any X2 waterbox thats not stock...its probably deafening loud. With your 44 it sounds like a nice setup. I wouldn't bother with the reeds just becuase you cant take them with you if you move to a 750 motor. Check what prop you have as well, one thats too tall for a 650 will make it alot less fun to ride. Your steering idea will work, and there are a few turnplates out there that do exactly what you are describing, but there hard to come by.

 

[SuperJETT]

That Jetcraft silencer is one of the best you could buy back then. Run it! Just keep a normal amount of water going through it and it won't be loud at all, but with excellent acceleration.

Jetcraft really did his/their homework on those, the core is a spiral louvered core that really works. It keeps the water entrained in the exhaust flow. This is not your normal baffled silencer like X-metal or Bad Bones or MMF, etc.

I almost guarantee it will be quieter/better tone than the Westcoat box but with better performance.

The guys knocking it have probably never even seen/heard one. I had Jetcraft on both my 750 and 550.

 

[Scraggly]

that jetcraft box is really nice, it has a nice deep tone not loud and annoying.
if you dont want it id like to buy it?

 

[BRYANDENNY71]

Thanks alot for your input guys....this is good stuff......keep it coming.

The intake grate is a scoop intake grate and I'll check to see what prop it has today.

I need to rebiuld the carb but I did tune it as best as I could but it still seemed to bog a little when I punch it if I dont keep it reved up a little and I couldn't get that to go away.

I almost bought a shorter than stock aluminum handle pole off ebay for $150.......are they worth it? I know keeping the nose from bopping is hard on these and its really hard to weight the nose.....anyone out there try shortening up a stock handle pole?

 

[ATS_Aaron]

I need to rebiuld the carb but I did tune it as best as I could but it still seemed to bog a little when I punch it if I dont keep it reved up a little and I couldn't get that to go away.

That could be a weak diaphragm. A rebuild should fix that.

Check this out for 650SX stuff:

http://groupk.com/k650.htm

and

http://groupk.com/restof650k.htm

Aaron

 

[Scraggly]

i would go with the aluminum shorten pole. the light weight and shorter pole will make a big difference, your body position will shift forward changing the way it handles

 

[shawn_NJ]

That Jetcraft silencer is one of the best you could buy back then. Run it! Just keep a normal amount of water going through it and it won't be loud at all, but with excellent acceleration.

Jetcraft really did his/their homework on those, the core is a spiral louvered core that really works. It keeps the water entrained in the exhaust flow. This is not your normal baffled silencer like X-metal or Bad Bones or MMF, etc.

I almost guarantee it will be quieter/better tone than the Westcoat box but with better performance.

The guys knocking it have probably never even seen/heard one. I had Jetcraft on both my 750 and 550.

Good info, I have to find one of those waterboxes. Didnt know there was any quiet options. The Mariner/WC/Bad Bones I have are all annoying loud.

 

[BruceSki]

Good info, I have to find one of those waterboxes. Didnt know there was any quiet options. The Mariner/WC/Bad Bones I have are all annoying loud.

didnt know that either...i just shot from the hip because of the looks of it.

i have never personally run the jetcraft, but it looks exactly the same as the loud ones. (at least from the outside)

 

[BRYANDENNY71]

Well a few of my questions have been answered....anyone wanna tackle the rest?

 

[Kennay]

i would go with the aluminum shorten pole. the light weight and shorter pole will make a big difference, your body position will shift forward changing the way it handles

For sure


I had an AC racing pole on mine, -2 I think, and a short turn plate.... it made it feel 10X lighter, and alot easier to throw around.

 

[BRYANDENNY71]

Ok so down the list.

Put Factory pipe and Jetsport water box back on.
Rebuild Carb.
Find a short handlepole (bottom of the list).
Quickturn OK.
Get prop repaired if the correct one.
Wait on high compression head until carb is rebuilt and tuned.

Still a few lingering questions.

Whats the highest compression to safely run on pump gas?

Do people prefer the paper head gasket or the copper gaskets?

Am I right on using the TS 650 exhaust manifold? Price? Where to find one?

How to do and the reasoning for the head pipe water injection mod (filling and redrilling the hole to 1/8"?

Whats the best way to route coolant hoses, & pressure relief valve & pissers for a single and dual head cooling port (my stock head has one port....my ocean pro head has two)?

What jetting should I get when I rebuild my carb if I ride between 500 and 1500 feet above sea level?

 

[Scraggly]

Ok so down the list.

Put Factory pipe and Jetsport water box back on.
Rebuild Carb.
Find a short handlepole (bottom of the list).
Quickturn OK.
Get prop repaired if the correct one.
Wait on high compression head until carb is rebuilt and tuned.

Still a few lingering questions.

Whats the highest compression to safely run on pump gas?

Do people prefer the paper head gasket or the copper gaskets?

Am I right on using the TS 650 exhaust manifold? Price? Where to find one?

How to do and the reasoning for the head pipe water injection mod (filling and redrilling the hole to 1/8"?

Whats the best way to route coolant hoses, & pressure relief valve & pissers for a single and dual head cooling port (my stock head has one port....my ocean pro head has two)?

What jetting should I get when I rebuild my carb if I ride between 500 and 1500 feet above sea level?

if you dont want to get rid of the jetcraft resonator i would use that.

the ts exh mani has a diverter built in, an after market mani will have them as well, i have a mariner that needs heli-coils if interested.

i think to be safe dont go past 185 for pump gas, i run 200psi on 93 octane just dont go for long wot runs and you shoudl be fine. i run 40:1 syn oil

the head is made for dual cooling you will need to drill and tap your pump to do this properly or you can plug one hole and run single cooling.