several weeks ago, I had a custom logo cover made ( thats what they call the cover that goes where the recoil is on a Prairie, on the V Force )... some of you may have seen the pics...

well... it turns out the crank end & seals were changed ( supposedly ), between the 650's & the 700's... & when I removed my recoil ( which is heavier on the '02's, as it is made of steel, rather than plastic, like my buddies '03 - 650 ), I found that I had to remove this big hunk of steel ( weighs at or over 1 lb, from the crank, that engages the recoil starter... I've heard of alot of guy's trying to lighten their aluminum clutches, to reduce the rotational mass, allowing their engine to rev faster... I wonder if anyone has ever taken into account that there is more weight in that big hunk of steel on the other side, than they could possibly hope to remove from their aluminum clutch...

unfortunatly, on the 650's, that piece needs to be cut, as there is a bushing that is welded to it, that seals the crank case, that is not available from Kawi... the good news, is it was easy to do, I had my local fabricator do it, for $5.00...

here are a few pics of the mod...

 

it does balance the engine does it?

 

Sorry, but, I tried to post a link to the other forum, in which I have the write up, with pics, but it is edited... the "boat anchor" is not a balancer, only a heavy steel gear type of piece, that the recoil's "dogs" engage into...

 

Newbeatle,

Yep, did that very thing couple of years back I think I made a post on that some time ago. You are right it does help with rotational mass especially on the 650.