G'day from down under! I have a klf300b & the gear change is neutral & then 5 up for the forward gears,
I' m doing up an older klf300a & the gear change is neutral & 5 gears DOWN??? The bike was not going when I bought it so I don' t know if I've
done something wrong in re-assembly.I have not stripped the gear drum in
the crankcase but I have had the gear select lever & its parts off.
Did Kawa change it's gear sequencing back in 1988?? for the b model??
Hope you can enlighten me !! Hugh

 

I am rebuilding an 'A', and indeed the shifting is backwards from "normal".
Mine is an 87 KLF300A2 Bayou 300 4x2.

I did not know Kawasaki switched to a normal shift pattern with the 'B'
models.... Lots of other differences, too, apparently.

 

Thank you kindly for the info. I'm using the b for my daily work & it's a
honey. The only thing I found tiresome was the lack of a hand operated
rear brake with the park brake latch. So---- I purchased a hand brake lever & cable from another make & piggy- backed it onto the existing foot lever shaft.
Entailed some fabricating & welding etc. but it works a treat!
All the best with your project.
Regards

 

I know it's too late, Hugh, but I just installed a new brake master cyl and
lever on the right hand grip, and it includes a lever-lock. It's Chinese, and
only cost $19, incl shipping from China. Now the Bayou will have hydraulic
parking brake on the front, and the strange OEM rear mechanical parking brake
next to the right foot brake.

I DO like the consistency of LEFT hand lever for parking brake, however. I
assume you bought a left hand lever since Kawasaki put nothing there.

 

Thanks for the info! I may do another bike in future so it is handy to know. I got a master cyl. kit ex US but have not seen the unit you describe.
On the klf300a I bought recently I found the stator destroyed by the 3 socket head screws; which attach the rotor to the shaft boss. The screws must have worked loose & then got trapped inside the rotor; big mess! I bought a new stator from a company in Vermont (Stator INC I think) & it got to Oz in 4 days; not bad! So check those screws!
Regards, Hugh

 

Oops, now it's too late for me. All buttoned up after changing
timing chain and piston.

Sounds like a very rare failure, Hugh.

BTW, the 2WD Bayou 300 (86-04) seems to be the only quad made with
a rear differential. At least I have have not found any others yet. Very
useful for driving on pavement.

 

Hugh, you can help me out.

My KLF300A2 has a steel fuel tank. KLF300Bs all seem to have plastic tanks.
I am going to replace my steel tank with a custom-made stainless steel tank,
or substitute the newer plastic one.

Since you have both an A and a B, can you tell if the newer tank will fit the
older KLF300A?

 

Well, never mind. I just bought a plastic tank from a 91 KLF300B for
$35, and I will see if I can make it work. Different mounts, but those are
easy enough to weld onto the frame.