According to the Kawasaki Service Manual for the KLF220...

Maximum horsepower- 17 PS at 7500 rpm
Maximum torque- 13 ft-lbs at 6000 rpm

 

Hi I was just wondering how you can tell if you need to adjust your valves on a fourwheeler. And how exactly do you get to the valves in the first place? can you hear any kind of noise if you need to adjust your valves. And thank you drlaney for telling me the horsepower for the bayou 220 I have been looking forever for one. One last thing I'm looking for an analog backlit speedometer for my fourwheeler. i found one at the kawasaki site but it didn't give a price and I really wanted that one. Thanks

 

The general rule is that valves should be adjusted once a year. However, I tend to agree with those who say that valves clearances change little after in an ATV engine once it is well broken in. For that reason, you might consider checking them only once every two years or so. I should also add that valves which are left alone will usually cause less damage than those that are adjusted incorrectly.

When adjusting the valves in an engine you are simply checking the "tapping clearance" between the top of the valve stems and bottom of the rocker arms. When set within the proper range, the valves will be completely open or closed at just the right time to ensure optimum engine performance.

When set too narrow or "tight", the rocker arms will remain in contact with valves too long so that they open while the piston is still in the firing stage. This will eventually burn the edges of the valves so that they no longer seal properly when resting against the top of the cylinder head. Adjust them too loose and the rocker arms allow them to open too late to allow the right amount of fuel/air mixture into the cylinder for combustion. This results in less power. From this you can see too that it is better to have your valves too loose rather than too tight since less power is less damamging than burnt valves. Since valves almost always wear to a more open state, you can see why I made the statement about valves being left alone.

 

Hey i found the price on that speedometer that I wanted and it's $250. How could they possibly want that much for a speedometer on a fourwheeler??!! They use the same parts basically as an analog bike speedometer except for a longer wire, and the part to go into the transmission. and a bike speedometer only costs around 20 dollars. do any of you know of any aftermarket speedometers that are cheeper than the Kawasaki ones. they're just too expensive to buy, I don't know how they expect anyone to buy one from them.

 

WhatI have done to all my ATVs without speedometers is buy a electric on from a bike shop it uses a magnet and a sensor to find what speed you are going and they come with other options like a odometer and a tripmeter. Most track your max speed and your avarge speed. All I spent for mine is around $30 close to the price for a replacement speedometer wire from a dealer.

 

I guess thats not at the rear wheels. If it was it would have more HP than a 300ex and that is just wrong.

 

I have an '88 220 Bayou. It starts very hesitantly (turns over hard). Is this a sign of valves out of adjustment? In order to adjust valves, is it necessary to remove the plastic or can they be accessed without doing so?
Thanks for any help you can give.
Kevin

 

Hi I'm having a problem with my clutch now. When I go to adjust it I loosen the locknut then I turn the screw to the right as tight as I can get it then i turn it to the left until it becomes hard to turn. My question is when i adjust it and I tighten the lock nut the screw moves with it and it won't stay in it's position. I even used a screw driver to hold it in it's place and it stripped the metal instead of staying in place. Why won't the screw stay in it's position after being adjusted??

 

It depends by what you mean when you say "turns over hard." I take this to mean that the engine cranks slower than should be expected. If so, all you may need is a new battery or starter.

A engine that has a problem starting due to loose valves should tap like hell once it warms up.