Group K · 1990 Kawasaki 650 SX
F650 REC and F650 COMP
Group K published this build and this parts list. Everything on this page is theirs.
Catalogue Builds / groupk-formula-650-kawasaki-650sx
Quoted from Group K's page. Not reproducible without knowing the conditions, which are mostly not published.
- Top speed, F650 REC on the stock pipe
- 45 to 46 mph at 6,500 to 6,600 RPM Group K's figure for its own package, on 91 octane at 40:1. Their stock baseline is 38 to 39 mph at 6,100 to 6,200 RPM on 87 octane at 50:1.
- Top speed, F650 COMP on a Factory Pipe
- 50 to 51 mph at 7,000 to 7,100 RPM Group K's figure, on 91 octane at 32:1. They add that 89 octane is for short runs only and that sustained peak RPM wants a 20 to 30 per cent avgas or race blend.
- Displacement
- 635cc stock, 657cc at 1mm over, 668cc at 2mm over Group K's figures. The 650 is a 76mm bore and a 70mm stroke, so stock is 635cc and 2mm over (78mm) is 669cc; 1mm over (77mm) works out at 652cc rather than the 657 quoted. Given for comparison against the 750 they argue you should not swap in, which they give as 743cc from an 80mm bore and a 74mm stroke.
The parts list (21)
In Group K's grouping and order. 21 of these carry no part number because the builder publishes none for them, and they are left blank rather than guessed.
Engine
| Component | Brand | Part number |
|---|---|---|
| F650 top-end modification | Group K | none published |
| Mikuni SBN 44mm carburettor | Mikuni | none published |
| Keihin 28mm carburettor with remote fuel pump | Keihin | none published |
| Keihin 38mm carburettor with built-in pump | Keihin | none published |
| Intake manifold modification to suit the chosen carburettor | Group K | none published |
| OEM fibre reed petals | Kawasaki | none published |
| Flywheel modification removing about 0.3 lb | Group K | none published |
| Pod flame arrestor with Mikuni adaptor | not stated | none published |
| Dual-input cooling conversion using the abandoned drain tube | Group K | none published |
Ignition
| Component | Brand | Part number |
|---|---|---|
| Dale's ignition coil modification | Dale's | none published |
Exhaust
| Component | Brand | Part number |
|---|---|---|
| Factory Pipe Products exhaust pipe | Factory Pipe | none published |
Fuel
| Component | Brand | Part number |
|---|---|---|
| Group K fuel and air separator | Group K | none published |
| Primer kit | not stated | none published |
Pump and handling
| Component | Brand | Part number |
|---|---|---|
| Pump blueprinting and scoop grate matching | Group K | none published |
| Pump nozzle taper boring | Group K | none published |
| Solas I pitch impeller | Solas | none published |
| Worx Top-Loader scoop grate | Worx | none published |
| Jet Dynamics concave ride plate | Jet Dynamics | none published |
Hull
| Component | Brand | Part number |
|---|---|---|
| Full-length hull surface prep | not stated | none published |
Rebuild
| Component | Brand | Part number |
|---|---|---|
| Crankshaft rebuild with bearings | Group K | none published |
| Complete gasket and seal set | not stated | none published |
The fullest of the Group K recipes here, and the only build that treats the hull and the engine as one job. Group K's argument is that a properly built 650 accelerates with a 750 while using less fuel and lasting longer, and that dropping a 750 into a 650 is neither mechanically possible on that bottom end nor worth the money. Whether or not you accept that, the restoration half of the page is the part with no commercial angle: seals, engine mounts, reed petals, deleting the oil injection, sealing the pump case and preparing the hull surface are work any thirty-year-old ski needs before power is worth adding. They give the pump case sealer an eighteen hour cure before running, and specify a 30 to 40 grit scratch pattern run front to back over the full length of the hull. Their handling argument is blunter than most catalogues will put in writing: the stock hull runs out of control long before the engine runs out of RPM. This site does not list the 650 SX as a machine, so nothing here is joined to a parts page.
Whether any of it is legal in your class. A builder describing its own product, including by a class name, is not a check against a rulebook. Class Legality holds the checks that name a section and a person.
Whether it would do the same on your machine. A quoted top speed is one builder's result on one craft, usually without the conditions, the rider weight or the fuel.
Source: Group K, on their own page for this build
- Published by
- Group K, on their own page for this build groupk.com
- Read on
- 2026-09-08
- Worth knowing
- Builders revise these pages without notice. Confirm any part number against the source before ordering.
- Related
- Every archived build
Cite this page
“F650 REC and F650 COMP”, BaddJet archive, catalogue Builds / groupk-formula-650-kawasaki-650sx, https://baddjetarchive.com/builds/groupk-formula-650-kawasaki-650sx/
Add the date you read it.
1990 Kawasaki · 21 components · Group K