anyone tried making a set of reeds?

[chehystpewpur]

ive been looking around at different reed options and have wanted to find a source for local reeds as i dont like ordering parts online all the time especially when something lets go and i want to ride now rather than later. plus sometimes its hard to tell from a picture if its going to be the stock size or an oversized reed like what i run in my larger reed block i havent been able to use for a while. some reed cages use a specific to it size reed and its really hard to find the ones that fit it or its only purchaseable from the company that made it and its just a bother or over priced.

a while back my oversized reeds failed and i had been using the stock reed block with some malossi reeds i had laying around and also found some athena reeds that i have. the rpms that i pull now seem to destroy the carbon fiber reeds much faster than id like to order them. im currently using reeds faster than oil or tanks of gas it seems. i believe the malossi reeds lasted less than 500 miles. it still ran well but when i pulled them out the edges were chipping already. i wanted to switch back to the larger block so i found a set of reeds that were close from kawasaki and the powersports shop near me doesnt know what they are made from and they are some strange clear color but i liked the feel of them vs the paper thin ones id have to keep ordering. slightly wider but about 1/4" longer than the oversized ones and a good bit stiffer than the carbon fiber ones that i could order again.

www.partzilla.com/product/kawasaki/12022-3703

thats what they look like and cost about 20 bux in the store but this was a random picture i found of them. i cant find any info on them other than almost every kawasaki uses them from 200cc to over 1000 and no rpm range or material. the only info i can find is kawasaki reeds buy now. so i decided why not its worth a shot and if they suck im out 20 bux and ill just buy a new intake and get a new set of reeds 2 rubber boots and a new reed cage for 35 bux. it costs 20 bux for the specific reeds for this block which is annoying since its only a few more dollars for all that extra stuff.

spent a bit of time trimming the reeds and sanding the edges and drilling new mounting holes in them so they would mount to my reed block i want to use again as the stock reed block will fit inside of the opening of the larger one one. im not sure how i feel about them yet and may need to do some jetting to get it to run better but the take off from a stop is much better than the smaller reeds for sure so it must be filling the case better with air but i didnt run long as it was late and i needed to get up early for work in the morning. top end seemed to be lacking a bit but it may just need more fuel now. ill try to get some pictures up tomorrow when i get a chance but i can go full throttle from idle with no bog and rpms climb and i dont have any weird sputter or gargle like ive been getting with the baby reeds. these may just need to break in and loosen up some but ive rarely seen that happen in the past. does anybody know of a good reed setup that wont break or chip and doesnt break the bank so i can keep a set of reeds for more than a handful of miles at a time if these dont work out for me? i feel like reeds should last longer than they have been but maybe they just cant handle the rpm range im in and when i get a new pipe i dont want to change reeds every time i ride.  im spinning 11-12k but these reeds keep me under 11k unless i hold it open for a long while

[jackrides]

Haven't tried making reeds. Had an early experimental setup on a 750cc triple. The reed edges shredded quickly. The edges of the reedcage at the reed contact lines were bare aluminium (infected with Welsh spelling, sorry) and had a 90 degree sharp angle.
Polishing this to a small radius greatly improved life.

[chehystpewpur]

no worries im pretty good at figuring out what people mean and have had no issues with you. your spelling and context is perfect.
as to both of my reed blocks they are smooth the larger one is plastic and the other smaller one that was stock has that phelonic rubber on the end and is the one tearing reeds up faster. do you know if there is a specific material that likes higher rpms and maybe that is my issue? i wont ever use metal reeds again but carbon fiber and fiberglass have not been holding up at all. and i have only used brand new premade reeds with no modifications to them prior to my head scratching. i always try to set the reeds in the block whatever way they sit the most flush and never let the edges overhang the end of the block because im sure that would be asking for trouble. after i set reeds in i always put my mouth on the block and try to breathe in and out to make sure they seal well so i can inhale and breath out to make sure all the petals are opening as they should.

[chehystpewpur]

quick update bigger one will be in its been along time thread tomorrow but will still be short. this has been a big improvement now that the reeds have had more time to settle in and i have had some time to rejet carb.

drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CUUGLv3usHs4SdMVLcIA9W5QOGX-9t8E?usp=sharing

yes the reeds dont look perfect i got a call in the middle of doing this and didnt get pics after i finished opening mounting holes and getting them flat and flush but needed a mock up to make sure they were gonna sit right and a little more sanding was in order to get them to my liking.

took out the day after with a slightly larger main jet 105 as its running leaner since it can flow more air now. i still need more fuel so will most likely be up to a 108-112 main jet again from a 100. maybe even more which would settle my mind some. i always run reeds for a run or 2 and then inspect to make sure they are still sitting flat and flush on the block after settling in and flexing some. 2 petals werent where i wanted the 1 on each side and on the inhale checking for seal one would not seal unless i sucked/breathed in pretty hard. bumped up the main jet as the plug was obviously leaned out some so it needed the air. i flipped the reeds around and they were perfect as usual. still lean with the 105 when i got home and top end increased some but not back to where it was with the old going bad smaller reeds. i could smell it right off the bat. bottom end was fantastic. better than ever period end of statement. i now need to put in much larger pilot as the idle mixture was turned all the way in pretty much. finally pilot jet is too lean instead of pig rich. launch was amazing. look out anything on the road. also had a slight vacuum leak on top of the reed block and is now fixed so were making progress. if these hold up it will be my new go to from here on out. from idle i can launch and hit 10k rpms and pull on through till 65 mph but needs more fuel to keep going. will do more testing tomorrow but i deff needed more air to fill the crankcase.

[jackrides]

My limited experience was with early fiberglass reeds. Newer ones have to be better. As you describe your procedures, you will find your answers.

[chehystpewpur]

if these didnt work i was going to really start wondering if all of a sudden after 10k miles on this bottom end the hpc crank was to blame even though countless people run those type of cranks. it could have been possible that the crank case pressure was getting too high and pushing the reeds inward and causing them to break that way. which i assume is some of the reason for diffusers in some of the aftermarket intakes along with directing airflow towards the transfer ports.

the only other thing i could come up with is since port timings are for a higher rpm than the exhaust is rated for it could create a false pressure wave through the engine but usually when that happens its apparent and all kinds of other things go on like blowing out crank seals soaked air filter since air/fuel charge is getting pushed out of the carb more than normal and engine performance isnt that great but that doesnt seem to be the case here. then again i had that weird chug and gargle before but looks to be more related to not being able to fill the crankcase with enough air to do its thing.
gonna head out in a little bit and do some more tuning and farting around so anyone within a 1 mile radius of where im at get ready for the swarm of killer bees. public shaming's for all who cross my path. plus i dont need to pull the carb and everything off all the way anymore to make changes to the jets as ive moved some things and have easy access now from the bottom life is so much better that way.