Carbon Reeds for skeptics

[motorhead]

As most on this site know I have a highly tuned Aprilia SR50 decked out with tons of performance parts. Big Carb, racing pipe, racing crank, 70cc and stock reeds. For the last 3 months the bike has been a daily driver getting me back and fourth from work and everything else at GY6 speeds. But I've always had problems with sputtering and backfire and overall choppy acceleration, along with plenty of fouled plugs.

2 days ago I fitted a set of polini reed petals, and I want to say to anyone on the fence over buying carbon reeds... Do it already! They were what my bike was missing. The bike is smoother accelerating, almost no sputter and backfire, less smoke. And much less throttle to maintain speed. I wish the online descriptions of CF reed performance were more thorough. "Improved throttle responce," is not justice to what these can do for your bike. CF reeds are like a combination of "tuned cams + better valves and springs" on 4 cycle engines. They are a must, I can hit 60mph easier than ever before.

All these gains are in spite of 1 of the petals not completely seated shut agaist the valve. My next move is to go after some Stage 6 V-Force 3's. So to anyone out there tutning a 2T and you haven't done your reeds yet. What are you waiting for?

[dude]

Reeds are made in thickness also which respond different.

[2strokd]

Man glad to hear t helped out allot!
Your old reeds must have been REALLY bad.
GET the VF3 reedblock! Its the best you can get IMO. Both thin sets (for low RPM) and thick sets (for high RPM) of reed petals in the same reedblock.
Most glass reeds are great to use as well. Better than most of the carbon ones out there.

[motorhead]

I bought the reeds on ebay from user Daywot. I thought I was getting a whole set but the fine print got me and I ended up with only 1 set of reeds. I have the blue .30 reeds. Although I have the low end rpm reeds in the stock block, they are eons above the stock metals reeds pound for pound at any given rpm.

I actually bought those reeds three months ago and while drilling holes in one, the bit caught into it, spun it and tore the petal into two rectangles. I thought $30 had gone down the drain. A few days ago just for the heck of it I decided to put them in my scoot anyway. Who knew that reeds cut to the shape of individual ports would have worked.

T

[jmkjr72]

yeah over on zf there are several posts about the carnage that happens with bbk and stock steel reeds
not pretty and not cheap

[stepthrutuner]

They seemed to compensate for loss of compression due to engine wear when I added them to my stock cylinder/tuned pipe setup.