Hey Folks,
I'm new to the forum but have been lurking for a while.
Just wanted to post a mini review of the Rock Solid Engine's reed valve kit that I just purchased due to very positive reviews on this forum and elsewhere.
So I have a stock 66cc china 2 stroke running a 44t rear sprocket that I have re-jetted the carby, added a SBP HD air filter, port matched the intake and exhaust manifolds and increased the muffler flow just a little.
It runs really well for what it is and I ride to work each day and love it! There is one BIG hill on the way home that she struggles up but nothing a little pedaling wont fix!
I figured a bit more torque would be handy for the big hills and headwinds and the RSE reed kit has so many glowing reviews for the price I thought why not.
So the reed valve manifold shows up and first impression is WOW this is a very well thought out bit of gear! Super compact and nicely machined, the actual reeds are a thin and very flexible fiberglass seemingly perfect for the low RPM china 2 strokes.
I bolt them on right away with only a slight clearance issue with one of the cooling fins on the head, I then attached my trusty NT carby which fits but only just as it doesn't quite clear the clutch cable stay and the cable itself rubs slightly on the float bowl, No matter small problems to deal with later.
The tuning processes starts and I end up having to up jet from a .72 to a .76 to get the engine running the way it likes. I finally end up with a plug color I'm happy with and an engine that runs and idles smooth with clean throttle transitions.
I quickly realize that although I have a smooth nicely running engine that It is not making as much power as before and no matter how I tweak the carby settings It just is not quite as good as the stock set up.
It struggled to reach speeds that were once comfortable cruising speeds and up hill performance suffered significantly, It just seems like it caused a huge intake restriction and the poor little thing although running well was sadly asthmatic.
I had to go back to stock intake and previous jetting as I just don't think with stock porting that the reeds are an upgrade at all In fact a noticeable downgrade sadly.
I'm in no way disrespecting Rock Solid Engine's as the product is first rate and would recommend it to any one interested in dabbling with idea of converting their engine from piston port to reed valve induction.
I just feel that a lot of port and piston modification would be require just to get the engine back up to where it was with stock induction.
Disclaimer: This is all just my individual opinion on the subject I'm not trying to upset anybody I just wanted to share and inform people that a reed valve set-up (of any brand) is not just a quick bolt on torque boost it is not that simple.
I'm new to the forum but have been lurking for a while.
Just wanted to post a mini review of the Rock Solid Engine's reed valve kit that I just purchased due to very positive reviews on this forum and elsewhere.
So I have a stock 66cc china 2 stroke running a 44t rear sprocket that I have re-jetted the carby, added a SBP HD air filter, port matched the intake and exhaust manifolds and increased the muffler flow just a little.
It runs really well for what it is and I ride to work each day and love it! There is one BIG hill on the way home that she struggles up but nothing a little pedaling wont fix!
I figured a bit more torque would be handy for the big hills and headwinds and the RSE reed kit has so many glowing reviews for the price I thought why not.
So the reed valve manifold shows up and first impression is WOW this is a very well thought out bit of gear! Super compact and nicely machined, the actual reeds are a thin and very flexible fiberglass seemingly perfect for the low RPM china 2 strokes.
I bolt them on right away with only a slight clearance issue with one of the cooling fins on the head, I then attached my trusty NT carby which fits but only just as it doesn't quite clear the clutch cable stay and the cable itself rubs slightly on the float bowl, No matter small problems to deal with later.
The tuning processes starts and I end up having to up jet from a .72 to a .76 to get the engine running the way it likes. I finally end up with a plug color I'm happy with and an engine that runs and idles smooth with clean throttle transitions.
I quickly realize that although I have a smooth nicely running engine that It is not making as much power as before and no matter how I tweak the carby settings It just is not quite as good as the stock set up.
It struggled to reach speeds that were once comfortable cruising speeds and up hill performance suffered significantly, It just seems like it caused a huge intake restriction and the poor little thing although running well was sadly asthmatic.
I had to go back to stock intake and previous jetting as I just don't think with stock porting that the reeds are an upgrade at all In fact a noticeable downgrade sadly.
I'm in no way disrespecting Rock Solid Engine's as the product is first rate and would recommend it to any one interested in dabbling with idea of converting their engine from piston port to reed valve induction.
I just feel that a lot of port and piston modification would be require just to get the engine back up to where it was with stock induction.
Disclaimer: This is all just my individual opinion on the subject I'm not trying to upset anybody I just wanted to share and inform people that a reed valve set-up (of any brand) is not just a quick bolt on torque boost it is not that simple.