What are some upgrades that *really* made a difference?

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JoeMetro

Member
May 4, 2014
67
3
8
California
Some people claim that iridium spark plugs did them wonders, others say the RT carb was a huge improvement over the stock NT carb.

What are some upgrades that you noticed that really made a difference?
Say you rode your bike for a while, and then bought one upgrade and as soon as you rode you know the new part was great?

Of course nothing beats a fine-tuned carb and properly put-together bike.
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
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OKC, OK
Anything that replaced the CNS V3 carb.......

Expansion chamber from MZMiami...........

Front disc brakes...........

Shimano internals rear wheel............

Continental City Ride II tires............

36 tooth sprocket with hub adapter.......

Turbo Buick chain tensioner......

Laid-back seat post with a memory foam seat.....


Couldn't tell a lot of difference with the Fred Head, Iridium plug, upgraded plug wire, and various other exhausts (though I'm not saying that my actions/inactions may be the reasons.....)


Best of luck in your personal search!
 
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Tyler6357

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2012
1,293
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Santa Barbara, CA
Upgrades:

Expansion pipe---> go faster and better acceleration as long as you get a large one

RT (Dellorto Clone)Carb----> go faster, easy to tune

Fred Head---> go faster! If the squish gap measures over 0.060" then I highly recommend decking the cylinder (removing material from the top of the cylinder to make it shorter). If you are going to go through the trouble of decking the cylinder, the squish gap you are aiming for is 0.025" 0.035". If the gap is bigger than 0.060" you might as well not even have a squish band in the head, and you are not going to get the MAIN benefit of the Fred Head, keeping the squish gap between 0.025" and 0.035" will provide the most power from the squish band, while also providing the best longevity for the wrist pin bearing. Also, a Fred Head will provide significantly increased engine cooling over a stock head.

Reed Valve---> go faster, run more efficient. Make sure you get a ported piston

Shift Kit----> Go faster, climb hills, get all the benefits of having gears

Suspension Fork---> smooth ride, less stress on frame

Quality Fatter Tires (over 2"+ wide)----> more rubber on the road, more traction, less flats

Dual Brake Lever---> both brakes on one lever, faster reaction time

Bottle Boost-----> useless waste of money
 
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crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
4,032
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USA
Dual Brake Lever---> when bikes over from kickstand and breaks the one lever - NO BRAKES at all
 

Hoofbeats64

Member
Aug 29, 2017
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Minnesota
I bought the boost bottle/snake oil that it provides power and less vibration. My experience has not been so hot. When I finally got the bike to start, it idled so high that I thought it was going to blow a piston. Any more problems and I am removing it.
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
2,886
151
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OKC, OK
I bought the boost bottle/snake oil that it provides power and less vibration. My experience has not been so hot. When I finally got the bike to start, it idled so high that I thought it was going to blow a piston. Any more problems and I am removing it.

Sounds like you've got an air leak ---- probably one of the boost bottle connections........
 
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Greg58

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May 1, 2011
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Newnan,Georgia
I was not looking for higher top speed but wanted more low end torque, a exhaust with a longer head pipe was the answer.
 

TheSignGuy

Member
Nov 24, 2014
459
9
18
seattle, wa
Anything that replaced the CNS V3 carb.......

Expansion chamber from MZMiami...........

Front disc brakes...........

Shimano internals rear wheel............

Continental City Ride II tires............

36 tooth sprocket with hub adapter.......

Turbo Buick chain tensioner......

Laid-back seat post with a memory foam seat.....


Couldn't tell a lot of difference with the Fred Head, Iridium plug, upgraded plug wire, and various other exhausts (though I'm not saying that my actions/inactions may be the reasons.....)


Best of luck in your personal search!

Also don't forget to talk into the intake every night promotes better fuel flow :))
 

TheSignGuy

Member
Nov 24, 2014
459
9
18
seattle, wa
Sorry I am such a noob at this, but I hear that a lot... Porting and rejetting.... What does this all mean?

Port and polish...ahhh....


Basically your lightly grinding down the port til it has a very shiny smooth finish do not go all the way into the into the hug as you may chip the bores finish.


The key to port and polishing is not removing a lot of material or alter the ports shape.

Can be done with a dremel and a couple of dremel bits it is done to smooth the intake or exhaust port flow in 2 stroke thus improving it's overall power.

To break it down at the max the more air/fuel you can cram in the more power your 2 stroke can produce.

How ever a 4 strokes faster off the line acceleration 2 strokes accel after a certain speed due to its less moving parts but is more powerful and easier to modify Vs 2T.
 

TheSignGuy

Member
Nov 24, 2014
459
9
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seattle, wa
Just so you know everyone's mods is not built to suit your needs that's an area where you have to feel for your self.

It's kind of like jetting what works for them may not work for you but base settings stay relatively the same bases on sea level.

I could sit here and tell you go dual ignition it's the best but that don't mean it will fire on yours like it does on mine because no two engines are exactly the same or tuned the same.
 

Tony01

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Nov 28, 2012
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How ever a 4 strokes faster off the line acceleration 2 strokes accel after a certain speed due to its less moving parts but is more powerful and easier to modify Vs 2T.
Completely wrong. 2-strokes have massive low end torque and worse top end... cause they fire on every rev. Still more powerful than 4-stroke... tell me how does a superkart 250cc engine put out 90hp...

Porting isn't just to smooth ports... actually it's mostly about keeping velocity. Intakes can stay rough
 

Greg58

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2011
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Newnan,Georgia
Jetting is changing the amount of fuel in the mixture drawn into the engine, getting the mixture right will help greatly with power and fuel mileage. If you have ever watched NASCAR practice you probably have noticed a mechanic looking at spark plugs with a magnifying glass, he is looking at the spark plug porcelain color to determine if the mixture is lean or rich. If its too lean it creates heat and sometimes engine failure, too rich will lower performance and can foul the plug. Drilling out the main jet will richen while reducing the jet opening will lean the mixture.
 
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TheSignGuy

Member
Nov 24, 2014
459
9
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seattle, wa
Completely wrong. 2-strokes have massive low end torque and worse top end... cause they fire on every rev. Still more powerful than 4-stroke... tell me how does a superkart 250cc engine put out 90hp...

Porting isn't just to smooth ports... actually it's mostly about keeping velocity. Intakes can stay rough

More wrong put a 2t Honda next to a 4 stroke with no mods the 2 stroke will lagg off the line but the 4 will slow down toward the mid range thus getting passed by the 2 stroke.

The reason the 250cc is faster is because HP and cc are not equivalent of each other.

Per 1 HP is about 13-17ccs depending on how well laid out and HP and cc are not the same measurement.

That don't provide a dang excuse why a scooter beat the **** out a ferrari.

An HP rated motor has a bigger crankshaft then a cc motor...


Put it this way, if you had to carry 2 gallons of whiskey and run 5 miles while the other guy ran 5 miles while drinking it he would be faster then you.

Cause his drunk ass don't have to carry it....


Just cause you build something like everyone else don't mean your right in every area...

There's thousands of guys that can do the same crap like you in a different direction so NO ONES WRONG HERE.

I MAY NOT BE VERY TECHNOLOGICAL WITH WORDING BUT I KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.


At the end of the day it boils down to who's the fastest, weight, and balancing the power under the hood or on the chassis.

I agree with the top end statement though.

"I ant no damn racer and I believe in fundamentals of a basic engine."
 
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TheSignGuy

Member
Nov 24, 2014
459
9
18
seattle, wa
I feel carbs make a difference a lot in the 4 stroke/auto industry a 2bbl can function like a 4bbl but there is always some type of risk somewhere.

2BBL saves fuel but takes just as long to make the same steps at the cost of buying a 4bbl.