Here is a review that I promised Badazz back in November, but a re-broken collarbone had sidelined me for a awhile:
The new Badazztoyz reed:
This reed is a two-stage reed. It consists of a single .7mm piece of fiberglass with a hole cut out in the middle.
On top of this lays a .3mm piece of fiberglass. The way this reed works is that at low throttle openings the incoming
fuel/air mixture blows through the hole in the .7mm reed, thus allowing the .3mm reed to open.
At higher throttle openings the .7mm reed starts to open. The theory behind all this is that you will have an increase in
top end power, with no loss of low end power.
Installation notes:
Because this reed is designed like a single-petal reed, it requires that you cut the center bar out of your reed cage for the
reed to work properly. This can be done several ways, but a Dremel tool with a carbide tip did the job for me and it only took
a few minutes. Also, the new reeds are too big and have to be cut down. I clamped them in a pair of vice grips with my
carbon fiber reeds and sanded the 2-stage reed to the exact shape of the carbon fiber reeds. ( see
photo )Make sure you sand the edges of the hole too because the edges are a little frail looking from being cut out.
The new reed goes on like this: Put the .7mm w/ the hole in it onto the reed cage, and then put the .3mm reed on top of that. I used my stock reedstops. At first I had a gap between the reeds and the reed gasket, I tried bending the reeds a bit ( notice the slight crack in one of the pics), and I even tried shimming the new reed with a piece of my old metal stock reeds and I still had the gap. I was about to admit defeat, but then I bolted the reed on again without the shim, and it sealed up perfectly. Make sure you locktite the screws. So far, so good.
My cag specs:
I ride a Lucky 7 with a 4-port ZH-1 jug using only one piston ring (top), no base gasket, stock pipe, 1.4 clutch springs,
carbon fiber reeds, ported reedcage, 3mm reedblock spacer, ported stock carb, ported V-stack,
air filter, adjustable main jet ( w / no adjuster ), triple taper needle, and stock gearing. I mix my gas at 40:1
using 91-92 octane. The 2-stroke oil I currently use is Mobil 1 MX-2T full synthetic. My spark plug is an NGK BM7A, gapped at .26. With gear on I weigh 220lbs.
I ride with my brother who rides a completely stock Lucky 7 bike. He weighs 30 lbs. less than I do.
From a dead start, his stock cag will jump out about 30 feet in front of mine, our midrange power seems to be about even,
then my cag comes alive and I catch him and pass him easily. Out of turns his bike will outpull mine, and the only way I can catch him is if there is a good long straight. I have absolutley NO bottom end, even with the reed block spacer so lets see what this new 2-stage reed will do for my cag.
The Test results :
For the test I decided NOT to use the reedblock spacer. I started with my triple taper needle in the fifth ( bottom ) position. I drag raced my brother a few times and now I am able to stay with him off the line. Once we hit mid-range, my bike took off and left him behind. My top end still seemed the same as when I had my carbonfiber reeds in. I messed with the clip position on the carb needle, but I ended back on the fifth position. My bike didnt seem to need any jetting changes. I also didnt have any flat spots anywhere in my powerband, and no reed flutter was noticable at WOT. Next I tried using the 3mm reedblock spacer, which killed a little bit of top-end, and didnt really improve the bottom at all, so I ditched the spacer.
Conclusion:
For me, the new 2-stage reed works. It let me keep my low end power, and added as much top end over the stock metal reeds as the carbon fiber reeds do. It might work better on a modified cag like mine, rather than a stock cag. All these china bikes are different. What works on one, might not be so hot on another. Its all a matter of trial and error and tuning and a little luck. The best way to find out if it works for you is to buy it and try it for yourself.
Next, Im gonna go back to my 1.3 clutch springs and see what difference they make, then I'll try the 1.5's. Actually, my L7 could desperatly use a performance pipe, but since Im riding my new Sendai Tai Chi now, I might just leave my L7 the way it is.
