BenBB

The spark arrestor's function is to prevent, well, sparks from flyin' out the silencers. They are required in areas of US Forest Service and some BLM jurisdiction, where riding without them could start a forest fire. If you remove the endcaps on the stock silencers, it'll probably just be louder, chances are you won't see any performance increase or need to rejet for it.

Forgot to mention premix ratio, I'm assuming you're around 32:1 and not at an extreme like 20:1 or 100:1...and once you get it dialed in for 40 degrees F you might need to rejet the mains a size larger if it gets down below about 20F.

I'd start a little richer to be safe, like 350 mains, 30 pilots, airscrews 1.5 turns out, but I'd go leaner instead of richer on the needle (2nd clip position from the blunt end, for the reeds)...or start at the stock clip position and dial in the needle clip position after you set up the mains and pilots. Might be way rich but should be a safe place to start. Good luck.

Did you get it out completely? Are the threads fucked up or just the slot for the screwdriver?

Try coating the pipe o-ring with some hi-temp RTV (silicone). And mine does the same thing with the plugs unless they are tight; try fresh plugs (the metal gasket crushes and may or may not seal right after being tightened once) and get them tight...just don't torque the hell out of them and strip the head...something like 1 full turn past finger tight. Good luck.

Who did the porting? I'd see if they have any jetting recommendations and octane requirements first. If not, I'd start with 350 mains, 30 pilots, airscrews 1.5 turns out, and needles one clip position leaner than stock (2nd notch from the blunt end). Should be a safe starting point and SHOULD be on the rich side (again, depends on the porting)...assuming normal 60-80 degrees F temps and 32:1 premix ratio. I would run a minimum of 50/50 race & pump gas to be 100% safe, race gas if you can afford it (or 21cc domes if you want to run pump gas safely). Good luck.

Is the air filter and airbox completely stock? Or snorkel removed/lid removed?

I'd start with 330 mains, 30 pilots, and if you get the V-Force reeds move the needle one clip position leaner (move the clip up towards the blunt end). Should be a safe place to start, should be on the rich side or real close. BTW I'd check the compression with a good quality gauge and see for sure, with .020" taken off the head you should have under 160# and SHOULD be OK with 91 or 93 octane pump fuel (assuming the porting is stock). If there's any doubt then race gas surely won't hurt (other than the price per gallon), and if you do indeed have 160+# you could run 50/50 pump & race gas... Oh and welcome to the HQ, glad you recovered your Banshee, hope it wasn't beat to death.

Depends on how cold it gets, typically you have about a 20 to 30-degree temp range where your mains are perfect; like 50-70 or 50-80 degrees F...so in this case when it gets colder than 50 just go up one size on the mains (leave the needle where it's at if it runs good from 1/4 to 3/4 throttle), and you might also need to adjust the airscrews in (richer) just a little for a clean idle and off-idle response. Finding the borderline is the hard part, if there's any doubt jet the mains a size larger, and as it gets warmer outside you'll notice it bogging at WOT, that's the temp you need to drop back down a size. Hope this helps, might be a little easier to understand in the Jetting FAQ

If it has a bog or hesitation right off idle, and adjusting the airscrews doesn't cure it...if going out on the airscrews helps but the problem persists after you go out past 3 turns, try the next size smaller pilot and start over with the airscrews 1.5 turns out; if going in helps but it still bogs when you get to a half turn out, try the next larger pilot. If the motor is fresh, start the breakin with new plugs, after you get to where it's idling about 15 minutes, see what the plugs look like; if the center electrode and the base ring have no color chances are they are lean; if dark and wet they're rich; light brown is perfect.

What's your elevation? If it has 170 mains and it's not running lean, I'd guess 6000'+...my '96 had 170's in it when I bought it, was jetted for Santa Fe. Anyway, roughly add 8 sizes to the mains for pipes, 4 more for the K&N, 1 for no snorkel and another 1 if you remove the whole lid (I would). So if it has 170 mains start with 310 mains. I would also start with 30 pilots, set the airscrews 1.5 turns out and leave the needle where it is now; dial in the mains first, then the pilots/airscrews, then the needle clip position if necessary. This should get you close, and if anything be a safely rich starting point, but if you're not at a high elevation I would start a little richer on the mains just to be safe. Good luck.

RIGHT ON! A huge thanks to all past and present service men and women, we truly appreciate it.

Ach du liber!! You know what they say...if it sounds too good to be true...and Munich is a long ways away. I wonder if Fedex has ever heard of them. I noticed two if the supposed feedbacks on the first page had the exact same comment, and none sounded as if they just got a new quad for half price (with a 12-month warranty no less)... Street-Shee is in Denmark, been a while since he's posted though (saw some posts a while back @ 2stroke.cc), anyone else in Europe???

I just ran the hose from the radiator cap (the one that used to go to the bottle) so it sits right above my left pipe...if it ever gets hot enough to puke it will discharge on the pipe and make a huge-ass cloud of steam. I've never had it overheat, but I think jetting is the biggest factor, and I also run Water Wetter and have some foam around the radiator so air has to go through (not around) it. I also run a temp gauge (highly recommend it), so I know when it's getting hot...

seven five seven

Quickest mod: check the tire pressure. Least expensive: read through these forums (too bad we lost a buncha good posts with the most recent forum upgrade). Seriously, there's alot you can do, almost nothing you won't find here, and alot depends on how you plan to ride or race. Like removing weight (cut front fenders, remove coolant overflow bottle, ditch the e-brake, remove TORS, almost anything aftermarket, etc.), upgrade the air filter setup, port the reed cages, shave the head, get pipes, tires, gearing, etc etc etc

No title? My '96 has a title, and so did my old '86 TRX70. I did buy a 250R without a title once, luckily I sold it and the next owner had to shell out a couple hundred bucks to file for and get a lost title. Sounds like something's up with the dealer, hope you get it sorted out.

It depends on the oil you're using (some are made for specific ratios), but you probably won't see much difference between the two ratios. 32:1 is probably the most commonly used ratio, and should be a good balance between lubrication and oil used (you'll go through less oil per volume of fuel). Some argue that lower ratios like 20:1 or 24:1 makes more power because the oil helps seal the rings to the cylinders and allowing less blowby, but I haven't seen any proof yet. The higher ratio will probably decrease exhaust smoke a little as well. It's not a drastic change so chances are you won't need to rejet, but it's always a good idea to double check the jetting; 32:1 will be slightly richer from an air/fuel standpoint (less oil so more fuel). At most you're looking at one size leaner on the mains, but more likely you may only need to adjust the airscrews. If you decide to change I'd keep the current jetting and see how it runs. Good luck.

You ditched the TORS already, right? To sync the carbs you just need to adjust the adjusters on the carb tops so that both slides move off idle at the same time (don't sync them with the idle screws)...if you have TORS then you do sync them with the knobs so both open at the same time, but then you may need to adjust them both the same amount to get your idle speed. If it was me, I'd start with what PassionRE suggested and work down, but as Banchetta said you really need to find a place to dial it in right. I have 350, 340, 330, 320, 310, hell all of 'em down to 190, I'm at 370's now and if anything will need to go larger for the cold weather...if you want I can ship you the jets to dial it in and you can just buy the ones you need and send 'em back. Lemme know.

2 STROKE. White knuckles, howlin' pipes, adrenaline, sweet fumes, and cheatin' death...nothing else like it.

Yes, look for an air leak using starting fluid (ether), while it's idling, around the carb boots and tops; if it idles higher you've found the leak. One thing to consider: without the TORS you use the cable adjusters on the carb tops to synchronize the slides, and the idle screws to set the idle speed. If you synch the carbs with the idle screws there's a chance that one carb will open off idle before the other IF there's slack in the cable itself. Doesn't sound like that's your problem but thought it was worth mentioning. My first inclination is to see what the plugs look like, that'll tell you if one side is richer than the other. If the old ones are gone or didn't tell you anything, try letting it idle on the new plugs for about 15 minutes and see what they look like. You should be able to tell if one is richer than the other, or way too rich/lean. Next, you might double check the compression just in case. Last, see what size the pilots are. You could probably use 30 pilots, assuming your plugs don't read that it's already too rich. Another thing, if you haven't already try removing the airscrews completely and clean/compare them to each other, it's odd that one goes farther than the other. Good luck.

Hey Justin, who's doing the porting? They should be able to get you in the ballpark...but the coolhead should not require any jetting change, and the degree key at most will want one size larger on the mains, that just leaves the porting, which could be anywhere from the same jetting you have now to a few sizes larger...

I like my FMF Fatty's, good midrange pipe I think...but you've got alot of options as most pipes are either bottom end (like 2 into 1), top end (in-frame or out of frame drag pipes), or all-around (typically good midrange to top end). So if you're after midrange, avoid the bottom end and drag pipes and you'll have lotsa options: FMF (Fatty and SST), Pro Circuit, DMC, Toomey (T5 and TR6), Paul Turner, LRD, etc etc. I got mine used, all you need to avoid is big dents, if you're after function then even the plating doesn't matter as long as it's not rusted through.

You may or may not need to adjust them at all; they fine tune the mixture from idle to about 1/8 throttle. So if you have a bog or hesitation right off idle (and the mains are dialed in), adjust them in (richer) or out (leaner) a quarter or half turn at a time. I'd see how it runs before adjusting anything... Got some more info in the Jetting FAQ if you want to check it out: Jetting FAQ

Fast87, there's a few things to consider; first of all, your elevation will make a difference on how much static compression you'll get (higher elevation, lower compression). Second, compression gauges vary, so you may want to try another gauge just in case. Third, you may have more compression if you test on a warm motor versus a cold one. As a general rule, under 100 psi or more than 10% difference between cylinders is a good indication that you need a new topend. Of course, if you're at 9000' you might only get 100 psi on a fresh topend. But alot depends on how well you maintain it and to a certain extent, luck. What happens to 2-stroke pistons is that with time & wear, the cylinders become tapered and out-of-round, and the piston skirts collapse. New pistons and making sure the bore is perfect are pretty much wear items on a 2-stroke (that's one reason to go oversize: the other reason is failure due to improper assembly or too much wear). To really know what condition they are in you need to tear it apart and check the clearances to see if they are within spec, compression is just a relatively easy way to tell how much wear they have (and the best way to do this is to take a reading with the same gauge when the topend is fresh and compare that to subsequent readings). If there's any doubt, do a fresh topend and break it in right. To answer your other question, what will happen if you keep running it when the pistons/cylinder are worn, is at best you'll break a piston ring and need a pair of pistons...at worst you'll shatter a piston and the flying debris can ruin the head, take out the crank, bust the cases, score the cylinders, etc. etc. all bad stuff. You still have alot of oversizes left now so I would do it as soon as you can...