Hey everybody, time for an update. After a lot of hard riding the last two weeks I have a lot of one on one to report. Other than a kick starter repair, It has been awesome. The APT Smart Carb has not been touched and the bike run's spot on regardless of altitude or temperature. The Power and Performance of the big 2-stroker is a whole level above the 450-4 strokes. I can pull a whole gear higher in all conditions, and I am geared "up" as well. The "monster" is truly a hot rod. We have tested a lot of things to learn as much as possible about what is needed to make one of these, or any other 2-stroker perform well and consistent as a snow bike. I have decided to put a list together and report on the findings. I will not list the things like foot peg's and bar risers etc. Those are rider feel and style preferences.
#1 - EGT Gauge, - not necessary but helpful in dialing it in and monitoring.
#2 - Header Wrap, - not necessary but helps keep temp in the pipe and quickly heat the pipe for clean, lean performance.
#3 - Carb Jacket, - recommended. This keeps the constant pounding of snow off the carb. In spring conditions it will not be as important, but a good recommendation for over all consistency.
#4 - Carb Heat, - Required. In very cold conditions, carb heat was "not" needed all day. The very cold air is dry and far below the freezing and sticking point. The bike ran perfectly with no neat in very cold conditions. In the 20's and above, on cloudy days with high humidity, carb heat is needed to prevent icing in the throat.
#5 - Standard Carb, - Works perfectly as a conventional carb. Jetting is required for your riding area. Once jetted a little lean at the parking lot, it is trouble free all day on the mountain.
#6 - Inteli-Jet, - not mandatory but an advantage. Makes adjustments for temp and altitude very easy without the need to re-jet.
#7 - APT Smart Carb, - This is the single best accessory you can invest in. This makes air/fuel issues a thing of the past. You simply set the metering rod, then Altitude "and" Temperature are taken care of. It performs spot on, all day, any Temp and any Altitude. EGT's and performance are consistent. The current EFI 4-strokes don't even do that! Very impressive.
#8 - Snorkel style intake, - optional. The stock intake works perfectly with a snow filter if you remove the bottom of the air box giving the snow a place to evacuate.
I need to address the EFI/Carb topic. We need to understand that the simple EFI units are no different than a Carb. They have a set fuel delivery but will adjust for temperature only. Not altitude. That actually hurts performance. An EFI unit will "add" fuel because of colt temps. Adding fuel while we ride at high altitudes compounds the problem. That is why EFI bikes are using "tuners" and "programmers" to adjust fuel requirements. People afraid of Carb's because of jetting requirements don't understand and are missing out on huge performance advantages. EFI needs the same jetting requirements. That is done with a tuner or programmer. A Carb is done with jet's. There's no advantage either way. I have started my bike in one or two kicks while watching a "non corrected" EFI bike kick and kick to start and idle. Weather EFI or Carb, they "both" need corrected for temp and altitude to be correct. My point is; people with a "carb" should NOT be discouraged. We have a company "pro-rider" and two others "pro class" riders that pull away from everyone else riding every make and model out there. Trouble free and spot-on all day. You have seen them on you-tube,
. They are all riding "carburated" bike's. Anyone wanting to dial in their bike, carb or efi, don't be discouraged. They both work exceptionally well. EFI, you need to "jet" using a programmer, Carb you need to "jet" using jet's. APT Smart Carb or a "closed circuit" EFI need no tuning or adjusting, regardless of the stroke. 2 or 4.
The characteristics of a big aggressive 2-stroke is different for sure. They have a personality all their own. They have massive horsepower, very aggressive, and will make your ride a different experience! Torque has been a question. Service Honda has the chart's. A 500CC two stroke will produce twice the torque as a current 450F, at only 3000 RPM! They are a torque monster and an aggressive HP monster for those who want a hot rod.
As I get time, I will be posting video's.