I'm new to the 2-stroke world. Could someone fill me in on exactly what they do, if they are hard to change, and has anyone replaced them with aftermarket performance reeds?

Thanks~~

Spanky '96 Xplorer 300 4x4

They regulate the amount of air let into the piston, I replaced my stock ones with the Delta V-Force reeds, and it made quite a difference.

More importantly, they stop the fuel mixture from being pushed/forced back into the carb. They're generally quite easy to replace - usually in a matter of minutes.

ogre

Do the reeds eliminate the 2 stroke burble at the low transitional speeds. You know the ba-bapa-ba sound experienced at even throttle between acceleration and deceleration?

Years ago I had special reeds and and a stuffer block put into a go kart engine and it seemed to gain hp on the top end but sacrificed some power at lower rpms. Do the V-Force reeds do this also, or is there a power increase across the power band?

My V-Force reeds seemed to help the low, and mids substantially. I've never really been anywhere where I can just pin the throttle and hold on.

Do the new reeds add to the noise? I use my Xplorer to check cattle & don't want to spook them.
Also would a K&N filter be a wise investment with new reeds?

Which reeds would you recommend for the best bang for the buck? I want just a little more oomph, but not at the cost of excessive noise or loss of reliability. Thanks
Farmr

Go with the V Force Delta 2's and a spacer,
The mid range improvement is very noticable. It's one of those modifications that helps through out the RPM range without killing off any low end power. It won't make any more noise, and usually doesn't require a jet change. As for the K&N, that may require a slight adjustment to the jetting. Both will go a long way to making useable Horsepower.
I have had mine set on low tension since I installed them, and haven't bothered to experiment.

I have installed a K&N on my 2 stroke, and my 4 stroke, no jetting change was needed. I recomend adding a K&N to anyone, as soon as you get your quad. The stock filters are junk, and the K&N adds better throttle response, and overall is a better filter.

Yes the reeds did decrease the burble between deceleration and acceleration. It actually seems quieter. It has great throttle response and gave me smooth horses all the way through. It almost feels like I lost some on the top end but I think it's because the low and mid are so strong now that I just get there quicker. They are a great add on.

They are pretty easy to change, take the air filter off, take the carb off, then you should be able to see them, unbolt it from the cylinder, put the new ones in, then put it back together.