My wife and son both have Polaris 2-strokes and I have to do the maintenance and mods. Would someone please educate me about reed cages, spacers, etc. Where and how do you install them and what do they do? Thanks.

 

Well first off is location: Between the cylinder and rubber intake boot. Its the diamond shaped part with pieces of fiberglass that cover the holes in it. The fiberglass things are the reeds. Reed spacers are an aftermarket part that go in between the cages and the cylinder.

Now what each does; Reed cages: Holds the reeds. Air flows through it so aftermarket pieces are designed to let more air flow than stock.

Reeds: They open when the engine needs to suck air from the carb. Shortly after, the engine puts pressure back in the intake track so the reeds close to keep the air from re-entering the carb (it not all that simple but it would take a long reply to explain it all). Most aftermarket reeds are made from better materials (such as carbon fiber) and most are also "dual stage". THe better materials allow them to open and close faster and last longer. The "dual stage" is actually a softer reed on top of a harder one. The soft one give great throttle response at part throttle, and the hard one works better at the top end.

Reed spacers: They give a larger crankcase volume as well as increase the intake track. Most people will tell you they don't really help much. Personally, since every engine is different, I think that buying a spacer should be like buying a pipe. It would be engine specific. I have never ran spacers, but I do have a set for my banshee that will go on soon, just to see if they help at all.

I have the Boyesen rad valve in my 350 two-stroke polaris. It did help, but not really worth the $160 to most people. As for my banshees, I run modified stock reed cages with special reeds. I am going to dyno the aftermarket V-force cages against my current ones. Many people say the modified stock make more power.

I hope this helps. If I didn't answer exactly what you need to know, let me know.

 

Hey thanks, that's just what I was looking for.

 

Just a note, the V-force units have been dyno proven to be better than the Boyeson's.