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i have a o3 220 and most of my riding is done in the woods but i dont want to take to mutch away from the top end. just wondering if any one that rides in the woods has the desert pipe and if you like more than the woods pipe? and also what silencer is a good one for those pipes? thanks a bunch

The desert pipe is fine as long as you have the RB mods to your carb and even better having your head done also. The RB mods bring back the low end of the woods pipe when running the desert pipe along with all the other benefits. You should always run a sparky in the woods... The FMF TurbineCore 2 is always a good choice.

I have a 05 220 I actually got to try both before buying other then weight I really felt no power increase with woods pipe the desert pipe has more hit from the bottom and a lot more top end

I personally feel that choosing the best pipe for the KDX depends on a few factors. I have had the opportunity to ride 3 different 220's all in different stages of motor mods with both FMF pipes as well as the Pro Circuit pipe.

I feel that for true woods riding, 1st-3rd gear stuff that is tight and nasty, the stock or FMF woods pipe work great. The difference between the 2 is all in the crispness and snappier throttle response with the FMF woods vs. the stock. The Pro Circuit is right up there with the FMF woods pipe but offers a bit more on the top end than the woods. I like these pipes for woods riding because the torque is almost 4-stroke like and you can literally put you bike in 3rd gear and leave it there all day. But, I also tend to lug my 2-strokes and conserve energy rather than ride on the pipe and shift a lot.

Now, if you prefer more open terrain, then by all means the rev pipe or PC is the way to go. Now you can let the 220 scream. You still have good bottom end, but not as good as stock or woods pipe. Even with the RB carb and head mod and the rev pipe you will not have torque that it had with the woods or stock pipe. With the rev pipe you get the snap similar to a 250 cc 2-stroke (not as violent powerband hit), but very nice snap.

So, here are the 220's I've spent a considerable amount of time on to come to the above conclusions.

-220 stock (very mellow torque monster)
-220 stock pipe w/ airlid removed (a little more snap)
-220 woods pipe, airlid removed boyesen 607 reeds (nice woods setup and my personal favorite for nasty conditions)
-220 rev pipe, airlid removed boyesen reeds (more top end, good for open terrain, but more clutch use in woods)
-220 same as above w/ RB head mod only (same results as above except more crisp throttle response)
-220 PC pipe, airlid removed (very close to FMF woods pipe w/ a bit more top end)
-220 PC pipe, airlid removed, boyesen reeds, RB carb/head mod (great setup for all around riding. Maybe better as an open terrain bike than a woods bike.)

I personally prefer the stock silencer to the FMF or PC silencer because I found no performance benefits at all. Yes, they are lighter, but the stock is easier to clean out because of the design.

Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the feedback ,, it's always good to hear from someone who's actually tried different set ups.

Your info much appreciated

Do you have similar info with the 200? That was awesome.

thanks for the great info. its always good to hear from people that have info on this stuff before i spend the money

Glad to be able to help.

I did have a 200, but it was an "E" series ('92) and I only ran the FMF (not sure what series) before and after RB mods. The E series bikes have nice low end for a 200 and with the RB mods it made for a very nice woods bike.

thanks firffighter.

By the way, what do you do for excitement in Boring, Oregon?

I love that name!!

Prefix with: IMO...

The 'desert' on the 200 won't work in the woods well at all without a few bucks spent on other stuff. Too much bottom-end loss.

I have both pipes. Used to change them back and forth depending on what I was going to be riding. Not until an RB modifed carb, a V-Force II, and Super-M was I happy with the 'desert' in the woods. 'My woods', anyway...and I guarandamtee you that not everyone's are the same!

Had an expert KX500 rider from Kalifornistan hang his bike in a tree up here a few years back.

...that was on one'a our 'kids' trails.

Thanks for this answer. I've decided on the following for my 220:

RB head and carb
FMF Gnarly Desert Pipe
Stock Silencer

However, one thing you did not answer was gearing. Can you regain bottom end torque for woods/mountain riding by stepping down to a 12 tooth front sprocket (right now I am stock 13-47)?

firffighter wrote:I personally feel that choosing the best pipe for the KDX depends on a few factors. I have had the opportunity to ride 3 different 220's all in different stages of motor mods with both FMF pipes as well as the Pro Circuit pipe.

I feel that for true woods riding, 1st-3rd gear stuff that is tight and nasty, the stock or FMF woods pipe work great. The difference between the 2 is all in the crispness and snappier throttle response with the FMF woods vs. the stock. The Pro Circuit is right up there with the FMF woods pipe but offers a bit more on the top end than the woods. I like these pipes for woods riding because the torque is almost 4-stroke like and you can literally put you bike in 3rd gear and leave it there all day. But, I also tend to lug my 2-strokes and conserve energy rather than ride on the pipe and shift a lot.

Now, if you prefer more open terrain, then by all means the rev pipe or PC is the way to go. Now you can let the 220 scream. You still have good bottom end, but not as good as stock or woods pipe. Even with the RB carb and head mod and the rev pipe you will not have torque that it had with the woods or stock pipe. With the rev pipe you get the snap similar to a 250 cc 2-stroke (not as violent powerband hit), but very nice snap.

So, here are the 220's I've spent a considerable amount of time on to come to the above conclusions.

-220 stock (very mellow torque monster)
-220 stock pipe w/ airlid removed (a little more snap)
-220 woods pipe, airlid removed boyesen 607 reeds (nice woods setup and my personal favorite for nasty conditions)
-220 rev pipe, airlid removed boyesen reeds (more top end, good for open terrain, but more clutch use in woods)
-220 same as above w/ RB head mod only (same results as above except more crisp throttle response)
-220 PC pipe, airlid removed (very close to FMF woods pipe w/ a bit more top end)
-220 PC pipe, airlid removed, boyesen reeds, RB carb/head mod (great setup for all around riding. Maybe better as an open terrain bike than a woods bike.)

I personally prefer the stock silencer to the FMF or PC silencer because I found no performance benefits at all. Yes, they are lighter, but the stock is easier to clean out because of the design.

Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps.

However, one thing you did not answer was gearing....

...I'm still looking for the question.........

There's more to a gear change than torque multiplication. It's the ratio that matters, too. A gear that's 'quicker' isn't always better.

For the $15 or so it would cost you to find out, put on a 12T CSS and see how you like it.

If you do...next chain set you buy..a 13/50 will be a better choice from the standpoint of sprocket wear. A 12T sprocket is unlikely to wear as well as a 13. Final drive maintenance is more important.

My opinion on different ratios I've used likely won't translate to the same as yours.

Just try one!

What I found with the 220 and the RB mods + Desert pipe was that stock gearing seemed to work the best for me. When I went with 13/50 I felt I was always in the wrong gear and was shifting constantly between 2nd and 3rd in the tight terrain.

But, like Canyn said, you cant go wrong with the cheap CS sprocket and try it out.

Good luck.

I run the FMF desert pipe with the RB head mod and it pulls hard enough for anything off the bottom. I don't recommend gearing a good running 220 down, it only abbreviates the wide torque curve and the acceleration that goes with that. With stock gearing first gear is like an old truck compound anyway...