Pipe Comparison???

[BIG TOOL]

Hi Guys, I may be beating a dead horse here, But I'm a bit confused about the different 2 stroke pipes available. I have an '06 EC250 its a nice bike and all that... but I want to change the pipe. So here's a few questions for the experts...
1) Is it true theat the FMF Fatty and Gnarly are actually the same pipe (other than the metal gauge) ?
2) Has anyone used a CRD pipe?
3) How does a Messico compare?
4) Is Doma still in business?
5) What is year did the bikes change, was it '03 or '04?

Last and probably most importantly... I spoke with Steve at Motowest recently, and he told me that he has enough material left to do a limited production of the legendary MOTOWEST pipes. Only problem is that he needs to have access to an '04-06 model GASGAS for mock-up to ensure proper fitment on the late model bikes. So will someone please let Steve Borrow a Bike!? Thanks, Curt

[GMP]

FMF Fatty and Gnarly are the same for +'03 bikes but different guage, I have had both. Good bottom/mid with a bit of mid hit.

Never saw a CRD

Messico is more of a smooth transition, top end oriented pipe. Thin construction though.

Doma is no longer imported, smooth power and thin like Messico.

In '03 the motor was rotated down 8mm. FMF pipes fit so crappy you probably can't tell the difference anyway. I was able to get an FMF Fatty for an '03 EC125 on an '01 XC125 easy.


What do you have now? If its the GG pipe its more like the Messico/Doma than the FMF.

[JTT]

Originally Posted by BIG TOOL

but I want to change the pipe.

Why?

Knowing why will help guide you towards perhaps what you are looking for.

[Eric K]

I have the stock GasGas pipe on my ’06 EC300 and the Doma pipe on my ’01 XC300. The engine performance is nearly identical.

I replaced the FMF Gnarly on my '01 XC300 with a Doma pipe. Here is what I found comparing the FMF Gnarly and the Doma on my ’01 XC300...

With the Doma, the engine pulls smoother right off the bottom. Low and mid transition is much smoother with the Doma - a very smooth, strong and responsive power delivery, from bottom to top. Top end with the Doma is far better than the FMF, this thing will really rev!!!

As far as horsepower is concerned my real world dyno test is a steep hill. With he Doma pipe I pulled a fairly steep hill screaming in 4th gear, while I was only able to get moderately high RPM with the FMF in 3rd gear. The XC300 revved much higher in 4th with the Doma pipe than it did with the FMF pipe in 3rd gear on that same hill. With the FMF pipe the engine really struggled to make it up the hill in 4th gear.

As a reference point my ’06 EC300 with a stock GasGas pipe revs to 9800 RPM under normal riding.

I ride trail 97% of the time and sand 3% of the time and I would take the stock GasGas pipe or Doma over the FMF Gnarly under every condition.

[BIG TOOL]

I want to change the pipe for a few reasons, like the legendary "FMF quality" or should I say lack thereof! I want more over rev, and because I can! I have an '01 XC250 with a DOMA, and I wish I could find one for the '06 as well. The quality and performance are nearly unbeatable. The only other pipe I would seriously consider is the MOTOWEST. Steve has had some amazing success with his own hand made pipes. But availability is nonexistent at the moment. So its back to finding a pipe that is close to a DOMA in performance... Has anyone tried a SPES pipe? I see that GASGAS France is selling them in their "hard parts" catalog.
Thanks again to all who responded, Curt

[GMP]

If you have the FMF now just get a GasGas pipe. That should stretch out the power more up top. My '03 might be a bit strong off the bottom for the kid who has it now and thats what I'm suggesting he do. For a quick and dirty fix you could retard the static timing a bit. The head mod helped mine as well even with the FMF pipe.

[jeffd]

In the past, the SPES pipe was made by doma.

One day I tested several pipes back to back - same trail, same day. FMF, messico, doma & motowest. The motowest is more similar to the FMF in power delivery (relative to the doma/messico or stock gasgas pipe). It doesn't flow freely up top (the over-rev that you speak of).

What pipe does your '06 have on it? Is it the stock gasgas pipe?

jeff

[Berkyboy]

We've sold a few CRD pipes and most people report that the pipe allows the engine to rev more.

[Loosenut]

I have only ridden with the FMF pipes on my bikes. I like the way they perform. I'm certain that I would feel differently if I lived and rode in other parts of the country. With my riding style, I find that the FMF pipes puts the power right where it works for me. I prefer to short shift my bike over reving it out. The trails seem much smoother as the rear tire isn't trying to dig into any trail trash.

[iancp5]

Have swapped from Gnarly to Doma.
The Gnarly gives lots of bottom end response - too much in my opinion on my 300. The Doma feels much smoother and linear and gives you more choice of how much torque you release.