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Nice! My shop is just for prototyping, so when I need something made that's beyond my equipment, or for production, I'll ping you!

I went through a similar route... Pushed a broom, ran a Bridgeport and eventually some CNC machines. I started buying equipment of my own at age 29 and went to school for mechanical engineering in my late 30s. Now I run a manufacturing and design shop and I have a lot of freedom as a result. I still do a lot of plain old 2D G-Code with some software tools I've written and I'm glad I learned those skills back in the 1990s as a teenager.

he is prolly talking about the $cheap knockoffs

I know it may seem alarming at first, but those look totally fine. Run em. Just remember to change those things out with a fresh set of reeds every 20-30 hours. A lot of people don't think to change them. You'd be amazed how much more crisp a bike feels when you keep your reeds fresh, especially on 125's and smaller

Edit: OP is a reasonable person and changed the thread title, all is well 👌

I was a Precision Sheet Metal Mechanic for many years before I got into software development. I'm the same way. I can't stand sharp edges on anything. It's also hard to overlook shoddy workmanship. Most people have no idea what a Precision Sheet Metal Mechanic is, so I usually just tell them it's like being a machinist but working with sheet metal and different machines. I really enjoyed it.

Both my KTMs had gaps way worse than that (Pretty sure they contract Mototassanari for the OEM reed blocks) and they ran fine for the 20-30 hours I rode them. Upon replacement I couldn’t feel a change in power.

Currently I have them in my YZ125 and YZ250 and I have the Boyesen Rad Valve in my KX500. The Rad valve is a higher quality product made from cast aluminum, but I think the V-Force has a great performance gain on some bikes like the Yamahas. The truth is, the pressure inside the crank-case on each down-stroke of the piston will force those pedals closed and the tiny air gap we see doesn't really matter. I still go in there with a razor blade and scrape off the sharp edges and burrs on my VF cages before I install...

So basically, when he does things the way you lIke it, then you're fine. But if he enjoys motorcyles aNY other way than what you approve of, then he gets on your nerves and makes you angry. Your small mindedness and intolerance are lame. Wheelie Boys are badass aND I love seeing them enjoy 2 wheels the way they choose to do it.

Cool find! He did better than "Brandon's first race".

It seems far too early in Deegan's career to jump to an private team. The last thing he needs is the distraction of an effort like that. On a side note, is this site ever going to be fixed? It's still impossible to type a message witnout it being a major pain.