Thanks to my friends at GY6 Performance and the fella that owns Parts For Scooters I now have a better understanding of what's going on. The performance clutch I installed came with red 2000rpm springs for hard launch racing, and being that the variator turns half the rpm of the engine (more or less) that's why I have to hit 4000rpm to get moving. So I have blue 1000rpm springs on the way that will bring it down to 2000rpm to get moving (similar to stock).
On to the variator. Both it and the new clutch bell housing are significantly lighter than stock and it has steeper ramps for quicker acceleration/engagement. The weights also affect top end speed at a given rpm (I lost 7mph but now it climbs hills like a tractor even with a passenger).
The kit came with 10gram roller weights and stock was 14gram, so the next conclusion is to order 14gram weights to regain my top speed, right? Not necessarily, due to the steeper ramps this will likely result in full variator engagement at a lower engine rpm and hurt my acceleration. Which means I'll probably be better off with 12 or 13gram roller weights. So it comes down to trial and error which should be fun because there's 10 bolts holding the cover on, and because it contributes to structural strength you can't run it with the cover off.
Oh well, gotta get it right I suppose.
