125-200cc Reed questions

I have an 07 wr125 with the vforce reeds.Do you need to check these often for possible cracks? Are reeds something you need to replace after a certain amount of hours?
I read that you may get possible hp gains by using a rubber boot cover from a 2001 honda cr125? anyone else know about this?
Just curious because I have read about reed failures on the 07

I replace reeds at every top end rebuild. They are easy to inspect so why not check to get a warm and fuzzy.

i started checking mine more often after finding them cracked/chipped. 09 WR144/165

Is there a special tool to get the cage screws out or can the little pin be snapped out of the allen screw?

For some reason they used a security torx, I bought a bit for them at Napa

yeah, the security torx heads are annoying. i already had a set of bits from another bike but eventually i'll replace those screws with something standard.