i'm running 14/47 on my '00 exc right now. i've tried 45, 46 47 & 48. i think i like the 47 the best for tight woods & relatively short, steep hills. you'd probably want the 45 for the desert; the bike pulls it fine, but 6th is a bit of a gap with it (you just have to rev out 5th). i prefer the 47 b/c it puts 3d at just the right spot in the woods.
here's my gearing question: i need to split my cases & see why chunks of steel are coming out my drain plug. i'm thinking this can't be good, but the little dude started it right b/f the last enduro of our season & still finished, albeit the shifting was not quite what it should have been. my question: with the 47, esp. with the 48, 1st is mighty low. since i'll have my gearbox all apart anyway, is there any reason i can't install the mxc's taller 1st gear? opinions? ps don't panic jds, this bike has at least 18 hard races on it & lots of hard trail rides & has otherwise been stone reliable, this is i think just some fluke thing.
the big difference b/t the '00 & '01 (i've yet to ride an '02) is the suspension valving, especially in the fork. the stock '01 fork felt as good to me as my revalved '00. otherwisethe bike felt the same, altho the opaque gas tank is mighty handy.