A soft rev limiter can be an option, but there is also another possibility.
Delaying the ignition timing at high revs is intended to increase the exhaust gas temperature in order to bring the resonance frequency of the exhaust pipe into line with those high revs.
However, a late ignition timing, sometimes even after Top Dead Centre, means that combustion pressure development above the piston becomes less effective, sometimes so much less that it no longer compensates for that adjusted exhaust resonance. In that case, it is better not to ignite even later at those high revs, but rather slightly earlier again.
Below are the power curve and the ignition curve of a 100cc direct-drive kart engine that delivered its maximum power at 18.200 rpm but would only reach its maximum speed of 21.000 rpm by setting the ignition slightly earlier again at that speed.
It should be noted that the exhaust system of this engine – which had no centrifugal clutch and no gearbox – was deliberately designed not to be very efficient in order to avoid the notorious torque dip at two-thirds of the maximum torque rpm.

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