78 gs550 starter, do the carbs have to come off?

[Guest]

i have a 78 gs550. the starter needs rebuilt, do the carbs have to come off? the reason i ask is because the boots from the air cleaner are hard as a rock and will have to be cut...

[Steve]

Yes, the carbs need to come off on a 550. Order up some new airbox boots and make yourself happy.

While you are at it, your intake boots (on the other side of the carbs) are probably just as hard. Order new ones there, too.

The airbox boots are usually about $15 each, the intake boots are about $25, so plan on about $160-175 for all new boots.

Since you are taking the carbs off, have you ever cleaned them and treated them to new o-rings? A new set of o-rings for the carbs and the intake boots only adds about $15 to the project.

.

[barnfresh 78gs]

thanks steve! call me ocd, but i want to make sure i have all the parts on hand before i start a project... lol i guess i just stick to the kick start till winter... lol