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Tip on how to "easily" get your carb rack back into the boots

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    #16
    Crikey, that's a fantastic recipe for bending and breaking unobtanium parts... please PLEASE don't raid the lumberyard to get your carbs back in, people.

    I use a versatile power tool found in my wallet. It's a plastic rectangle with an assortment of magic numbers I use to order up a fresh set of boots.

    Some shortcuts and money-saving measures are worth taking. This one is not.


    For some bikes, new carb boot sets are available from https://www.cruzinimage.net/ at a much friendlier price. By all accounts thus far, and from what I've seen personally, they appear to be high quality parts from Japan.

    It's also important to replace the rubbers from the airbox to the carbs. If yours are old, shrunken, and hardened, you will be amazed at how much larger and more flexible they are. Many people have been convinced they received the wrong parts because old ones shrink so much.


    But sometimes you're really stuck in a situation where the Visa trick won't work because you can't get the boots any more. If the boots are just hardened and shrunken, but not separated or cracked you can often get usable results by soaking the rubber in a solution of wintergreen oil and xylene. This replaces the plasticizers in the rubber and can often get these parts usable again.

    There's a commercial product called Rubber Renue, but it's very spendy, and some folks have purchased the ingredients and mixed up their own. Xylene can be found in any paint department, but wintergreen oil (AKA methyl salicylate) is a little harder to find. I've done this with good results. You do have to start with intact parts; if they're separated or cracked, they're not recoverable.
    Last edited by bwringer; 03-05-2021, 09:16 AM.
    1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
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      #17
      I found that using a lot of Heavy Duty Swear Words can help a lot.
      You can get a variety at Harbor Fright.
      83 GS750E
      2006 ZX14
      2004 KTM 450 EXC
      2001 Yamaha Big Bear

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        #18
        I can think of 2 easy ways to do it: 1) buy new boots from time to time, and 2) pay someone to do it for you. Please note: he said "easy" , not "cheap".
        Expecting the Spanish Inquisition
        1981 GS850G: the Ratzuki
        1981 GS1100E

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          #19
          I'm a big fan of using a heat gun, to warm up the boots. Be careful not to melt/scorch them, but get them nice and warm.

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            #20
            on the GSX ...New rubbers, grease, heat gun, sometimes a strap...and a lot of cursing seems to help.

            On my CBX with 6carbs removal or installation goes way beyond difficult. Removal requires tilting the engine, I discovered I could use the reverse technique to install. Line up carbs between air box and intake rubbers and gently jack the engine back into position, with a little grease they pop right back in.
            1979 CBX, AW440 Maico, GS1150EF

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