• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Using Radiator Hose for airbox to carb

  • Thread starter Thread starter medicinalmotorcycle
  • Start date Start date
M

medicinalmotorcycle

Guest
Has anyone ever tried using a radiator hose to connect the airbox to the carbs and how did it work out? My carb boots (77 GS750) are old and stiff and I'm only able to get them to go on halfway over the carb lip, and that's with a lot of effort. I see that they are available from alpha-sports for $11 each, but am not ready to fork out more than $44 for a bike that I will probably not have much longer. I started thinking that maybe a radiator hose would work and was just curious.
 
Good luck with that. I don't think you'll get a good seal on the box but with the VM carbs you really don't need it.
 
I remember seeing a post last summer where somebody used similar hose from the carbs to the engine, but I don't remember any such use from airbox to carbs.

It might work, but you have to be careful with the seal around the edges. I also think that if you look inside the stock hoses, you will find some special curves to smooth the airflow. You will not be able to achieve this with radiator hose.

.
 
medicinalmotorcycle said:
Has anyone ever tried using a radiator hose to connect the airbox to the carbs and how did it work out? My carb boots (77 GS750) are old and stiff and I'm only able to get them to go on halfway over the carb lip, and that's with a lot of effort. I see that they are available from alpha-sports for $11 each, but am not ready to fork out more than $44 for a bike that I will probably not have much longer. I started thinking that maybe a radiator hose would work and was just curious.
Click to expand...

Absolutely you can, I have a 78GS750EC that had exactly the same problem. My boots were so brittle and stiff they were hard as a rock with no flexibility left in them at all. I looked for and found radiator hose that fit perfectly over the end on the carb side. You will find that the hose will be slightly too large to fit into the airbox holes and some will recommend that you cut the air box holes larger. However, I found this to be an opportunity to do something better than cut holes into the air box which would have been a pain to do anyway. What I did with the airbox end of the hose was to cut the hose to its finished length and include enough to inside the air box by an inch or so. Then with masking tape I taped a guide line around the airbox end of the hose creating a line right where the air box hole and hose would come into contact. I then took my dremel tool and installed a small round rotary saw blade. I then carefully cut a shallow slot all the way around the hose right at the edge of the masking tape guide line being careful not to cut all the way through the hose. In fact the rotary saw blade (looks like a miniture skill saw blade) is small enough and the hose was thick enough that it was almost impossible to cut clear through the hose.
Now what you do is go buy a tube of black rubber silicone sealer, some shiny new stainless steel radiator hose clamps. Squeeze a little of the black rubber sealer into the kerf you cut in the hose, scrunch the hose a little and force it into the air box and the kerf you cut will pop nicely into place in the air box hole and the kerf you cut will hold it firmly in place, connect the carb end of the hose with your new clamps. To be sure the hose was absolutely sealed in the air box I then took some more of the black rubber sealer and smeared an nice smooth bead of the sealer around the exterior of the hose where it met the airbox.
This method was easy to do, looks sharp, and it worked beautifully. I had no problems with engine performance what so ever.
GS750Guy
 
That sounds like a great idea GS750GUY. Thanks for your suggestion, will try this today. Will have to take my carbs down to the auto parts store to find a hose that will be a good fit. Welp got to drink a red bull and get this done. Bye!
 
medicinalmotorcycle said:
That sounds like a great idea GS750GUY. Thanks for your suggestion, will try this today. Will have to take my carbs down to the auto parts store to find a hose that will be a good fit. Welp got to drink a red bull and get this done. Bye!
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that in order to be sure I did not cut all the way through the hose with the dremel saw....I wrapped the saw blade shaft with eletricians tape and wrapped it thick enough to create its own (depth of cut guide) so the blade would only cut as deep as the tape would allow it to and not cut all the way through the hose. I then greased the end of the hose for lubrication otherwise friction between the hose and the tape would burn the tape off and you will be constantly re-wrapping it. I believe those small dremel type saw blades come in various sizes. If you use the very smallest that they make you may not need to use the electricians tape. The blade I used was a little large so I had to tape the shaft to limit its depth of cut.
Good Luck!
GS750GUY. Let us know how it works for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top