tips for getting the carbs back on the bike

Trying to put the carbs on the bike but they are not complying. I've said every name in the book thinking that might help. But no. Then I tried to reason with them no luck there. I've put some oil for lube thinking that they weren't slippery , that did not work too. So any tips that y'all have and would like to share would be great. I've got something in mind but I'm waiting on a stronger hand to help.

 

Silicone spray on the rubber. Patience. Silent fury.

 

Silicone grease apparently works well and a hard wood hammer handle or piece of hockey stick to pry with... Helps if the front wheel is against something solid... I pry hard enough tho push off center stand..fortunatly was straddling the bike at the time so I was able to catch her... I couldn't find silicone grease so I used white litium grease

 

Heat the boots up with a heatgun. I never have to fight with them.

 

Second that heat gun is a winning strategy

 

So I can heat up the boots that are on the engine and that will make them more playable?

 

Didn't even think about that, but yeah heat works really well to soften rubber, I use it on fork gaiters all the time.

 

I've recently had mine on and off several times and ya it is tough to get them on! I stabilized the bike so it would move, put a bit of oil on the carbs and a little in the boot. I put my hands on the ends and pushed like a mofo! While pushing tho I focused on one side first also wiggling it up and down! I found that popping it in one side at a time helped greatly! Just gotta make sure the side that popped in doesn't pop back out while doing the same to the other side!
Hope this helps!
Good luck!

 

I lubed the inside lip of the boots with a little oil and put the carbs in place. Then I used 2 - 1x2x3inch boards. With ends against the carbs and sticking out the sides, pull towards back of bike putting pressure on frame rails, they will pop right into place.

 

First, take some silicone grease and put a fine, thin coating on the inside lips of the intake boots.

Carbs in hand, slide them in from the right side.

Leaning over from the right, place the carbs in line with the boots with the carbs just sitting in the bottom of the boots

With a hardwood dowel, ¾” x 2 feet or so, slide the dowel under the #1 & #2 carb from above the bike.

The dowel should be at a 45 degree angle and anchored by the generator/engine block.

Now the tricky part, with both hands on each side of the carbs, push the carbs forward and use your left shoulder area between your neek and shoulder to push the dowel for extra leverage to push the #1 and possibly the #2 carb into the boots. Remove the dowel, fish it through from the top and while putting your left hand on the #1 carb, so it won’t pop off, push the dowel forward and pop on #3 and #4.

If you have a helper, have them power the dowel while you guide the carbs on.

Do one side, they never will pop on trying to get all 4 seated at once.

Resist from prying on the airbox, it will break.

Hope this helps

 

When I did my 650 - (if I remember correctly)
Boots (intake to engine) were attached to carbs, slid air box back all the way and used a hammer handle to gently persuade. Maybe I got lucky but they went on really easy. The air box side boots required warming them and they slipped on smoothly also.

Given all of the advice above I would recommend the "silent fury" and the hockey stick method (only if you are Canadian) :wink: :lol:

 

I was gonna say has anybody bothered to explain that you can MOVE the airbox rearward?

 

I sit back with a beer in my hand and watch my son do it.

 

Just about to. I pull the airbox back and down, then slide the carb bank in from the left. I can't remember why, but it's easier. It might be because of the clutch cable. I put the carbs onto the head rubbers first, and at this stage the airbox rubbers are squished downwards. Don't worry if some fall out. I get one end carb fully into the head rubbers, and just nip up the clamp. Then I get the other end carb in, in the same manner.

Then the carbs are on the engine and I can work on the airbox rubbers. I make sure they are all in place and the right way up (there's a tag on each rubber and a couple of lumps on the airbox it fits between.) then prize them onto each carb. Make sure that the clutch cable is in the right place first. It's between numbers 3 and 4 airbox rubbers on mine and there is a wire cable guide for it on the carbs. When it is all in place I tighten all the clamp screws. Then I replace the screws that hold the airbox.

I do not use any form of lubricant. Do not do what I've done, and have one of the clamps in such a position that it fouls the throttle linkage, making the tickover very high.

The choke cable is easy enough, just make sure the clamp is on the ferrule. You can lever up the throttle linkage to attach the cable with a long screwdriver.

Did this last week.

 

I use Assembly Lube, palmolive dishwashing liquid and silicone to get those suckers in !!!

I also secure the front wheel against the brick wall on the side of the house and use a 2x4

I start working the bottoms in starting from #4 and #3 carbs and yell out some expletives like

@$&!:;#%}\|%^+ Madafackar !

Then "Conjuction junction whats your function "

Holy Sh*t Madafacka !

You piece of Sh*t Madafacka !

And a couple of more until they've gone in

 

I vote this as the best way. :lol:

 

There IS a "secret."

OK, two. One of them is one of the first things I learned after joining this forum. And that is the RickCoMatic hammer-handle pry bar. Go to the hardware store and buy a replacement hammer handle. Or two, in different sizes. Lop off the part where it's split for the head/wedge. Round off the edges. Now you have a serious non-marring pry bar.

Number two: Manual dexterity. Use the force (the one between your ears.) Make your hands obey.

I have a much more difficult time getting the damn airbox boots back in place than I do getting the carbs back into the intake manifolds. That's where cursing becomes necessary. So far, good ol' Yankee blue streak epithets have seemed effective. I don't know any Japanese; fortunately British bikes understand Colonial English.

Oops. I just gave away the secret third secret: the ability to properly apply cursing rather than throwing things or bending or breaking anything.

 

I'll just keep using my heatgun. I'll have the bike running before you get your carbs back in.........lol

 

I use a cargo strap. On in just a couple minutes. Also, as Hogfiddles mentioned, heat is the way to go. I can get my carbs on and ready to run in just 10 minutes. Had to do it way too many times. lol

 

Wow guys! This thread is going to help a lot or people. So I think tonight I'm going to try the hammer pry bar trick. I'm not going to heat them up just yet. I will make sure to use profane language and on that line of thought I'm learning some profane in Japanese. I think since the bike was made in Japan it might respond better to its native young. I have no children and it's hard to con my friends into doing it. They do a lot already. I will let y'all know how it goes. Thanks again for the tips. I don't remember it being this tough on my 650