carb rubbers

[paul1606]

how much life is left in these?? is  the rubber thick in this area unsure what to do as i am going to Italy in may. Quick poll what would you do??Change them or leave well alone.

[solorider]

mine are in a similar condition,i was lucky to get a set off ebay,you cannot get pattern ones for the thou so if you want to replace them then it is either a used set,they do turn up on ebay time to time or a set from a dealer but they are not cheap,they are £43.25 each,you could try some rubber vulcanising or even some flexible petrol resistant sealer if you dont want to replace them,as to if they are affecting the running of the bike start the engine and squirt some wd40 or even carb cleaner onto the rubbers,if the engine note changes or the revs fluctuate then you have an air leak

[ghostbiker]

It's doubtful they are leaking but as above its simple to check. I have seen much worse without it compromised inside. If not leaking I would leave well alone. Undisturbed they will last ages. To much removing and refiting will just weaken it.

[paul1606]

Thanks for the input ,how thick is the rubber in this area??

[Falcon 269]

Between 3-4mm.  Those are ugly but functional.

[paul1606]

cheers mike if i was to change them is there a way without removing the carbs? If not how much time roughly does it take for removal. Also do the capheads holding the rubbers on to the head usually undo easily enough or will they require nursing with penetrating oil

[Falcon 269]

It's a carbs-out job, Paul.  How long?  Well, my record for getting a bank of carbs out from a standing start is 12 minutes ... but I think it might take you a wee bit longer.   Figure maybe an hour for a first time effort.

Thankfully the socket heads holding the boots in place are good quality.  The threads do get corroded in the head but I've only had a couple give me problems out of the 600 or so boots I've removed over the years.  It's absolutely essential to use a proper fitting socket head wrench, though ... not a job for cheapo allen keys, put it that way.