installing carb tricks?

anybody have any tips on getting the carbs back on the bike? this is my frist time cleaning them, so I'm sure ill have to take them off again. Got them back on the bike today but it took 40 minutes, a couple f-bombs, and some cuts!

thanks much

 

Wear mechanics gloves, it'll help with the cuts.

Remove screws mounting airbox to the frame and push airbox all the way back. The extra inch it'll give you will help.

Gently heating the rubber to make it more flexible, and spritzing some soapy water on the rubber should help things slide a little easier.

If the intake or airbox boots are just not pliable, and trying to soften them up doesn't work (search the site for techniques), you can always replace them. I replaced the airbox boots on my 750 seca and it made a world of difference.

Finally, on my Turbo Seca, when seating the carbs into the intake, I can usually get one side in easily, but it'll pop out as I push in the other side. That repeats back and forth with much cursing. I finally just pushed one side in, tightened the hose clamp, then worked on the other and the clamp was enough to hold it in place.

 

Next time just use a light coat of silicone grease on the carbs and the intakes. I found this to be the easiest way.

 

Remove both left and right outer boots from airbox and drop them in a bucket of hot water.

Then push back inner boots into box, fit and tighten all Carb/engine boots, pull and refit inner boots tighten all fittings.

Finally remove outer boots from bucket one at a time, dry and now soft and pliable squeeze them into airbox and then massage back into final position.

The warming definitely helps, and silicone grease also works wonders as prev' mentioned by OBD.

 

I use a bit of silicone grease on the intakes. With the seat and tank off the bike I carefully maneuver the carbs in place while I straddle the bike. I set the bottom of the carb intakes into the bottom of the intake boots. I then take a 3/4 hardwood dowel and insert it from the top of the bike behind the carbs and anchor it close to the back of the engine head with the rod being close to the center of the 4 carbs. Then I gently apply forward pressure with the rod leveraging the carbs into the intakes while using the free hand to steady the carbs. Pops right in.

Learned this way after busting an airbox trying to leverage the carbs in a different way...

hope this helps

 

I make sure my intake clamps are extremely loose, straddle the front wheel and pull really hard and rock a bit up and down and left and right. Or if my wife is home have her home the front brake and push from the rear braced on my cars front bumper. Just takes a few seconds to get them seated that way.

 

thanks much

and this may be stupid but i can't find silicone grease anywhere, i read somewhere that du-electric grease was the same thing. is this true?

 

Check with a scuba dive shop...if you have one close..

 

8O :lol: whatever gets ya through the night i say!