Getting the !#@$% rubber air boots back on the carbs!

[gyrogearcrunch]

The only comments I could find on solving the problem of getting the rubber boots back on the carb inlets said:

1.- "it's a lot harder to put the carbs back on than it was to take them off". 
2.- "I gave up and bought pod filters". 

I went to the trouble of cutting the 2" hole into the airbox and want to run the bike in the rain, which can come suddenly and like a monsoon in FL, so the pods are not an option. I'm trying to make this bike ready by April 1st, when my son-in-law will come for a visit, so we can ride together (I also have a 1255 Bandit - thank God for fuel injection!).

All constructive suggestions and procedures for getting around this problem would be gratefully received. 

[bonanaza]

I used a strap to around the backs of the carbs and around the forks to work the carb fronts in. The airbox side was a different story. I had to get my buddy to guide the airbox onto the rubber tubes by reaching in through the airbox while I tightened down the clamps. A little W-40 definitely helped but its still a  and you will defnintely feel like  when you finally get them back on.

[gyrogearcrunch]

Your reply is appreciated, Bonanza -

I managed to get the carbs into the spigots on the engine side using the stout oak handle on my trusty wire brush to lever the carbs forward. Lubing up the rubber spigots with silicone grease helped a lot. But the air cleaner side is still a no-go. Don't ask how many little holes are now in my hands from the steel wires in the brush.

I never had this big a problem with my old bike, a 1980 Yamaha 850 (well, it did have one less cylinder), and I had those carbs off and on about a dozen times while trying to repair the original Hitachis and finally while repairing and rejetting a sad set of replacement Mikunis off a 750 Yamaha Triple. In the end, it was really worth the effort because the thing ran better than new and I learned a LOT about refurbing Mikuni carbs.

The need to have this running fine by April 1st caused me to give up doing the repairs on the big Bandit myself. In the past, I'd have thought of this as a challenge and kept at it until the problems were fixed . . . must be getting old.

So I'm sending the Bandit to the local stealer to find the solution to this problem and the other problems the bike has, such as backfiring (maybe a vacuum leak or two), banging loudly out of the exhaust when I turn the engine off (when it runs at all) and missing occasionally. These all sound like a lean condition, or a vacuum leak, don't they?

The carbs are clean and repaired, so hopefully the stealer won't stick it to me too hard. The pilot screws are all at 3 turns out now. They were set between 1 to 2-1/2 turns for reasons known only to Suzuki. I liked what I read on site about using starter fluid to find vacuum leaks, but time is too short to fool around with this anymore. 

Thanks for lending a hand with your advice. 

[Red01]

FWIW - pods live fine in rainy weather on the 2G bikes as long as you keep your side covers intact.  The side covers on the 2G do a sweet job of protecting the pods from sucking in too much water.

[gyrogearcrunch]

Paul:

Your idea and reply are both greatly appreciated. I didn't think that the carb side-covers could or would perform such an effective protective function against heavy rain.

I ordered the Stage I kit from Holeshot, including the air cleaner and timing advancer, hoping to make the bike run much better than what it did originally. Dale is nice to talk with. The anticipation of good results is making me feel like a little kid again.

Thank you for the idea!

Herb

[mobilemike]

The boots are a little stiff when cold. You could pull them from the airbox and heat them in the oven to about 120*. Install them back in the box and then onto the carbs. A little wipe with vasoline will help too. Personally I have R&R them with no problem.