As I work from home, I can slide out to the garage whenever the urge comes. I finished up cleaning the carbs this morning and decided tro pop them back on after lunch.
Ten minute job I say to myself. What a joke! I have pulled and replaced carbs on twins many times. With my Virago, I got to the point where I could whip them off, clean them, adjust float height and get them back on in 15 minutes no sweat. Quad carbs.....now thats something new and challenging.
With the damn airbox in the way there is little room to manoeuver and no way to push the throats into the manifolds.
The manifolds are soft enough and I lubed them well but I wrestled with those puppies for a good hour and a half. I found that if you got one side in the other would pop free. I finally got the idea of using a speed clamp ( c clamp with ratchetting handgrip used mostly in wood working) on one side ( from the head to the carb body) to hold the end carb into the manifold while I used anothe r clamp on the other side and squeezed it to push the other end in. That got it finally but I had worked up a big sweat getting it.
For next time, is there an easier way?
I was also thinking of chucking that airbox and going to pods. What is the common knowledge on this mod? Good or bad? We do it on the XSs and usually have to fatten up the primary and main jets as they tend to lean things out quite a bit. I'm thinking it would be the same with the GS.
As always, I look forward to all thoughts and suggestions.
Cheers,
Spyug.
Comment