New intake boots. Opinions?

[Ironriot]

Well I tried boiling my intake boots that go between the engine, as per JD Powell's and Matchbox's instructions. The trick worked beautifully....... Right up until I squeezed them and they cracked in half. I almost cried a little bit but I digress I need new ones. And I wasn't impressed with Bikebandit's shipping quickness last time I ordered from them. Anyone got any other suggestions on what to do or where to get them? Maybe some of you have done some kind of mod that got rid of them entirely, which I'm hoping is true because I don't want to screw with these things anymore.

[TheCafeKid]

Hey Bro...Try this place..

www.babbittsonline.com

Lil bit cheaper on alot of stuff, and they dont wait to ship untill everything comes from the factory if you have ordered different things. Plus they are midwest based, which could make em a little faster. Lemme know what ya think if ya order from em!

TCK

[salty_monk]

Flatout motorcycles in Indianapolis have worked well for me, cheaper than BB too.

I have a set off my 1000G, one side is as good as new, very flexible, the other side has small hard spots about 2cm long where they meet the carbs. They were sealed ok before I switched them out, I didn't realise they were ok otherwise I wouldn't have bothered as they're 40 bucks!

Let me know if they will fit yours, we'll work something out. Be quick though as I'm away from Tues PM.

Dan

[Ironriot]

Flatout motorcycles in Indianapolis have worked well for me, cheaper than BB too.

I have a set off my 1000G, one side is as good as new, very flexible, the other side has small hard spots about 2cm long where they meet the carbs. They were sealed ok before I switched them out, I didn't realise they were ok otherwise I wouldn't have bothered as they're 40 bucks!

Let me know if they will fit yours, we'll work something out. Be quick though as I'm away from Tues PM.

Dan

Thanks for SM. But carbs off of GS1000's are something to the tune of 36mm. Or more. Mine are about 32 mm. I'll get back to you if I find out that they can work

[Nessism]

Before you order from Flat Out check the threads about them - very slow. Sorry to say this but Bike Bandit is the fastest I've found. Ordering anything right now is going to be slow due to the Christmas season.

If you are interested, I have two left and one right side boot with new o-rings. Boots came off my low mileage '81 and are in very nice condition (O-rings are new in package). Bought new boots thinking I needed them but I didn't. Unfortunately, you are still going to have to come up with one more right side boot and o-ring. At any rate, shoot me a PM if interested.

[Roostabunny]

I just ordered the boots (and fuel petcock) for my GS850GX from Flatout 4 days ago because they were the cheapest for parts+shipping by a good margin. They don't make it as clear as Bike Bandit does, but it seems they're waiting for the parts from the factory, as I've had no feedback so far and no news about shipping. Sure hope I get them by next weekend! [-o<

Anyway, the price is certainly right, and that matters most to me today. But I will say that Bikebandit communicates really well and makes it easy to check status on your order, which I really like.

[Nessism]

I just ordered the boots (and fuel petcock) for my GS850GX from Flatout 4 days ago because they were the cheapest for parts+shipping by a good margin. They don't make it as clear as Bike Bandit does, but it seems they're waiting for the parts from the factory, as I've had no feedback so far and no news about shipping. Sure hope I get them by next weekend! [-o<

You'll be luck to see them by new years. Hope I'm wrong.

[TheCafeKid]

Riot i have a set on my 80 750 motor that takes 32mm carbs, but i dunno what condition they're in. Prolly in decent shape, but if i were you i would order new. Yeah they're expensive, but you wont have to change em again for another 20 years.

[chef1366]

I use Mrcycles

[gsgeezer]

It's funny how after thirty year, or so, rubber parts need replacing.
I use Bike Bandit, too, since they are often the cheapest and the fastest.

[Matchless]

Well I tried boiling my intake boots that go between the engine, as per JD Powell's and Matchbox's instructions. The trick worked beautifully....... Right up until I squeezed them and they cracked in half.

Ironriot,
I hope I did not unintentionally mislead you in the post. The process only works if the rubber is still in a good condition and the boiling just brings indentations back as the rubber still has the "memory" of the original shape. If the rubber is brittle, such a perished or heat damaged and hard it will not really work.
A hard rubber boot may become a bit more pliable when heated, but will again become hard when it cools down.
Good secondhand ones should still be fairly pliable and not show signs of chips and cracks.