Carb Needles

[hikermikem]

The carb rebuild kit came with needles and screws. Should I use the stock needles or replace them with the ones that come in the kit?

Not sure what rebuild kit you have, but generally the only thing of value in those kits is the float bowl gaskets...

I would re-use the stock components, with an o-ring kit from:

http://www.cycleorings.com/

That's pretty much all you need...

Also, +1 on Ed's advice on the stock airbox.

[Julia]

I got the kits off ebay. I think I will wait on the air pods till next year when I learn more about rejetting(have no idea what that entails) and find an air box. I kind of punctured it with a screw driver when I was taking them off. Those things are a pain.
Will the bike run without the box on? I'm not going to synch them with it off but I just want to know if it's going to start without me wrestling the carbs inplace.

[TheCafeKid]

in the short of it, it might start and run on choke, but without the airbox thats about all you can expect, if youre lucky to get that. Running without the airbox will be WORSE than running pod filters without rejetting...

[hikermikem]

How bad is the wound to the airbox?? I would think you could patch it up, perhaps some black epoxy??

These bikes do not tolerate air leaks well, so running without a WELL SEALED airbox wouldn't be a good choice.

[Larry D]

I got the kits off ebay. I think I will wait on the air pods till next year when I learn more about rejetting(have no idea what that entails) and find an air box. I kind of punctured it with a screw driver when I was taking them off. Those things are a pain.
Will the bike run without the box on? I'm not going to synch them with it off but I just want to know if it's going to start without me wrestling the carbs inplace.

Good idea, IMHO. Get it running well stock, then think about mods.

The bike will probably run without the airbox, but not well. The air/fuel mixture is a critical part of making these bike run properly. I had a difficult time getting my airbox on and off too. Then, somehow I figured out how to do it, and it's easy now......My airbox also has a hole in it. I took some JB Weld and smushed it into the hole and smoothed it out. Sealed it up well, the best I can tell.

How do the rubber boots look ? They should be squishy and soft. It makes getting the carb in and out much easier. They shrink over the years making it very difficult to get the carbs in. If they're hard and brittle, they're going to be prone to air leaks anyhow. Kind of a pricey items, but well worth the investment.

[Julia]

How bad is the wound to the airbox?? I would think you could patch it up, perhaps some black epoxy??

These bikes do not tolerate air leaks well, so running without a WELL SEALED airbox wouldn't be a good choice.

Well.... I got angry with it as well and there are several puncture holes. I took the boots off as well and now I'm going to have to figure out which one goes where. I was thinking about epoxy.

[Julia]

How do the rubber boots look ? They should be squishy and soft. It makes getting the carb in and out much easier. They shrink over the years making it very difficult to get the carbs in. If they're hard and brittle, they're going to be prone to air leaks anyhow. Kind of a pricey items, but well worth the investment.

One of the inner boots come off when I remove the carbs and the other inner is about to go. The boots on the airbox side are supple and have no cracks. I'm going to have to buy all new intake boots.

[bodnarjw]

Where does anyone recommend getting the intake boots? I need to replace them on my 78 GS 1000. If you say bike bandit, I'll have to start saving now to buy them sometime next year. Bike bandit is a VERY appropriate name for that place.