TOPIC:

I wanted to put bike back to stock with carb intake. I bought stock 77 air box ( I think) filter and replacement boots. The air box looks correct, but I'm having a hard time putting the carbs in with the airbox rubber boots in the way. I hate to give up and
put pods on. I'm very close to being done the rebuild. I'm sure there is a proven method for this. Maybe I should have just got pods?
Thanks in advance,
COKID

Are the carb to airbox boots new? If not, they most likely are very stiff and that will make it difficult to maneuver the carbs into place. New boots are quite pliable and well worth buying if your boots are old. Ed

I'm not sure if this will work for you but on my 1100 I took out the 4 bolts holding the battery box allowing it to move back a bit. The I installed the air box, without bolting it in, with the boots attached. When putting the carbs back in I rotated the carb rack so the carbs were pretty much facing down. Slid the carbs in with the back sides, the sides that go to the boots, facing up. Slid them in and put the front of the carbs down into the carb holders and used a screwdriver to get the boots up over the bottom half of the carbs. Once in that position I was able to completely push the carbs into the carb holders. Use a lot of silicon or Vaseline to lube up the inside of the carb holders. Vaseline is not needed and not wanted on the back of the carbs where they go into the boots. Once carbs were fully seated into the carb holders, and clamps tightened, I was able to maneuver the air box so all 4 boots slipped onto the carbs and pushed the spring looking clamps onto the carbs. Only then did I start bolting the air box and battery box back down.

Hope that helps. Al of these bikes seem to take different techniques to get them up but one thing that is common is to put the carbs into the holders first then attach the boots. On some bikes instead of having the carbs inserted above the carb holders and boots, you go from underneath and work them up into the holders. It just depends on where your bike has more clearance.

As noted by 650ed, the airbox ducts need to be soft. new might be available.
On my 81 650 I install the carburetors into the carb holders first, then install the ducts.
I don't mess with the airbox/battery box brackets.

Best and easiest way is to have new air box boots. You still need to "jam" the carbs in but its way easier and you can fish the boots back around once the carbs are in place. I usually use a long screwdriver and peal the boots back onto the carbs

Heat is your friend! When I put the factory box on my gpz I let a heat gun run on it's lowest setting, aimed down into the airbox.
Get everything nice and warm, almost hot to the touch. I also made sure that I had the battery box loose and shoved up and back as far as it would go.

I straddled the bike, started the engine side of the carbs in their holders and then grabbed both sides of the carb bank and lifted up and kinda rolled them into place.

It's frustrating, but you can get it. Once it's there you will most likely not have to mess with it much.

Pods will mean that you will spend lots of time rejetting and you will have the carbs on and off several times before you get it right.
The upside there is that it's super quick and easy to pull the carbs without the airbox.

I've got 4 bikes this year to run good with pods, 1 with cv carbs (pain), 3 with slide carbs (easier).
i had the carbs off the bikes at least 4 times in each scenario.

If the air ducts are new or newish - mine are at least 5 years old - and still soft you may be able to fold them back on themselves. This is the way the 750/4 ducts are. Not sure about other bikes .





Fit the carbs to the engine side boots and just roll the airduct forward followed by the roll spring. If the air ducts are hard you could try a hairdryer

www.z1enterprises.com/product/14073-1032X4

I guess he needs them for a 77 1000 & they are more expensive.

Yeah, that was just an example. Lots there. Worth it in my book.
Steve
Maybe these?
z1parts.net/kz900-kz1000-air-cleaner-duc...bber-oem-14073-1022/

Z1partsinc are cheaper and they stand behind their sales.
Here's the Z1E page.
Steve
www.z1enterprises.com/search?q=air+box+boots

The boots are a major pain if hardened, but for sure a KZ1000 is always easier than a KZ650 for some reason. The boots are a little more forgiving on the KZ1000 and the rubber seems to not harden as much as the KZ650 boots.
One of my KZ650s has hardened boots on it, not rock hard, but hard enough to make carb removal impossible. I got this $9.00 heat gun from Harbor Freight tools a couple years back and can say it's a handy tool. I took the heat gun and heated the boots to the point they were very workable. The carbs came right off. Always a wrestling match, but much improved. Heat the boots fully and slip the carbs back on. I can say in near 40yrs fighting this isue the heat gun was very helpful.