installing carbs`

i'm pullin my hair out. have an 81'kz440b after removing carbs with a little effort, am having trouble reinstalling. they line up fine and slide right into the engine rubbers, but when i try to the rear of the carbs into place in the airbox ducts the clutch side slides right in while the throttle side wont slip, push ,pry ,shove , or wiggle in. it seams the clutch side is flexible, while the throttle side is stiff like plastic instead of flexible like rubber. is there a way to soften this up or does the stiffness mean it needs to be replaced; and if so should i replace both air cleaner ducts. so close to putting her on the road..help please

Or you could buy a couple pod filters and ditch the stock setup...I think your issue is why this happens more often than not.

Have you tried wiping the inside of the tubes with some WD-40 to help them slide on easier?

You can buy yourself a set of four new air box boots from Z1 Enterprises for around $40.

EDIT: To be clear, yes, they should be pliable. Mine are bad, too, and I'll probably be ordering a set myself next week if I can spare the cash.

Post edited by: GargantuChet, at: 2005/10/22 00:03

actually, you would be paying $20 for new boots, because you only require two of them, compared to us inline 4 guy swho need 4 of them. $13, and you get open elements, or filter pods for the bike. I personally like things stock, but for $13, you can't go wrong.

aloha

don't know how but i got it in:P she is purrrrrrrrrring on to the next step thx for your help. will be replacing tube, tires, brakes, chain next. any helpful hints on these installs would be welcome. since it took me 3 hours to put back on the carbs

wheel lacing and truing file in Filebase, to help you get the wheels into shape

I have seen the Air Box Boots rotate as I slide the carbs in. This makes it real hard for them to line up.
If they are soft enough, you can rotate tthem back into alignment and then the air box boots just slide on.

Spock