Stretching an airbox boot

[Dammit!]

I can change the main jet and clip by just turning the carb on an angle a little bit. If I stretched the thing over the carb the way it's been it would have been so tight I doubt it would have even turned without taking the airbox off so the hole boot could turn with it. I damn near changed my pilot jet when I went to Cinders though. I resisted the temptation but that's the only way it would have ran completely right up there. That 7000 feet elevation is a PITA.

Bottom line is, I just want the stupid thing to go on and off easy.

I think the repeated heating and cooling is working. I'll try putting it on in the morning and see how it goes. I just hate the idea of having to take it off on the trail (for whatever reason) and not being able to get it to go back on. Hell when I finally got the bike running again a few months ago, that was the hardest part of the entire rebuild was getting that damn thing on there. And that was with the stock carb!

I checked out the one KASEY has on his 500R and mine is definitely way stiffer than normal. Unbelievable pain in the neck to work with. Really aggrivating for such a stupid thing. It's in great shape other than that. No cracks or anything.

dude, just have someone push the boot towards the carb for you while you work it on with a screwdriver....i have my pops help me out and it takes 1 minute max...i dont even lube it up or anything, and i dont even scratch or rip the carb or boot...just dont be a puss with it...o ya, i have a 38 a/s.....

I live alone and never have anyone around when I'm working on my trike. I'm telling you guys this boot WOULD NOT go on a 38mm carb before I started doing this. I couldn't even get it to go on when the carb was off the trike. It's not all soft and rubbery anymore. I'm sure it would have been easier with an extra set of hands but I'm not gonna have somebody drive over here to help me with something so little. If I can't stretch it to the point that it slides on and off there easily I'll just keep using the clamp on and steering around puddles.

[Mr. Sandman]

, Maybe you need to drink another brand of beer! Seriously, I used an MGD bottle and had no trouble with mine at all. Or, if you have the time, pull the carb and boot completly off and put it together off the bike. This way you can do it easily and then let it set for a week or so and hopefully by the time you try to remount it, the boot will have the new shape/size it needs and will assemble easily.

[Dammit!]

Done!

Corona bottle + heat gun = A WINNAR IS ME!

Slips right on now. No fighting with it at all. I even had it off the bike and without the bottle in it for about an hour and it held it's new shape and went right back on again.

So much trouble over such a dumb thing.

Edit: for people using the search in the future, all I did was grease up a corona bottle, put that into the boot (neck first), used the heat gun on the 1000 degree setting to get it almost to the point of melting but not quite. Let it cool down to room temp, then stick it in the fridge for a while, then back to room temp and then heated again. Rinse, repeat. Did that three times.

[nimda78]

great closing! great info too

[TeamGeek6]

Try heating it in an oven at 175*F - 200*F, that will heat it evenly so it doesnt tear. Most plastics dont like more than 250 - 275*F