Carb Support Boots/ Custom seats

[cuda_phish1]

I had a question about locating carb boots for my '79 XS11F. The local dealer can't get them( what a shock) and the big M/C parts warehouse near me wants $120 US for a set of 4. Any ideas on something less pricey?

The other question I have is about getting a new seat or redoing the original pan. JC Whitney has the sport and touring kits but I don't know if would be worth it to redo. I'm a big guy(6'3, 260lbs)tt burn today after a few hours of cruising the back roads with my arm candy. The main thing that got me the most was the sides of the pan. Which leads me to think that the seat isn't wide enough for me.

I just got my XS11 this past Saturday and I've put about 400 miles on it as of this afternoon. Got the tan lines to prove it too, LOL.

Anyway, any suggestions or tips you can offer would be great gang.

Cuda_phish

[schpiff]

There are a couple sets up for sale right now on ebay..just search "xs" in the ebay motors/motorcycle/parts and accessories... section. Seems some would rather take a bike apart and sell the pieces than try and restore

[Jerry]

Partsnmore had new carb boots for around $90.00 per set:

https://www.partsnmoreonline.com/PNM...b%20parts.html

Custom seat....a lot depends on budget. Russell recently got back into the custom seat business, price around $600.00. Diamond Seat also has XS/XJ pans and builds new seats, cost around $420.00. Some rides have taken their seats to local shops and had the reats resculped and recovered for around $100.00.

Have a Diamond on my XJ, and it is wider than the stock seat by a couple inches. Also has a better 'pocket' for your buns resulting in better lower back support. I am 6'1", 260 pounds.

Russell wasn't making seats when I got my Diamond, but will say I have been very pleased with it since I bought it back in 2000. Diamond's web page is:

http://www.diamondseats.com/others.html

No doubt for serious long-haul riding a custom seat is the best way to go. Diamond supplies a new pan with their seats, Russell uses your original pan.

Other less expensive options include using a sheepskin cover, wooden beads, gel pads, and recovering kits (Travelcade is the best known) available through JC Whitney and other sources.

Use the Search tap at the top right of your screen and look for "seats" or "custom seats" and you will get more information on this topic.

[dntemp_ca]

Try Parts N More for the carb boots. I got a set from them and installed them a few weeks ago. http://www.partsnmore.com/ About the seat thing, I have both a travelcade style and the standard seat. I'm 6'5", 215 pounds, but being of these dimensions, it's hard to be comfortable for any length of time. They hadn't quite figured out bike ergonomics back in '78, I guess. Both seats have pros and cons....on the standard, I can slide back a bit and stretch out; whereas, the travelcade is softer and slightly lower and gives my lower lower back a bit of support. Both seats appear to be built on the same pan. Highway pegs also help. I've moved the passenger footpegs forward about 6", too. This allows me to place my size 13's across the passenger and rider pegs at the same time for kind of a floorboard effect. For me, stopping every 90 minutes for a drink 'n drain and a stretch is the only way to go. I'd also like to try a riding (kidney) belt and a sheepskin seat cover. Some people swear by them. Take care & ride smilin'

[schpiff]

Just looked on e-bay and there are a couple sets of boots..plus several other commonly asked about items up for grabs.
Just another option....

[beechfront]

one thing nobody noted yet about the carb boots - be sure they are in fact bad. mine looked like they were cracked terribly bad so i ordered a new set only to get the old ones off and realize they were just fine. You can have some pretty decent cracks in the outside of those things - the rubber is much much thicker than it appears from the outside.

[fusionking]

Yea I changed mine when I really didn't have to also! But man do those new ones look good or what? When those boots are all cracked up it seems like everybody on earth has to say something about them. That alone makes them worth every penny I paid for "em and if I couldn't have found them I'm just not sure what I would have done to make them look better. Possibly a little dress up shield of some sort or maybe even make a new set out of something. Luckily we have free enterprise and somebody see's the need and is willing to sell them at a price that we feel is worth it! I can make a lot of parts but those 4 boots would have been a real challenge. I'd much rather be ridin' !!!!!! Garry

[Dennis Hansen]

Try www.partsnmore.com , carb boots $90.

[Huron52]

Just had my carb boots changed this spring. They didn't leak but any time someone looked at my bike they commented on them. I got tired of that. After the new ones were on I had a look at the inside of the old ones and they still looked good. I had heard a while back that there was two layers of rubber. Anyhow, that is something else I do not have to think about replacing for a long while.

[beechfront]

yeah i'll agree with you guys on that - though i probably woudn't have bought the new ones if i knew for sure the old ones were ok - i wasn't about to send the new ones back. everone who looked at my bike made a comment about them as well.

[skippy344]

Repair carb boots

Someone suggested to me to go to an auto parts store, and buy a jar of that stuff you dip tools into, to make "rubber" handles.

He said to dip the carb boots in this stuff, and it will fill the cracks, and put a new look to the boots. I haven't done this yet, but I might try it when I pull my carbs for the cleaning ritual. Since the inside of the boots are fine, this may be an alternative to spending $90+ to "fix" a problem.

What do you folks think?

greg

[Jeff]

I don't think I would suggest the DIP type coating since it would change the inner surface of the boots and possibly mess up the mating surface. I believe what was suggested was a SPRAY ON type coating that was available thru NAPA auto parts.

[capocrimini]

A spray on or hi-temp silicone gasket maker type stuff (black, unless you are going for that custom "ricer" look ). I found a set on ebay that were in good shape w/ only some shallow cracks, and coated them nicely with some hi-temp permatex. I wouldn't dip them unless you had the mating surfaces and hole covered (masking tape maybe?), and then I might worry how it would stand up to the engine temps.

[schpiff]

carb boots

I was just on ebay and saw a set of boots that were pretty nice.

[REFFI]

How about RTV silicone?