Intake boots

[Prothec]

I guess one question would be, what sort of regular maintenance should be done to keep the rubber looking like new?

[TopCatGr58]

They are rubber, and heat and ozone breaks them down. We can't do anything about the heat, but we can seal them from the ozone by using the same stuff that has been suggested to seal up old cracked ones...the plasti-dipbefore stuff! I would think applying a layer of it before installing them "might" provide some protection? JAT.

T.C.

[Prothec]

It looks like Lexol has a rubber/vinyl protector as a spray and wipes. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to give it a shot. Only time will tell.

[skids]

I coated a brand new set with Ultra Black RTV. There is no telling what they look like underneath, because they still look like, well, Ultra Black RTV. I think that might be a good approach because the boots are new with no impurities on them when new, and you have full access to coating them before installation. I think that was done more than 5 years ago (maybe 7).

[Rasputin]

Myself I would not put anything on them until they show some cracking or other problems. I have 79's here with original carb boots and they still are OK, just a bit of cracking on the outside. Putting stuff on them may actually shorten their life. JAT
I would guess that a lot of the issues with the carb boots are dependant on where one lives as well. So my answer may be wrong but for me new boots will outlive my riding so I will do nothing to them.
Storage is a big "if" on them as well as they may last far longer on a garage kept bike than a street stored one. Between the sunny days we love so much and the bitter cold of winter, these boots may be affected differently for us all in our little spot on the big old world.