Intake boots

[KingAire]

Hey Guys,

My XS carb. intake boots have weather cracks in them.

1) Any idea how they can be salvaged?
2) Should they be replaced? (cracks are not through yet)
3) Where I can obtain inexpensive intake boots for the XS? The local Yamaha dealer wants $90 CAD (approx $60 USD) EACH!!

[KingAire]

My mistake.....
Wife corrected me after I had posted (price quoted was for another part)
Total for for 4 Carb boots was $120 CAD or approx. $80 USD (still a hefty amount for 4 rubber pieces)

[Wayne]

You should be OK King as long as they arent leaking.
Your boots should have a hard inner layer that dosent crack easy. The outer layer is softer and cracks are normal. My 81 has had cracks in it for as long as the bike has been in the family (8+ yrs.)

Just make sure you don't have any leaks where they seal to the carbs.

Im sure you will find those here with more knowlege that I. But I hope this helps.

[norm_is_here]

Hello,

I suggest you give Zanotti Motors a call. I just replaced mine within the last three months. I paid $95.52 for all four boots. I also suggest you get new intake gaskets and replace them at the same time.

v/r
Norm

[strom]

I checked the prices with Louis (a german dealer, they have all sorts of stuff, usually cheaper than local shops, www.louis.de).
The prices for other models are rather low, but for the XS, it's unusually high... dunno why. It couldn't be the metal vacuum tube thingies, could it?

My 78E has no cracks in them (phew!), dunno why... they were probbably replaced.

If they're airtight, u should be OK. If u experience bad running (such as if the carbs were out of sync), they probbably cracked through and some air is being sucked in.

...geez, all that smartie-talk and I didn't even get my xs to start yet

[sixtysix]

Usually the cracks dont go all the way through, I have seen a lot of guys cover them with black silicone, or electrical tape, or plastic dip, or any number of things. BUT the only way it wil ever look nice is spring for the new ones.

[sixtysix]

Check out this link to the Carb boot FAQ on the XS11.com website:

http://www.xs11.com/faq/faqboots.shtml

It should answer some of your questions.

[Bob]

The PO of my 79 XS F had coated the boots with some kind of white gunk, which was starting to peel off. Looked terrible. I rremove the boots and cleaned that crud off, discovered all 4 boots were cracked. I bought some Black RTV Silicone at the auto store and coated the boots. Looks okay if you take the time to do the job. Needless to say, my bike ran 1000% better and gas mileage shot from 25 mpg to 37-40 mpg, depending on riding style. This was a problem I had been working on since I bought the bike. BTW.....the PO had also "repaired" a broken wire from the pick-up coils by twisting them together and taping them. I discovered this little problem when the wires separated while I was entering I-40 and my trusty ole steed just up & died. Can you say "solder" or "butt connector"?

[squarehdca]

I replaced mine this spring , bought aftermarket ones for about
$100 can. for all 4. I plan on keeping the XJ for quite a while and have found while restoring even older bikes that replacing the rubber bits while replacements are still being manufactured is a good idea. However it all depends how long you want to keep the bike , the above mentioned fixes work fine.
Ed Q.

[vabiker]

Wow! Just discovered xs1100.com today. Imagine my suprise. My 1100 has snapped, crackled and popped since I got it. Then I started smelling gas. Yep. Cracked intake manifolds. Service guy said I could try all the temporary fixes talked about here. I'm kind of anal about having my bike look pristine, so I opted for new replacements. It's like a brand new bike! No longer sounds like I'm making popcorn, and the power curve is strong and smooooth! Was thinking about rplacing it, now I'm all in love again.

[sixtysix]

Cool! and welcome.....now go introduce your self in the check in thread!

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=212

Originally posted by vabiker
Wow! Just discovered xs1100.com today. Imagine my suprise. My 1100 has snapped, crackled and popped since I got it. Then I started smelling gas. Yep. Cracked intake manifolds. Service guy said I could try all the temporary fixes talked about here. I'm kind of anal about having my bike look pristine, so I opted for new replacements. It's like a brand new bike! No longer sounds like I'm making popcorn, and the power curve is strong and smooooth! Was thinking about rplacing it, now I'm all in love again.

[dntemp_ca]

Remember this thread? My local dealer wants $52. per....that's $208 + taxes for the set while some Canadian XSives are finding new boots for a little over $100. CDN per set. Can anyone give me the $100 Canadian contacts?

[oldnortonrider]

......here ya go; best price, free shipping (over $30.00) .

http://www.partsnmoreonline.com/PNMSite/XS1100%20carb%20parts.html

[dntemp_ca]

Thanks. Their listing says they have carb boots for model years 78-81. Do you think they'll fit my 78E?

[Stray Bullet]

i'd say if they fit a 79F, they fit a 78E.