hi guys-- had the carbs off/separated(nightmare joining back together again on your own with only one pair of hands)serviced the carbs and replaced ALL the gasket seals and o rings(reason for separating the carbs was to change the seals and washers on the pilot jet screws which you can`t get to without separating the carbs into single units) with a LITETEK KIT from Thailand containing all the carb seals including float bowl gaskets all manufactured to exacting tolerances in VITON which is not affected by the ethanol in modern petrol as opposed to original NITRILE rubber seals which compress and over time crumble or split leaving you with float bowls that piss fuel everywhere which is the reason I removed the carbs also the bike Had been standing for 3 years.Job was fiddly, seals were exact facsimiles and when filled with fuel and left 7 days on the bench all carbs were as expected bone dry without a damp patch and the kit was only £22 with free postage !!
If you are gonna be brave and attempt to separate the carbs don`t expect any useful info from the Haynes manual--it might just as well be telling you where the nearest chippie is and the pics are not distinct enough to give you exact assistance--bit suck it and see--photograph every bit as you dismantle.

RIGHT NOW I`VE BORED YOU ALL TO TEARS WITH A LOT OF BLURB HERE`S THE REASON FOR THE BLOG:-------
I bought and fitted new carb rubbers FROM eBAY which were Chinese manufacture(OEM NO LONGER AVAILABLE) and trying to force the four carb stubs into the seals is giving me more than a bit of grief--not the easiest thing to do as you cannot see where you are and have to go purely by feel so------------
my question is,any suggestions as to a lubricant I can apply to the inlets that will ease them into the rubbers and will dissipate quickly without remaining as a lubricant making the carbs loose when the clamps are fully tightened--(please no mention of Fairy liquid or KY jelly please).
The best I can come up with is what I use to fit handlebar grips on with which is automotive paint prep degreaser but not sure if it will affect the rubber these inlets are made of not being oem material--any thoughts ??
Answers on a postcard to-----------------------------------

Personally I wouldn't persist with non genuine rubbers as even oem can be a pain in the arse at the best of times.
Nc35 rubbers fit and make it easier to get the carbs back on. They're still available afaik, Rick Oliver sells them.

Rubber lubricant makes the task easier, I use the temporary type. Its a milky fluid that dries after a short time so doesn't affect the gripping properties. Something like this;

http://www.trecarn.co.uk/p-80-rubber-lubricant.html

John

It's been a few years since i've messed with NC30 carbs but I don't recall having to spilt them to change pilot jet o-rings.

The haynes book is a waste of time, the proper honda factory service manual is in the document library...

Chinese made carb rubbers are going to vary in quality from being ok to utter shite.

Perhaps worth looking at a modern rubber that might fit, maybe one of the newer cbr400s or something will probably have the same bore carbs and require not a lot of fettling to get fitted.

The original ones are going to be aroudn 30 years old, if you can find something from Honda that fits might not have to mess with them again..

jim157 wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:22 am Personally I wouldn't persist with non genuine rubbers as even oem can be a pain in the arse at the best of times.
Nc35 rubbers fit and make it easier to get the carbs back on. They're still available afaik, Rick Oliver sells them.

I was at my Honda main agent last week checking out availability of nc30 and also nc35 interface rubbers and their parts computer says £10.50 each!!! and NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND HAVE NOT BEEN FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS.So if RO can supply them and Honda no longer supply where is RO getting oem rubbers from hmmmmmmm.
Also trust me the pilots face each other inside between L AND R carbs and each carb blocks the straight access of a slot screwdriver to remove the screws--and when they are removed the tiny washer and "o" ring around 15mm down the bottom of the tiny threaded hole--I gently removed using a very thin Drywall screw turned 20/30 degrees to the right and slowly extracted (phew do not damage the seat )THIS IS THE ONLY REASON THAT I SEPARATED THE CARBS--TO GET ACCESS TO REPLACE THE PILOT JET O RINGS.All the other o rings and float bowl gaskets are almost easily accessible so no separation needed to replace.

eeriedess wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 1:50 pm

jim157 wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:22 am Personally I wouldn't persist with non genuine rubbers as even oem can be a pain in the arse at the best of times.
Nc35 rubbers fit and make it easier to get the carbs back on. They're still available afaik, Rick Oliver sells them.

I was at my Honda main agent last week checking out availability of nc30 and also nc35 interface rubbers and their parts computer says £10.50 each!!! and NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND HAVE NOT BEEN FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS.So if RO can supply them and Honda no longer supply where is RO getting oem rubbers from hmmmmmmm.
Also trust me the pilots face each other inside between L AND R carbs and each carb blocks the straight access of a slot screwdriver to remove the screws--and when they are removed the tiny washer and "o" ring around 15mm down the bottom of the tiny threaded hole--I gently removed using a very thin Drywall screw turned 20/30 degrees to the right and slowly extracted (phew do not damage the seat )THIS IS THE ONLY REASON THAT I SEPARATED THE CARBS--TO GET ACCESS TO REPLACE THE PILOT JET O RINGS.All the other o rings and float bowl gaskets are almost easily accessible so no separation needed to replace.

I bought a set from him less than a year ago and he still lists them on his price list. They were around a tenner each, but that's a small price to pay for carbs that pop straight on.
I'd give him a call and see if he can still get hold of them.

yes the pilot screws face inwards but they can be removed without splitting the carbs, old hardened o-rings can be a pain to remove but you dont need to use a screw to remove them, a small stiff wire with hook bent into the end of it can be used to fish out the parts.

If Rick still has some they are probably existing stock. My local bike shop had 10 sets of genuine carb rubbers in stock when I last checked with them.