I have rubber intakes that will work with your stock tank and air box, also if you have room and are not using the stock battery box my long aluminum ones work like the one in this thread. It really only depends on what configuration you have. Do run to small of a air filter just to fit them. If you use a good quality hose like gates Green or White stripe they support the carbs just fine. I don't have individual picks of these so here is the web page with them. http://hoosracing.com/carbsfilterscables.html
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VM carb conversion.
- Thread starter toglhot
- Start date
On a diff forum guy used cericote on carb bodies. Reported good results
I used hydraulic hose to mount the Mk2 concentrics to this Bonneville. They weren't supported at the rear and had a single hand beaten, ally air filter attached. In the 10 years I had this bike, I never had a problem. I've only added the rear support to the XS as insurance as I'm not sure of the rubber boots. In all probability there will be no problems, But with the support I've added at the rear, there 'definitely won't be a problem with the XS.
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If you press a sleeve over the VM spigots enlarging it, you can use the original rubber manifolds and the cables will clear the taps, however, the carb spigots would require turning smooth first, not something I would consider doing!. Assuming the VMs in this picture are 34s, then it looks like Hoos has rubber manifolds to suit the VM34s. They are shorter than the two piece manifolds and therefore the cables will clear, at least they do on my TX, but, all TX/XSs are different. Interestingly the stock manifolds to fit BS38s are tapered internally from 38mm down to 34mm.
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IIRC, The BS34 carb spigots are 42 mm, while VM/ TM/ RS 34 carbs all have 40 mm spigots. I have not been able to find angled 40 mm carb rubbers for the XS, so I had to use straight ones. Which then causes issues with the stock sidecovers. Sort of a catch-22....
yes they picture shows 34's
There's the cure for VM cables interfering with the fuel taps, Hoos rubber manifolds. Tilting the carbs may work, but it just doesn't look right! I held the VMs in place in the stock rubber manifolds and they cleared the cables easily. If postage from the US wasn't so expensive I'd order some. Whilst I do like the polished manifolds I machined up, they do create some problems. I don't know why Mikuni or Mikuni Oz don't stock them.
Took me a little to find them but 45 degree cable ends exist and have lived comfortably on madness for many years and miles.
The aluminium manifolds with rubbers supplied by Mikuni Oz and other suppliers may enable the fitting of VMs, but if you are after a custom fit and look they fall a little short: The aluminium manifolds have elongated 8mm slots for the mounting screws, whilst the stock mounting screws are 6mm. You can get adapter bushes, but in the end it just looks like a bodged up, amateur conversion. If you don't mind that and you just want decent carbs to replace those woeful BS series carbs on your stock street bike, that's fine, just not fine for a custom built bike. Unfortunately, it hurts my aesthetic sensibilities, and that's why I make everything myself. Hoos's rubber manifolds look to be the go. I have no relationship to Hoos!
Don't slam the stock BS38's, when set up correctly they are a great set of carbs, specially the 78-79 series. Built and run a lot of them extensively. This high compression 750 had VM38s on it when I got it and ran like a raped ape, but it was a high rpm screamer, not that much fun day to day on the street. These VM34's work well after some sorting conundrums were resolved.
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