The Carbs Are On

With my brother-in-law's help, we got the good carbs on my wife's V30 and ...

she has a brand new bike. It runs better than ever.

I have some thoughts as I sit back in the afterglow...

1. What you've read is right. It may be hard to get, but once you get it in, there's no other feeling like it in the world.

2. Tie-down straps are not required. If you are forcing it, you are overlooking something that is not lined up properly. Once they are lined up, it snaps in with very little persuasion.

3. A good lube job is required.

4. Read *everything* you can get your hands on before you start. Recognize that what works for them may not work for you. Have at your disposal an arsenal of tricks to try. If one doesn't work, move to the next technique.

5. Don't get frustrated.

6. Feeler gauge will fit between the boot and the ports to make a handy guide.

7. Anyone who says they can do it in 30 seconds is full of it.

8. Loosen all the bands.

9. Two heads are better than one. Better to have one on each side of the bike, so one can hold the position on one side while the other checks

10. Pay attention to the alignment of the boots. I used OLD BOOTS and noticed that they were canted to one side. Whether this is a design feature of the original boot, or whether this is something that happened to the rubber from having been held in that position for 20 years ... I don't know. But subtle changes in the position of the boots can make ALL the difference. For example, I noticed that with the front carb inserted, the rear was cheated about 3/16 of an inch high (toward the rear of the bike). By rearranging the boots to take advantage of their natural cant, I was able to cheat the boot opening in the same direction, and make insertion possible.

(This is a technique my brother in law used, and I had not seen it mentioned anywhere in print or online. This technique was the single biggest factor in our success, I think)

YMMV

Thanks to *all* who contributed ideas. Even if they didn't work for me, they helped me get my brain into the problem, and ultimately influenced the final solution. In many ways the final solution was an amalgam of several techniques.