[Hermannsson]

Ich have recently purchased a few sets of carb insulators (inlet manifolds) though amazon. They were quite cheap and seemed to be a fine replacement. My early joy has changed a bit since they have serious quality problems.
The side (flange), where they are mounted to the cylinder head, is not as even as it should. If you lay it on an even surface you can see how bended it is. It should be flat but it looks more like an arc.

I tried grinded it off a bit to have an even, flat surface. After mounting both inlets I noticed that the rubber hoses are a bit too short but I was nevertheless able to mount it and have a tight connection where they meet the carbs. All worked well for a while, but then sometimes the CX did not start in cold conditions, had a few bangs from the pipes downhill and so on. I allway thought it could be the rubber hoses but it was the alloy flange: After removing it yesterday I noticed a small crack in the alloy.

This ist just crap.
Since I never had that before I think there's a serious quality issue.

Here's the link: Amazon.com: JEM&JULES Colectores de admisión de carburador con juntas de arranque para Honda CX500 CX500C CX500D Kit de soportes de carbohidratos: Automotive

 

[bahn88]

Is it worth posting the link so others don't have the same mis-fortune....?

 

[nolimitz]

it's not the first time this has been noted

 

[CXPHREAK]

Here's the ones I bought.

Garbage....

And OEM.

 

[bahn88]

The last ones I bought were from DSS UK bout 5 years ago and seem to holding up well..they were more than the typical ebay and amazon prices tho.......

 

[CXPHREAK]

The Ozdeluxe has Silvers runners bought when they were first released. They fit as they should though I can't say anything re durability.

I think the Silvers boots were made for Silvers in China.

I think the Chinese dreck is from the same tooling but made with no care at all. Just a guess.

 

[bahn88]

could be....Chinese productions pretty variable...and quality control comes to mind..
However they probably have the ability to make reasonable quality to a price.
(e.g. Sidchrome often made in china Vs $2 socket sets ......)

 

[Hermannsson]

I added a link to the amazon website.

 

[One-Eye Bandit]

Is it possible to pull the rubbers off of the alloy flanges and use them on your old GEM flanges? That's the part that just about everyone needs when looking for them. They do look short (The rubbers) but in a pinch until better quality ones can be found... Maybe worth it?

 

[makenzie71]

^No it's permanently bonded...you'll damage the material trying to remove it.

 

[D-Fresh]

When you zoom up on the pics in the Amazon link the side that goes to the engine looks like casting, not machined flat.

 

[makenzie71]

Just run a 1/4" bead of RTV and call it a day

 

[CXPHREAK]

I seriously doubt it. I cut through an OEM runner to see how they were joined. The rubber is sort of keyed in with a wedge effect from memory. Even with a short section I couldn't remove the rubber from the alloy.

 

[One-Eye Bandit]

I couldn't remember off hand if the rubbers just sat into a deep grove on the lip or not. I took my carbs off once and put on Murray's carbs, so never looked that close.

 

[FATBOY]

If it were me I would get a thick fiber gasket to fit the engine side. These are often called spacers. Many older bike designs used these. They are used to seal the intake and limit heat transfer to the carb body.
I would grind the aluminum flat and assemble with a little sealer. This should make up for any distance issues and maybe benefit hot starting.

 

[murrayf]

if you are in north america pm me i have some good used originals

 

[Hermannsson]

If it were me I would get a thick fiber gasket to fit the engine side. These are often called spacers. Many older bike designs used these. They are used to seal the intake and limit heat transfer to the carb body.
I would grind the aluminum flat and assemble with a little sealer. This should make up for any distance issues and maybe benefit hot starting.

Good point indeed

 

[FATBOY]

One other thing I would look into is shrink warp tubing. They sell it on eBay/Amazon, but at ridiculous prices. I measured it a while back, but I forget what size.
Another fix is Shoe Goo. I used that on a friends manifold. Me I would put so Shoe goo on, let it dry and then shrink wrap with lowest heat possible.

 

[Rayman]

if you are looking at heatshrink - go for "dual wall" = glue lined - it has a hot melt glue layer on the inside that will seal up any cracks / splits in one go

Rayman

 

[Deliverance]

Yep the heat shrink repair makes them like new