Removing the Carburetors on my Vf1000F2 - Any Advice?

In the Shed
1

Can anyone help or provide some advice regarding removing the carburetors on a VF1000F2?

I have a VF1000F2 which I purchased over 5 years ago and although it was running when I bought the bike, the bike has been sat in my workshop all this time very slowly undergoing some TLC and am now servicing the bike front top to bottom including wishing to take the carburetors off and get them ultrasonically cleaned and serviced etc as old fuel has been sat in them for all this time and before. I have followed the Honda Workshop Manual in section 4 and have now loosened and removed the carburetor ‘insulator’ holding bands on the rubber inlets, and have tried to move/lift the carbs off and even gently lever them off the rubber inlets from the engine but they just wont move ! I would assume they have never been removed. Any advice, suggestions or sharing of experience would be most welcome.

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I usually free the front frist, levering it up carefully with a screw driver. Then remove the back

If they are really stuck you can use flatheat to pry the rubber boots from the carbs or the head, whichever works best for you

You can also unbolt the metal plate that hold them together which allows them to move separately.

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Use a thin screwdriver between the boot and carb body to free them a little,a squirt of wd40 wouldn’t hurt either.
Lever the rear of the alloy plenum up gently a side at a time.
Also undoing the bottom clamp on the boot helps them come free without any damage

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Thank you for your response - that’s really helpful and will try your suggestions - Much appreciated

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Thank you for your response and help. I’II try this next weekend when I’m back in the workshop - Again this is much appreciated.

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Sorry for the late reply, and maybe you’re already sorted, but I have always found that warming up the inlet rubbers with a hairdryer, for both removal and installation, makes a massive difference. It’s almost as though the rubbers are brand new and therefore very flexible. Take your time and warm them up thoroughly, especially if your garage is as cold as mine is at the moment, the engine and carbs act as a massive heat sink.
Good luck,
Chris.

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Hi Chris, Thanks for the response and not too late as I have yet to tackle trying to remove the carbs again. This is a really helpful suggestion and will try this approach. With the carbs and inlet rubbers sitting in place for 36 years they were always going to be a bit of a challenge to remove. I will let to know how I get on when I do have time to be back in the garage working on the VF.
Thanks again
Steve

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From memory @bif referenced a little book he bought years ago on this exact problem, or rather carb reinstall?
Maybe search for previous posts?
As Chris suggested a heat gun or hair dryer really helps, I use lanolin spray sparingly, but silicone spray like you use for zippers would probably be even better.
When replacing, a small pick like you use for removing oil seals is useful for just starting the boots onto the cyl head stubs. Take your time so you don’t rip a boot. New ones are a good investment, and the last thing you want is to get it all together and find you’ve got an air leak from a slight split!