Inlet rubbers

[steve452]

I know this question has probably been asked countless times but is it absolutely necessary to replace the original inlet rubbers? I've got to remove and partly strip the carbs as fuel is pissing out of #2 so need to check the float valve et al. The rubbers were kept indoors for 37 years and have only been in the garage for around 8 years . Are they likely to have degraded/hardened significantly during that time? They seem to be reasonably pliable but not having new ones to compare with cannot be sure. My missus has offered to buy me a set of genuine ones from Z-Power but at £42 each less discount that's a lot of wedge that could otherwise be spent on essentials such as chocolate and alcohol. What does the team think?

[warren3200gt]

Plasticisors leach out of rubber with age. That's why it goes hard. They can't be replaced.
If they still soft they will be ok. Hot water, heat gun, hairdryer will soften hard rubber for a short while. Maybe long enough to get them on and sealed.

[chrisu]

see what price ralph at bikerstoolbox can do them for. To be honest steve at that age I'd change them regardless.

[zed1015]

I've used the Tourmax and Wemoto rubbers at around £40 a set and they have been on a few years with no problems.