@nobulate try and take a hair dryer to them and heat them up this well help to make the rubber more pliable.
I do AC work so I have a heat gun and it has helped me allot.
If the hair dryer don't get them hot you can get a cheap heat gun at most hardware stores.

 

So I have added a new tool to my tool chest, 1 girlfriend's hair dryer. Hope she doesn't want it back. Nothing like trying to look manly when working on your motorcycle with a pink hair dryer in your hand.

@joeroberts, the hair dryer idea worked although I did still go flying across the garage when they popped off from pulling so hard but at least they are off. Thanks!

So my last question to everyone who has been insanely helpful, with the insulators being so old/stiff/tight is it wise that I just put new ones on since they are so cheap? Or is the fact that they were so stuck on there make no difference as to there condition?

 

Cheap? Obviously don't live in the UK .

Over here they cost ****ing loads so I soften them up and reuse them.

They go really hard and stiff over time, go to a plumbers shop and buy some silicone grease, lather the throttle body rubbers in that and it should make reapplying them a bit easier. Heat will help.

 

ROFL!! @flying across the garage. Good idea from joeroberts! Glad it worked w/o you having to damage the insulators. Like donny said if the insulators aren't damaged i would just reuse them, but clean the inside off real good before reapplying them, it's the fact that they were on there for so long. Goodluck with the rest of the project!

 

After ***** for 10 minutes about the Pink hair drier and then the Flying across the garage I'm glad I was able to Help.
As for Replacing them If they are not cracked and not Pitted and can be resealed Y would you replace them?
you can get the stuff from the Plumbers shop But If was me I would just get some silicone Spray spray them down real good the spray well make them Pliable long enough for
you to put them back on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone
and Thanks for the good laugh.

 

Just curious....Howcome this thread is stickied?

 

my guess is that this is that one component on F4i's that is both tricky to take off and that needs to be removed for fixing and repairing other parts on the bike (ie. coolant hoses, fuel filter, vss, etc.).

 

I watch this section of the forum almost religiously and I've never seen it come up. Seems like general mechanical knowledge to me (but then I'm a mechanic) Idk. Just seems unnessecery.

 

@manny04 and @joeroberts (and even @donnybrago), thanks for the suggestions for getting them back on, not to mention getting the old stubborn bastards off.

@jp_greenville13, while I am not sure why it is stickied... I didn't know we needed general mechanic knowledge to post here without getting grief. And more to the point, if you watch this forum so "religiously" it would have been great to get your expert input to solve this "general mechanical knowledge" issue before all the others went to the extent they did to resolve my problem. But hey, it was nice of you to take the time to put me in my place (and yes, that was sarcasm).

 

Sorry man, No grief intended. I've never had that apart and I wasn't sure what you meant until someone posted the solution It just seemed out of place to have it stickied to me.