Bing Carburetor Gasket

Silicone gasket replaces cork for BMW and other motorcycles.

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I've been looking for something like this for years.  I figured they had to exist, it was just a matter of time before I found one.

Cork gaskets of the type used on Bing carburetors and others have been used since Henry Ford was playing marbles.

Cork will get hard and brittle over time, especially after draining the carburetors for storage.

BMW motorcycle owners sometimes have continuous problems with leaking Bing carburetors, and most of the leaks can be traced to faulty gaskets. 

I always keep an extra pair stowed away under the seat, and I've had to use them many times while on the road. 

I was sitting at a stop light one hot summer day and all of a sudden smelled a strong odor of gasoline.  I happened to look down and the right carburetor on my 1986 BMW R65 was pouring fuel all over the ground. 

I quickly shut off the tap and pulled over to change the gasket.  This can be dangerous, because the hot exhaust pipes are right under the carbs!

Most BMW motorcycle owners get into the habit of buying a few extra pair of carburetor gaskets every few months when they're picking up disposables like oil and filters.  I've asked around, but no one seemed to have any ideas on silicone gasket replacement parts.

I even considered looking for some silicone or rubber gasket material and cutting my own, but never got around to it.  I found an ad for Real Gaskets in a recent issue of a BMW motorcycle club magazine and decided to give these a try.  Their Bing carburetor gasket replaces the BMW part number 13 11 1 254 764, a number that is familiar to all "Airhead" owners!

Real Gaskets manufacturers silicone replacement gaskets for Bing carburetors, BMW oil pan gaskets, tail lights and more.  They also have some gaskets for vintage motorcycle restoration for Triumph, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Suzuki and others. 

This is in addition to the gaskets they make for automobiles and for Continental, Jacobs, Lycoming, Pratt & Whitney and Wright radial piston aircraft engines.  I didn't know there still were any Wright radial engines around!

There's not much to say about the silicone gaskets - they do the job, they're reusable, and they seem to work better than the cork originals.  Real Gaskets says that the products are manufactured using aerospace mechanical grade AMS silicone and they can withstand temperatures up to 400°F and will last for the lifetime of the engine. 

They're a direct replacement for the Bing carburetors on my BMW motorcycle.  Real Gaskets says to put a touch of grease on one side, press them up into the gasket groove on the Bings and replace the float bowl and bail.

So far they've worked great - no leaks, and I'm not expecting any.  The gaskets cost $7.40 per pair, which is slightly more expensive than the cork gaskets sold by Bing or through BMW dealers, but definitely worth it, especially if they last the life of the engine.

Old habits die hard, I guess.  I bought an extra pair to keep under the seat "just in case"!

UPDATE:  December 2007 - It's now been about 2 years since this review was published and I haven't experienced a single leak!  The gaskets have worked perfectly without fail...

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