Arvo John et al...and top of da arvo' ta ya's all (yardarms obviously past the pole),
Dick, it takes only a few minutes to pop the carbs off and replace all the hoses with generic parts, especially if you have the tank out already. I used EFI hose for the bypass and cooler hoses for the main ones. I suppose you realise that it is also worth replacing the alloy elbows while you are in there. About an afternoons work In reckon 
Well...your quite right of cause it is not too difficult in lifting the carbies off. However, as they have been insitu for 15 years and been subjected to an extensive range in temperature, it would be prudent to replace the individual carburettor insulators (connection tubes). And at present have just purchased a couple of sets of tyres, this is an impost I cannot afford.
Also I don't have to
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Rationale:Corrosion.
Now that the fuel tank is out and viewing within the 'V' is unencumbered (no emission clutter), so I can easily visualize all that needs to be seen by using a torch and a mirror, which includes the two elbows that return coolant from each of the cylinder heads. Now corrosion (like fire), needs more than one element for it to occur and in this case it's air (O2), so what to look for is evidence that air is getting into the system proximal to the area of corrosion. In most cases if you see the tell tale powdery crystals clumping around a hose fitting (or in this case at the TBP return end, a persistent leak that I put off repairing properly...Doh!), it's indicative that coolant is weeping out when hot (expansion), therefore air can get in as the engine cools (contracts). So as (in this case), the return elbows are in close proximity to the just mentioned joints it's logical that if signs of corrosion are visible externally, then there's a fair bet it's well entrenched on the inside as well.
Now back to those two elbows which have right angle bends. Any bend will inhibit laminar flow, thus increase the likelihood of coolant / water separation (turbulent flow), and I figure by the time a persistent leak is detected in this area, it's usual a cracker, as weeping from here can go on for years (if not inspected), undetected as any coolant / water will have evaporated in this location and been replenished courtesy of the reservoir tank without notice.; so air will 'trap' at the elbow and do its work while the engine is
not running . Perhaps this is why the elbow can get severely corroded and the cylinder head its attached does not.
There is absolutely no evidence of coolant weeping from these joins on this bike. Why, because I used a 6mm spanner to tighten the jubilee clips one quarter of a turn when I last had the tank out (to remove debris), some years ago. This quarter turn was enough to compensate for natural compressive hardening of the rubber hose at this point. Speaking of which...
I will be using the OEM spring clip and not the jubilee clip on the replacement hose, which it would seem, will be this one in the photo...only a tad longer 
. Has at a guess why? Hoses.
I, like many others am of the belief that in all likelihood OEM hose 'A' and aftermarket hose 'B' probably came out of the same factory, in China, somewhere. I DON'T hold to the notion that OEM parts are dearer simple because they're OEM, particularly in the US (think about it). I DO believe that you can get two 'parts' that look identical, but they are not; I know this from bearings . I therefore rationalize that Honda parts are of a superior material and build. Also it is visible light (as well as heat), that will deteriorate rubber and I think it's fair bet that not too much light gets to these hoses.
Presently that return hoses from the cylinder heads are both supple and without any evidence of cracking at their ends, so I rationalize they are still serviceable albeit on a 'time extension'. So for now, they stay.
Left cylinder coolant return joint...the nut of the jubilee clip is to the top
Right cylinder coolant return joint...the nut of the jubilee clip is to the topThe above 2 images are poor quality as there were taken from a live stream from a USB cable camera going directly to the computer in the shed. $60 number from JAYCAR...cheap but gets into wee difficult places well
I f any offence was caused by these comments, it was probably intended 
Nah! For a Public Servant that (I considered), worked for the enemy >:(, in Canberra, for an Organisation that once demanded of me to produce receipts that went back further than my pre-embryonic state...ya did bring a rather better bottle of red with you to share at Blackheath than I did
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TTFN, the can :)
