Boxerworks.com

I recently purchased a replacement pair of floats for my Bing 32mm carbs on my R75/5. I purchased them from a parts company that always has great products (so I won't list their name) but I am questioning the quality of these floats. My old ones have a marble pattern and seem more substantial. However, the new ones I received look cheap and are a thin white plastic. Should I send these back or is this normal?

Hard to say, I haven't seen these thin plastic float yet. They could even be better than the old foam floats which can absorb fuel and get heavier. I'm convinced that the last new ones I bought a couple of years back have already put on weight.

Snowbum says that new floats weight about 10gr. Try and weigh the ones you have and see where you are. If they're expensive, I might be inclined to get the "right" part. But if the cost is not that huge, go ahead and use them and see what happens. You'll see quickly if they're going to be a problem...or not!

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/bing-floats.htm

Kurt in S.A.

I'm assuming they are hollow plastic floats as compared to the solid foam floats that we have all used before. Nothing wrong with a hollow float if it's durable and doesn't leak. The old soldered brass floats were hollow. Maybe they gave up on trying to make solid foam floats that didn't absorb modern fuel.

I paid about $40 for the set so a little cheaper than the OEM ones that are around $60-70 per set. I’ll give them a go. Worst case I can replace them.

Hey Calvin, I would try them. They are most likely Polyethylene and alcohol proof. I do not believe the weight test should be applied as they are not the same design, just adjust float level and ride.

Isn't the weight what determines how the item floats in the gas? Think Archimedes. I have floats for my R69S and my R25/2. The R25/2 float is physically the same as the R69S but the R25/2 has a small weight inside the float to bring it up to the proper weight.

Kurt in S.A.

Agree.

If the new floats are exact copies of the foam floats in terms of size and volume then they would have to weigh the same to produce the same fuel level.

Buoyancy is determined by the weight of the fluid displaced by the object doing the displacing. If they are the exact same shape, size and weight, they would float at the same level, but the tab most likely needs tweaking because the needle does not necessarily work the same in all carbs due to seat wear and spring condition. I just replaced the floats on my R100 with OEM type. I needed to set the level. I would say that its a good idea to check the level in all cases.