Suzuki 2 Strokes

Why do the carb bellows turn to goop??
I bought a parts bike that had been in a storage container since the late seventies and the bellows had melted! I've picked up several sets of carbs over the years with the same liquid goop where the bellows used to be! BUT, my GT550L still has the original bellows after 150,000 plus miles!
Any thoughts as to why?
Cliff!

Ethanol and not moving to keep the bellows mobile imo.

Ethanol since the late 70s?
I would think the cause is the type of rubber used being susceptible to chemical attack and/or degradation. I too have had several sets of carbs with melted rubber goo on them. Try silicon spray on your new ones to see if that helps them last longer.

New ones? Why? The ones on my bike are original!! The pic was just for reference!

Ozone.

Sabotage by Harley riders (someone had to tell them what to do!)

Alan H wrote:Sabotage by Harley riders (someone had to tell them what to do!)

love it!

I'm on my third set of bellows. Sets 1 and 2 both turned to goop when the bike sat for extended periods (5 years or more). I also thought that ethanol might be the culprit (the first set dissolved in the 1990's). Now when I put the bike up for the winter I drain the gas tank and run the engine until the carbs run out of gas. So far so good, fingers crossed!