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Athena Gaskets... Garbage or bad batch?

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    #46
    None of the aftermarket sets are anywhere near as complete as the OEM set.

    When you add up all the stuff you're missing from a Vescrap or crApthena set (can you tell I'm bitter?) you'll find that the aftermarket "complete" set is no bargain at all.

    The OEM sets include every last sealing washer, gasket, and o-ring you'll need. If you're doing a complete rebuild, the only things they don't include are crankshaft and transmission seals. I believe the cam chain tensioner and tach drive seals are not included in the OEM sets as well.
    1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
    2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
    2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
    Eat more venison.

    Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

    Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

    SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

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      #47
      Originally posted by bwringer View Post
      None of the aftermarket sets are anywhere near as complete as the OEM set.

      When you add up all the stuff you're missing from a Vescrap or crApthena set (can you tell I'm bitter?) you'll find that the aftermarket "complete" set is no bargain at all.

      The OEM sets include every last sealing washer, gasket, and o-ring you'll need. If you're doing a complete rebuild, the only things they don't include are crankshaft and transmission seals. I believe the cam chain tensioner and tach drive seals are not included in the OEM sets as well.
      I don't see any bitterness there

      As to the completeness of both, that works for you 4 cylinder guys because you can still get complete OEM sets.

      Us twin cylinder guys (or at least my model) can't get OEM sets any more, so it's one gasket/seal at a time, which gets prohibitively expensive.

      By prohibitively expensive, I mean just the base, head, and valve cover gaskets total over $200 for me. That's with nothing else mind you, just three gaskets. The "complete" Athena kit is just under $100.

      So, even if I have to source an odd seal here or there, it will still be probably a third or less of the price of buying the OEM ones individually once you include all the other gaskets and seals required.

      As mentioned earlier, I have all the bottom end stuff already and I got all that individually OEM, so if anything from Athena does fail, at least I won't have to split the cases again...
      1982 GS450E - The Wee Beastie
      1984 GSX750S Katana 7/11 - Kit Kat - BOTM May 2020

      sigpic

      450 Refresh thread: https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...-GS450-Refresh

      Katana 7/11 thread: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...84-Katana-7-11

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        #48
        I received my kit last night and it appears that the base gasket is indeed the green version as seen in ugly previous pic's.

        I haven't opened the kit yet but I took some pic's and some close ups of the head gasket to see what material it is while it's all still sealed but I haven't been able to get them off the camera yet.
        1982 GS450E - The Wee Beastie
        1984 GSX750S Katana 7/11 - Kit Kat - BOTM May 2020

        sigpic

        450 Refresh thread: https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...-GS450-Refresh

        Katana 7/11 thread: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...84-Katana-7-11

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          #49
          Ok so here's what I got:



          Close ups of the head gasket:



          Ed, not sure if it's MLS or not but it does definitely appear to have some metal content in there...

          It's all still sealed currently, so I haven't been able to check how "complete" it really is yet, not sure when I'll get to it either just yet.
          1982 GS450E - The Wee Beastie
          1984 GSX750S Katana 7/11 - Kit Kat - BOTM May 2020

          sigpic

          450 Refresh thread: https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...-GS450-Refresh

          Katana 7/11 thread: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...84-Katana-7-11

          Comment


            #50
            Overall the kit has a lot of good stuff cheap, but I would say IF you are going for the top end rebuild buy an OEM base to go with the set. It is the cheaper of the OEM gaskets and the weakest in the Athena kit.

            The head gasket I got did great, minus the missing orings (if you didnt get all 4 buy extra and use them).

            Although mine looks more metalic than yours...

            Comment


              #51
              Originally posted by pete View Post
              Close ups of the head gasket:



              Ed, not sure if it's MLS or not but it does definitely appear to have some metal content in there...

              It's all still sealed currently, so I haven't been able to check how "complete" it really is yet, not sure when I'll get to it either just yet.
              That's a composite head gasket Pete. I'm not sure how good/bad they are, I just know those green base gaskets are BAD.

              Good luck.
              Ed

              To measure is to know.

              Mikuni O-ring Kits For Sale...https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...ts#post1703182

              Top Newbie Mistakes thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=171846

              Carb rebuild tutorial...https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/mtsac...d_Tutorial.pdf

              KZ750E Rebuild Thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...0-Resurrection

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                #52
                Thanks for the clarification there Ed, this is the first time ever I've had to play with gaskets, so all new to me at the moment... wish I had've done it a few years earlier though as I may have had some chance of getting an OEM kit. Oh well...

                Skateguy... I already have the base gasket and bottom end seals in OEM due to this thread
                1982 GS450E - The Wee Beastie
                1984 GSX750S Katana 7/11 - Kit Kat - BOTM May 2020

                sigpic

                450 Refresh thread: https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...-GS450-Refresh

                Katana 7/11 thread: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...84-Katana-7-11

                Comment


                  #53
                  I have been using the Athena Gaskets for years without a hitch. I have seen on another forum that some moaned that it broke their engine. It turns out they used the wrong gasket and blocked an oil way.

                  Comment


                    #54
                    I used Athena Gaskets also. When I built my engine in 2009. Got them because they were cheaper than the others. Have not had a problem.
                    [SIGPIC1980 GS1000E
                    Yamaharley Roadstar Silverado.2008sigpic

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                      #55
                      Some stubborn people here. Good luck to you guys!

                      This much I KNOW: the bright green gasket material used for the base gasket around 2010 was too soft for the application. Further, the gasket material used for some of the other gaskets, the valve cover for example, was low density and subject to shredding easily. Those gaskets would tear and sort of delaminate so to speak if you would try to reuse them such as when adjusting your valves. The OEM gasket material in comparison had an almost rubberlike consistency and could be reused numerous times as long as it doesn't stick too bad (some people coat them with oil/grease for this reason).

                      I've seen some photos of newer Athena gasket kits and at least some of them seem to have moved to a darker green gasket material. I'm just guessing here but it wouldn't surprise me if they figured out about the problems and upgraded the material. I'm not sure if they improved the other gaskets though. So the question now becomes: do you feel lucky?
                      Ed

                      To measure is to know.

                      Mikuni O-ring Kits For Sale...https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...ts#post1703182

                      Top Newbie Mistakes thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=171846

                      Carb rebuild tutorial...https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/mtsac...d_Tutorial.pdf

                      KZ750E Rebuild Thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...0-Resurrection

                      Comment


                        #56
                        Nope! The Kat will be going together with genuine gaskets and seals. Might use a Cometic head gasket but that'd be the only deviation. The only Athena gasket remaining on the 450 is the right side case cover gasket where the clutch is, and that's only because it hasn't had to come off yet since the rebuild. Every other Athena gasket weeped, leaked, or went brittle and broke when taking something apart, so they have all been exorcised.
                        1982 GS450E - The Wee Beastie
                        1984 GSX750S Katana 7/11 - Kit Kat - BOTM May 2020

                        sigpic

                        450 Refresh thread: https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...-GS450-Refresh

                        Katana 7/11 thread: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...84-Katana-7-11

                        Comment


                          #57
                          Originally posted by pete View Post
                          Nope! The Kat will be going together with genuine gaskets and seals. Might use a Cometic head gasket but that'd be the only deviation. The only Athena gasket remaining on the 450 is the right side case cover gasket where the clutch is, and that's only because it hasn't had to come off yet since the rebuild. Every other Athena gasket weeped, leaked, or went brittle and broke when taking something apart, so they have all been exorcised.

                          Crikey, talk about a grave-digging thread -- 7 years!

                          Anyhoo, I wouldn't order up a Cometic unless you hate money and have an unaccountable desire to see something spectacularly crappy.

                          Perhaps Cometic makes decent gaskets that don't leak for some other vehicle. I've never seen one.

                          Over on the KLR650 site (basically the same engine for 30 years, so we have a VERY good sample), Cometics are famed only for poor fit and their ability to leak.
                          1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
                          2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
                          2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
                          Eat more venison.

                          Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

                          Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

                          SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

                          Get "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at https://tro.bike/podcast/ or wherever you listen to podcasts!

                          Comment


                            #58
                            Yep an old thread alright! Interesting on the Cometic, I always thought they were a go-to if there wasn't a suitable head gasket. Genuine will still be my preference though anyway...
                            1982 GS450E - The Wee Beastie
                            1984 GSX750S Katana 7/11 - Kit Kat - BOTM May 2020

                            sigpic

                            450 Refresh thread: https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...-GS450-Refresh

                            Katana 7/11 thread: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...84-Katana-7-11

                            Comment

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