Need a head gasket but not the kit...

[Biker326]

Hi there,

I recently went through the top end of my 1980 GS1000E replacing all of the gaskets from the piston block up. The engine had developed leaks in the usual places- cam cover, head between #2&#3 near the tach cable, etc... I purchased one of those complete gasket sets to do this and things seemed to go just peachy. When I got everything put back together the bike ran beautifully, but after running a bit I noticed that the head gasket was weeping oil badly around piston #1. I checked all the torqe levels on the head bolts and the tightening order. I suspect that I just didn't get that part of the old gasket cleaned off well enough (it was a real bear to get off!). Anyway, now I'm trying to find a good source for purchasing just a replacement head gasket, without having to cough up the $ for the whole kit again. Suggestions and comments welcome.
Thanks!

p.s. I checked through the forums for suggestions already posted and tried "realgaskets" and the cycle-recycle page but haven't found what I need there yet- maybe I missed it... all suggestions welcome.

[Jethro]

I get mine from my Suzuki dealer. He always has the basics in stock- head gaskets, cam cover gaskets, cables.

Get ready, head gaskets are typically the most expensive of all the gaskets!

[chiphead]

Just stumbled across this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-GASKET-SET-COMPLETE-SUZUKI-GS1000-GS1100-8-VALVES_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35595QQihZ002QQitemZ120017825060QQrdZ1

[Biker326]

ok,
checked the local suzuki dealer... $88 but none in stock. If I can't find anything better, they will get it for me. I've got the ebay auction on my watchlist -thanks for the tip chiphead!- have to keep checking around while the auction runs on. I'll post a summary of what I find at the end of this thread for anyone else who may be interested... so check back.

[Dink]

If you lift the head you should replace the base gasket and o-ringsagain as well.go genuine.

Dink

[cberkeley]

ok,
checked the local suzuki dealer... $88 but none in stock. If I can't find anything better, they will get it for me. I've got the ebay auction on my watchlist -thanks for the tip chiphead!- have to keep checking around while the auction runs on. I'll post a summary of what I find at the end of this thread for anyone else who may be interested... so check back.

Complete set avail here for about $60.00

https://www.partsnmore.com/cat_index.php?model=gs&category=engine

[Biker326]

conclusion...

Wow, thanks for all the help... Here is a summary of what I've come up with for all those who may come along with a similar question:

Suziki Dealer: Head gasket alone= ~$90
Dennis Kirk: Complete Gasket Kit= forget it:shock:
Bike Bandit: didn't have it
e-bay: have to do some searching but well worth it on a budget -downside is it's not usually very fast.
partsnmore.com: complete gasket kit= $60

I'm sure there are other good places to look. I personally went with the partsnmore.com option because they offered free shipping to the US and I didn't want to wait any longer- summer's fly'n by my leaky bike!
Thanks again to all for the advice!

[Jethro]

Keep in mind the OEM Suzuki stock gasket is likely much better quality than the kit from Partsnmore.com. If I can, I always replace engine gaskets with OEM stock regardless of cost. However, many folks have used the Vesrah and alike kits with success.

[koolaid_kid]

cometic is rumored to make the best head gasket. But they are not cheap.