Can I really not use this Tennessee gasket?

[NCGS]

I ordered one of the silicone valve cover gaskets from Real Gaskets Tennessee for my ‘81 GS750EX. When I ordered it I saw a note on their webpage that said not to use the gasket if you have a tach drive in your valve cover. I thought to myself “well, my tach drive is on the front wheel” and ordered the gasket.

Well, I walked out to the bike to adjust the valves today and realized that I remembered incorrectly. It’s the speedo drive that’s on the front wheel and yes, there is in fact a tach drive in the front of my valve cover. Unbelievable. I’m sure there’s an appropriate saying here but I can’t think of it. Measure twice, cut once…what’s the equivalent in motorcycle world?

Has anyone used these silicone gaskets with a tach drive in the valve cover? What happens if you do?

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I've always used OEM gaskets for the valve cover though I struggled at first with the appropriate torque for the bolts and squished the gasket to the point of tearing the first several times. I've always read that the Real Gaskets shouldn't be used because they allow you to tighten the cover down past the point where the tach drive spindle will perfectly align with the worm gear on the exhaust cam shaft. I believe it. Real Gasket is even warning you not to use it on this engine. My bike has the same engine as yours. Live and learn. Buy the OEM gasket from a reliable source. My local dealer always has these or can get them in short order. Have also bought from partshark.com.

 

[Cipher]

I ordered one of the silicone valve cover gaskets from Real Gaskets Tennessee for my ‘81 GS750EX. When I ordered it I saw a note on their webpage that said not to use the gasket if you have a tach drive in your valve cover. I thought to myself “well, my tach drive is on the front wheel” and ordered the gasket.

Well, I walked out to the bike to adjust the valves today and realized that I remembered incorrectly. It’s the speedo drive that’s on the front wheel and yes, there is in fact a tach drive in the front of my valve cover. Unbelievable. I’m sure there’s an appropriate saying here but I can’t think of it. Measure twice, cut once…what’s the equivalent in motorcycle world?

Has anyone used these silicone gaskets with a tach drive in the valve cover? What happens if you do?

The gears don't mesh properly and fail.
like a differential with Mal adjusted lash sort of.

 

[Cipher]

Did you say... possibly bring the spark plug tip far enough into the combustion chamber to become problematic??... Surely you didn't say that.

Well is a bit deeper overall caps can't seat properly if angled types. An awkward choice of words.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Did you say... possibly bring the spark plug tip far enough into the combustion chamber to become problematic??... Surely you didn't say that.

Yeah, I did, only based on something I think I read on the topic. Poor choice of work, certainly. Or call it a blond moment. Thinking about it, yes, sounds silly when i read what I wrote. Forgive me.

 

[Cipher]

Got nothing to do with choice of words. In absolute non-awkward words, Valve cover nor valve cover gasket can ever make any inkling of a difference as how far the spark plug tip goes into the combustion chamber... Just say'in

The tip goes in the plug cap you obtuse git.

 

[rphillips]

Shoot rich, I knew it was a slip, blond moment, just had to poke a little fun.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

You two don’t need to go back and forth any more on the admitted inanity of my statement regarding the plugs. I don’t even know what I meant. I’m happy delete the nonsense from my initial reply in post 2, if you 2 (rphillips and Cipher) would go ahead and delete the rest of yours and we’ll clean up this thread for the OP.

 

[NCGS]

Buy the OEM gasket from a reliable source. My local dealer always has these or can get them in short order. Have also bought from partshark.com.

Your local dealer has the gaskets?! Does your local dealer live in a time warp? I dunno what all this talk is about spark plugs. But I’ll just order a paper gasket online and get rid of the Tennessee gasket. Thanks guys.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Your local dealer has the gaskets?! Does your local dealer live in a time warp? .

Yes, and yes……….

 

[Suzukian]

Never heard of that company. They have such a few gaskets, I wonder how they stay in business?

 

[allojohn]

If the tach drive goes into the head as opposed to the valve cover the Tennessee gaskets are fine.

 

[1978GS750E]

Never heard of that company.

Me either! Anyone used their gaskets? How do they last and are they really reusable?

 

[93Bandit]

I've got a reusable rubber valve cover gasket, i dont recall what brand but it's orange. I installed it during the last valve adjustment, and will be doing valve adjustment again this winter. It has been a challenge keeping the correct torque on the cam cover bolts. They work loose often and as a result it leaks quite a but from the cam cover to head seam, especially on the left side (since it leans that way on the side stand). I'm going to order an OEM gasket when I do the adjustment. I think I'll have better chances keeping the bolts tight and less leakage. Maybe I'm just using the wrong torque specs, who knows. I also don't like the orange color, it's ugly. My 2 cents.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

I ordered one of the silicone valve cover gaskets from Real Gaskets Tennessee for my ‘81 GS750EX. When I ordered it I saw a note on their webpage that said not to use the gasket if you have a tach drive in your valve cover. I thought to myself “well, my tach drive is on the front wheel” and ordered the gasket.

Well, I walked out to the bike to adjust the valves today and realized that I remembered incorrectly. It’s the speedo drive that’s on the front wheel and yes, there is in fact a tach drive in the front of my valve cover. Unbelievable. I’m sure there’s an appropriate saying here but I can’t think of it. Measure twice, cut once…what’s the equivalent in motorcycle world?

Has anyone used these silicone gaskets with a tach drive in the valve cover? What happens if you do?

The liter + displacement GS engines have the tack drive in the lower part of the head, so this is not an issue.
I've used the same Real Gasket on my GS1100G for 10 years +, because it's fully reusable. The fiber type dry up in days and can only be used once.

 

[93Bandit]

The liter + displacement GS engines have the tack drive in the lower part of the head, so this is not an issue.
I've used the same Real Gasket on my GS1100G for 10 years +, because it's fully reusable. The fiber type dry up in days and can only be used once.

How do you keep the bolts from backing out? I used the factory torque spec on mine but they routinely come loose and it leaks.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

I tighten the bolts to personal judgment watching the gasket deform slightly, below standard torque spec.
Some oil drips over time while on the side stand, not surprised because the oil pools in the left front corner. That's a Suzuki design failure, not the gasket. The screws loosening over time does not happen on my cover. Maybe I use Loctite on them, I dunno.
The GS gaskets are the old school flat fiber design, destined to have leak issues.

Having a 90 GSXR engine in my other bike is a good comparison of how much the gasket and seal designs were improved over the decade.
The GSXR uses neoprene gaskets with a groove in the head for the gasket to lock into. Those are much better and reusable, no leaks.

 

[salty_monk]

I used one. It's really hard to resist doing the bolts up too tight... They do work but I went back to a stock one after a few years.

 

[NCGS]

So does anyone want a Tennessee gasket? I’ll send it to you for free. Seems a shame to throw it away. Email me if you want it.

 

[Who Dat?]

Nice offer, but the only engine it will work on is another one just like yours.

It will have the same problem.