KX Riders
Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Original => Topic started by: kiwimonster on March 02, 2009, 06:04:07 PM
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was doin a bit of play riding when my k5 started surging and idling strang the noticed a oil leak on the base gaskett , who makes the best brand of gasketts. cheers :evil:
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I wrote a review on cometic and athena about amonth ago. I was disapointed w/ the cometic set being incorrect, (hopefully 1 bad set in a production of thousands) and was happy with the athena set based on completeness and correct application..... but then I went on my first ride and blew the base gasket. Maybe all my fault, i installed dry without any RTV, which i thought was the best way( its worked in the past), torqued to spec yada yada.
Maybe try something new for all of us... Moose makes a nice kit. :-P
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I had a mis-stamped Cometic Base Gasket also. They still are very good gasket company. i got some really nice Moose gaskets also. I usually install with light coat of oil. Just enough to say it all got some, with no rtv. Retighten after a couple heat cycles. its a good idea to check for flat surfaces. I never try to re-use a base or head gasket either.
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comitec ,,,,even though a few of the base gaskets have one hole miss stamped
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kaw has a nice improved base gasket.
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Great to have some heavy hitters chime in :-D Stewart, you probebly go through more gaskets than any one else on this site...I have a few ?'s how many times have you seen the miss stamped stud hole on a cometic base basket? and secondly do you recomend Knurrling the mating surface?
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Kaw rider, There are two OE base gaskets on the microfiche, same size... but one is made of cork and the other traditional green board. Which are you suggesting is better? one definatly costs more than the other. :|
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The one i have is aluminum with rubber coating on it. I've reused it acouple of times aready. Looks great.
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do not knurl the surfaces...i ve seen three out off the last 30 sets of comtic base gaskets that have one hole off
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Kawasaki factory part# 11060-1874 that is the rubber coated metal gasket that doesn't blowout .
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Kawasaki factory part# 11060-1874 that is the rubber coated metal gasket that doesn't blowout .
Just like the cometic
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The rubber coated base gasket are nice for kawasaki poor maching of gasket surfaces.
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do not knurl the surfaces...i ve seen three out off the last 30 sets of comtic base gaskets that have one hole off
Is this an issue?
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I have not seen a Cometic Base Gasket Like that.?.? I will pull a kit apart to confirm. The Base Gasket that Kaw Rider & CBX are refering to are (in my opinion) are FAR superior to any Athena, Cometic, etc Base Gasket. I have blown out 2 Cometic and 1 Athena base gasket, before finally replacing with OEM Kawasaki as mentioned above (it will NOT blowout as CBX mentioned, it is steel).
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Cometic will make you gaskets out of what ever you wish. A lot of their economy kits come with paper or at least they used too. I order their gaskets individually and out of the material of my choice. They offer rubber coated aluminum gaskets that are the exact same as the stock kawi ones. Infact cometic has been making these gaskets long before kawi ever used them as an OEM part. I'm sure someone at kawi saw how well these gaskets out performed everything else. I have been using them since 98 but the gaskets I have on my bike right now are made from the same thing cometic makes their head gaskets out of and they are steel not aluminum.
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I have no experience with after market gaskets, but I do use the OEM base and head gasket and usually rering about every 250 gallons of fuel through the bike. I have never had any leaks and I think I ride more than most people. I have no reason to try any other product, since the kawasaki part works perfect.
John
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not sure which style gasket comes in the cometic topend kit now [fiber or metal] but they do make the rubber coated metal . It's rubber coated 10thousands spring steel part # B0036010S. That is my custom order # I've been have them special made for years along with big-bore head gaskets. I order them in packs of at least five not sure if they sell singles.
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The rubber coated steel is the same thing I'm running at the time. I went to them to set my deck height where I wanted it. The foam rubber coated aluminum ones they sell that are the same as what kawi now uses have a compressed thickness of 0.12". I agree that the ones that kawi have made for them work great but they are not a development of kawi, rather a development of the people who make the materials for making gaskets. These materials were used in other applications long before kawi started using them. It was companies like cometic who saw the benefit of these sweet new materials and started producing motorcycle gaskets out of them. Their are a few of us here who can't buy gaskets from kawi do to the nature of our engine building ideas so we have to be well educated on what gaskets work, who to get them from, and who will make you whatever you want. Cometic makes crap ass paper gaskets too, It's all about how much $$$ you want to spend.
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i like the c 7047 comitec head kit
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I always ran Cometic and loved it. I've used them since my old days of riding and have never had an issue with miss-stamps (except a few hanging tabs that I just poke out).
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You know whats cool is they will cut you spacers to go under your cylinder. You can get them in different thicknesses so you can change your port timeing or lift your cilinder for stroker cranks. If you ask they will even make the spacers with little holes for the power valves. This way your power valves are held up in place where they belong. I also order my base gaskets with small holes this helps to hold the power valve up in the jug even better. This works very well if you use the foam rubber covered aluminum gaskets, it helps to stop power valve knock. If you use two spring steel base gaskets with a spacer the power valve knock becomes so loud that you will want to take your bike back appart thinking something is wrong :lol: :lol:.
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Ihave an 01 KX-500 Iwent with the Moose top end gasket kit with the 1MM optional head gasket, it stopped the pinging and easy starting.
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do not knurl the surfaces...i ve seen three out off the last 30 sets of comtic base gaskets that have one hole off
any elaborations on the knurling subject would be appriciated... i've heard of pro-circuit recommending it and it works on many other applications in other industries...
maybe for those who dont know, knurling is puting little divots or a trough on the gasket mating surface for a little area for the gasket to catch into, with a punch or razor blade. I know stewart does not, but does any other engine builder out there use the technique? :?
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Kaw rider, There are two OE base gaskets on the microfiche, same size... but one is made of cork and the other traditional green board. Which are you suggesting is better? one definatly costs more than the other. :|
sorry: the old style green board has been updated with the foam backed alum version also avalable in a cometic version. I just got both, the other is what seems to be cork or wood graine even.. maybe balsa.
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I assume the raised portion of the cometic steel head gasket faces up?
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I assume the raised portion of the cometic steel head gasket faces up?
Yes and another way to look at it is the small water holes go on the left and the large water holes go on the right. The idea is to keep the water moveing across the head so the holes are sized that way to do so.
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I had two missed stamped base gasket from Cometic last summer, so I went with OEM. I was able to get a lot of gaskets... when our deal closed thier doors this past winter. I already miss those guys. :mrgreen:
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Got a slight issue... Now I have everything back, I went to put on the base gasket, and the left rear hole dont line up!!
****! Have big ride coming up, what do I do? can I enlarge the hole to fit? or do I try to find a new gasket? Funds are tight, and now panic mode sets in! LOL!
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i just stamp it with a hole punch half a hole over same diamater it will work fine,,sad on a new gasket i no i will call them about this problem
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i just stamp it with a hole punch half a hole over same diamater it will work fine,,sad on a new gasket i no i will call them about this problem
OK, cool thanks man. No worries either! :-D
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Got a slight issue... Now I have everything back, I went to put on the base gasket, and the left rear hole dont line up!!
****! Have big ride coming up, what do I do? can I enlarge the hole to fit? or do I try to find a new gasket? Funds are tight, and now panic mode sets in! LOL!
ouch :-o that must be what s been happening to 1 in 30 of us....wheres the quality control?
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Well, I used a Dremel on the hole , and there are no leaks or any other issues.
I can say, with window mod piston, V Force 2 reeds, KIPS mods and jetting this thing is friggen stupid fast.. Also is a little harder to start. Compression is high, and now likes to kick back a bit. Have a nice gash on my right leg from it now...
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Don't kick start it without boots on and you will avoid the shin scars :-D
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Don't kick start it without boots on and you will avoid the shin scars :-D
This is a "MUST"!! LOL.
I cant start the bitch anymore in my flip flops without pain.. I like it!!
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Here you go Pauly! It was just buried took awhile to find it.
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I just measured one.
.010 into cylinder base
.020 for base gasket
.050 for barrel groove
total of .080"