valve cover gasket

[aftermath4788]

well i was looking on ebay and found a new valve cover gasket for 25 bucks plus $4 shipping. i want to check the local dealer but wanted to ask if it would be more expensive there. i dont want to waste my time only to find out they cost $40 there. if so where else sells them? they should be cheap as hell i mean its only a valve cover gasket. maybe autozone, car quest, wal mart? any ideas

[techy]

For what?

[GREENISBEST]

Originally Posted by techy

For what?

The valve Cover gasket

[aftermath4788]

Originally Posted by techy

For what?

LOL have you figured out what it is? LOL we all have our moments

[Plato]

Originally Posted by aftermath4788

LOL have you figured out what it is? LOL we all have our moments

Okay, so let me ask the dumb question again here... For what BIKE

I see you have a zx-11 and a 250r, so I assume you don't want a valve cover gasket for your Murray Riding Mower

Have you checked Ron Ayers Motorsports - Motorcycle, ATV, Jet Ski and Generators Parts and Accessories ???

[gatorswamp]

aftermath that is a sweet bike in your pic

[aftermath4788]

lol well i apologize for not making that clear. i had thought i typed that in there but now that i reread it i see i left that important piece of info out. lol i guess that is my blonde moment for the day. hehe its for the 91 zx11 and i wish that was my bike in the pic but i couldnt afford something like that. it was on ebay for $25,000 and yeah i did check ron ayers site but i couldnt find just a valvee cover. i found plenty of top end gasket kits and such but maybe i just dont know where to look

[bountyhunter]

Originally Posted by aftermath4788

well i was looking on ebay and found a new valve cover gasket for 25 bucks plus $4 shipping. i want to check the local dealer but wanted to ask if it would be more expensive there. i dont want to waste my time only to find out they cost $40 there. if so where else sells them? they should be cheap as hell i mean its only a valve cover gasket. maybe autozone, car quest, wal mart? any ideas

It won't be $40 at the dealer, it will be more like $80 (just priced one for my 750).

Try Old Bike Barn, Bike bandit, and partsnmore. BTW: you can usually get a whole gasket and O-ring set for about $50 which has every gasket for your engine.

FYI: I found some aftermarket cover gaskets for about $14 each for my 750 and I think it was either Old Bike Barn or partsnmore. Real factory gaskets cost more but they are usually better quality.

[aftermath4788]

o cool thanks alot for the advice ill check into it. and yeah it was 80 for the gasket. my mouth dropped when they said that.

[zedx11]

you get what you pay for.

[aftermath4788]

that is true but it shouldnt be a rip off either. especially when it doesnt take but a few dollars to make it at the factory. just my opinion i found one new from factory on ebay for 30 bucks total saves $50 so thats cool thanks though

[bountyhunter]

Originally Posted by aftermath4788

that is true but it shouldnt be a rip off either. especially when it doesnt take but a few dollars to make it at the factory. just my opinion i found one new from factory on ebay for 30 bucks total saves $50 so thats cool thanks though

Kawi doesn't make them, they get them from subcontractors. The factory gaskets are better than aftermarket because they have a rubberized waxy top layer that can usually be separated from the cover without damage and the gasket can be re-used a couple of times. The cheap aftermarket ones are one time use only, they disintegrate when you pull the cover off.

It's too bad the dealers are such thieves on price, though.

Lately I have been making them from the vulcanized fiber paper they sell at Auto Zone. You can get enough paper to make three gaskets for $5. They work well, but are one-time use only.

[aftermath4788]

cool 5 bucks to make 3? sounds better than 80 for one that can be used 3 times. ill keep that in mind when i go to autozone for some parts for my jeep that wont start lol.

[bountyhunter]

Originally Posted by aftermath4788

cool 5 bucks to make 3? sounds better than 80 for one that can be used 3 times. ill keep that in mind when i go to autozone for some parts for my jeep that wont start lol.

Good price, but it takes about 45 minutes to trace and cut one out. I use the cover itself to trace the outside edge and then use a store bought gasket to trace the inner edges and the holes. You will need a couple of sharp X-acto knives to cut the paper with. get some cardboard to cut on so you won't carve up your table.

[flarex]

3 months ago, I purchased a head gasket for a ZX 1200 at my local STEALERSHIP for $38. They failed to inform me that I also needed the rubber seals that go around the spark plugs on the Head $ 26. If you re-use the spark plug seals oil may leak into the spark plug area. You want all of your seals to compress equally. the old ones are compressed and tend to leak if you don't replace them at the same time.

[bountyhunter]

Originally Posted by flarex

3 months ago, I purchased a head gasket for a ZX 1200 at my local STEALERSHIP for $38. They failed to inform me that I also needed the rubber seals that go around the spark plugs on the Head $ 26. If you re-use the spark plug seals oil may leak into the spark plug area. You want all of your seals to compress equally. the old ones are compressed and tend to leak if you don't replace them at the same time.

$38 for a head gasket is a bargain. The dealer lists the head gasket for my 750 for about $130.

Speaking of rubber seals.... I went to the dealer for a tiny O-ring and the price was $11.

[Frenchy]

Try Bikebandit.com. They probably have it.

[bountyhunter]

Originally Posted by flarex

If you re-use the spark plug seals oil may leak into the spark plug area. You want all of your seals to compress equally. the old ones are compressed and tend to leak if you don't replace them at the same time.

My twin has the little "half moon" rubber end plugs on the ends of the camshafts that mate with the valve cover and leak oil when they get old. Set of four plugs runs about $70 at the dealer.

[bountyhunter]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Try Bikebandit.com. They probably have it.

Yep, they order it from kawasaki then give you a discount off the list price. It adds an extra week to 10 days in getting it, but saves about 20 - 30% off list price (which can be a lot of $$$).

babbittsonline.com does the same but gives a little more discount than Bike bandit. Babbits recently discontinued the search function to older bikes (just last week) so you need to know the part numbers to order... which you can get from the search diagrams at Bike bandit.

[southjersey636]

Originally Posted by bountyhunter

Kawi doesn't make them, they get them from subcontractors. The factory gaskets are better than aftermarket because they have a rubberized waxy top layer that can usually be separated from the cover without damage and the gasket can be re-used a couple of times. The cheap aftermarket ones are one time use only, they disintegrate when you pull the cover off.

It's too bad the dealers are such thieves on price, though.

Lately I have been making them from the vulcanized fiber paper they sell at Auto Zone. You can get enough paper to make three gaskets for $5. They work well, but are one-time use only.

I had my gasket off 3 times to check my valves and it didnt start leaking till the 3rd time I installed it again. Just stick with OEM and if you do have to do any valve checks or adjustments you can most likely reuse it without any problems.