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Alright thanks, I'll will let the cover soak In a bucket of water and soften up the gasket a bit more. I've gouged the surface twice so far. I'm reading it's better to hold the razor perpendicular is that so?

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I did a full removal and engine from spilt crankcases on the 550. Not an expert but can give you some additional info.
This vid has the tensioner bits and final timing. More details earlier at my you tube channel.
Good luck, great bike.

R

rrsmsw9999 wrote: I did a full removal and engine from spilt crankcases on the 550. Not an expert but can give you some additional info.
This vid has the tensioner bits and final timing. More details earlier at my you tube channel.
Good luck, great bike.

R

I definitely appreciate it, I'll will check the video out, is your YouTube channel the same name as your username?

Is it perfectly fine for the cover to have dark spots from the old gasket? I believe I've taken off as much as I can in certain Areas,I would rather not gouge it much more.

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You tube channel is Ron Schmidt. Use a scotchbrite wheel and drill or similar suited dremmel attachment. It should be clean. For valve cover you don't have high oil pressure there but any uneven areas will leak from gravity and the sloshing oil from the valve train. Clean it well. Checkout vids especially if it hastocome apart in the future. Good luck. R

I'd stay away from the scraper. If you need abrasive I would use 800 grit wet sanding. Also I found acetone to work as well as any gasket remover. The scothbrite wheels work the best IMHO. R

Thanks for the advice, I used some sandpaper I had to do some final cleanup here is how it looked before and after. There are a few areas that have tiny dark dots but the entire surface feels smooth to the touch. also that is my mom's table I have that cover on...hopefully she does not find out haha.


The only area left that still has a some gasket on there is the mating surface on the engine side.

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A long as it's not damaged, that's plenty cleaned up for a new gasket to be used. Paint that sucka while its off. R

I don't leave any dark spots, so I'm not sure what happens if you do. Often, I polish the whole surface with some crocus cloth (like 800 or 1000 grit). But don't use anything coarser. I only use the paper or crocus cloth on clean aluminum to smooth it. It does no good at removing gasket since it clogs instantly, and is too fine anyway. Once it's all shiny, I use antiseize with a new gasket. Then it comes off like new every time after that, and I usually can reuse the same gasket many times. I do the same with the clutch cover gasket surface. As a matter of fact, the only shiny, polished parts of my motors are the ones you can't see.

I don't recommend the antiseize method if there are gouges, though. I find it works well on motors that have only been opened once, where the mating surface is still good. After it's been opened and scraped a few times, you will usually have to use sealer from then on.

When I use the blade, I use it the normal way, like a scraper, but I move slow with a light pressure, and with really stubborn bits, I use a slight sawing motion. With that I can shave the gasket down to the metal gradually, but don't shave any aluminum.

This is probably the first skill I learned as a kid, when I first started working on cars (with my dad).

Ahh really good advice loud hopefully one day I'll reach the level of mechanical and overall knowledge you guys have , its unfortunate that I've scrapped a few areas on the cover itself. I finally managed to find some time to clean up the valve mating surface on the bike itself. Its seems alright for a preliminary clean, don't know how much cleaner I can get it. A few questions before I proceed closing this up.
1. What is the specified torque for the cover bolts? 90 in/ibs was found on pg 124 of the 79-85 guide, is that value correct?
2. Since this a paper gasket it should be installed dry correct? Where should I use sealer if necessary
3. Is it alright to place the gasket on the head then put on the cover?
4.Should any gasket sealer be used on the surfaces for the four rubbers that goes in the corners of the head?

It really been a while since I've updated the thread on my progress, Valve cover is installed, tensioner needs to be installed. Been doing research on the carbs. They have been stripped down all four; 2/4 have soaked. My biggest concern at the moment though is finding the carb to air box ducts. I also need to get some replacement hex bolts for the carb covers, previous ones were a PITA to remove and stripped.

Is it possible to use some form of automotive hose as a substitute if I cannot find these hoses?

Check on ebay and online. They produce them in germany and Z1E and Zparts has em. R

Thanks, Seems Partzilla has the set, Probably run me 80 bucks...
Its unfortunate that Z1e has a set but its for earlier gen k550 thttps://www.z1enterprises.com/product/11015-057-K
I need to double check the eng to carb boots, any tips to put some life into them if they are in reasonable condition?