TOPIC:

This is my first post. I hope I don't come off looking too helpless, but I have several questions.

1. I just synced my carbs (the adjustments were unusual but they are balanced well) and the bike idles beautifully. Unfortunately I have a noise from the top end, I was thinking valve clearance issues but only the left intake was out and by only .05 mm (.002"). Is that enough to create an easily audible noise?

2. I bought the bike 3 years ago and decided to do a top end job on it, and now it seems like the gasket kit that I used was not worth it. They were a sort of "construction papery" material, not at all like the OEM plasticy/metal gaskets, and now I've got several leaks. Can anyone suggest a good source for a valve cover gasket, or should I have used some kind of gasket prep?

3. This is probably the worst of my problems. When I put the bike in gear and release the clutch, I can hear a noise coming from the crankcase. It seems to affect the performance and I have had problems recently with the bike getting very jerky, lose engine power, and eventually cut off on me. I know this could be a compound problem, but am I safe to assume that I'm having problems with my clutch hub/ plates? I'm running 10W-40 Amsoil if that matters any.

I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks, I can't wait to get her back on the road.

Ridejohnnyride wrote: This is my first post. I hope I don't come off looking too helpless, but I have several questions.

1. I just synced my carbs (the adjustments were unusual but they are balanced well) and the bike idles beautifully. Unfortunately I have a noise from the top end, I was thinking valve clearance issues but only the left intake was out and by only .05 mm (.002"). Is that enough to create an easily audible noise?

2. I bought the bike 3 years ago and decided to do a top end job on it, and now it seems like the gasket kit that I used was not worth it. They were a sort of "construction papery" material, not at all like the OEM plasticy/metal gaskets, and now I've got several leaks. Can anyone suggest a good source for a valve cover gasket, or should I have used some kind of gasket prep?

I know this could be a compound problem, but am I safe to assume that I'm having problems with my clutch hub/ plates? I'm running 10W-40 Amsoil if that matters any.

I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks, I can't wait to get her back on the road.

I ride a 1979 KZ750B.

1) I was thinking valve clearance issues but only the left intake was out and by only .05 mm (.002"). Is that enough to create an easily audible noise?

What noise? Maybe a click or tick if the valve clearance is too loose, but what's the actual clearance? The original spec on the 750 twins was .002 - .004" but many places say they opened it up to .002" - .006". I run mine in the .003" - .005" range and do not have any unusual noises.

2. I bought the bike 3 years ago and decided to do a top end job on it, and now it seems like the gasket kit that I used was not worth it. They were a sort of "construction papery" material, not at all like the OEM plasticy/metal gaskets, and now I've got several leaks. Can anyone suggest a good source for a valve cover gasket, or should I have used some kind of gasket prep?

The Athena set I used was not very good, I hear Vesrah is better (?), I had several gaskets fail almost immediately. The 750 twins always seep a little oil at the front of the head gasket but the valve cover should not leak. Are the cam end plugs sealing well? That's usually the problem.

3. This is probably the worst of my problems. When I put the bike in gear and release the clutch, I can hear a noise coming from the crankcase. It seems to affect the performance and I have had problems recently with the bike getting very jerky, lose engine power, and eventually cut off on me.

No idea what to suggest because I don't know what the noise sounds like.

Most the time ticking sound is exhaust leaks where the pipes seal to the head. Gaskets that were installed there were probably the same quality as your others unfortunately.

Good way to tell if it's an exhaust leak: if you open the throttle, it gets proportionately louder. Valve clicks don't.

Thanks for all the pointers, I'll be looking out for a Vesrah gasket on eBay to replace my Athena one. Sorry for not describing the noises. The one up top sounds like a knock, like 2x4s being tapped against there edges. I'm not inclined to think it is a valve seat issue because I've got good compression. The lower noise, like I said, is only apparent under load and it's somewhat difficult to explain. I'll try to take a short video today to display the two noises. I tried using a piece of pipe like a stethoscope, but it's hard to pinpoint.

So here is a clip of the bike running. The noise is most apparent when the RPMs are low, in the 1 - 1.5k range.


Not long after the video ends, the bike cut off and wouldn't restart. I started checking through the ignition system and found that the points are fouled.



Any chance that the noise and the points are related? I've already ordered new points, capacitor/condenser, and valve shim from Z1 and a Vesrah valve cover gasket I found on eBay.