blown head gasket

How long and how hard is it to replace a head gasket on a kz750E2?
The left side #1-#2 are leaking oil from the head, might be from the sitting so long, bad running and more sitting.

I just believe that the top end is in need of repair and I want to put all my time into the cop bike rebuild instead and just ride the 750 not work on it anymore.

It runs good at idle, but when i get on the throttle while riding it (under a load) boggs down and has no power. I just rejetted to 70 primary mains and 140 secondary mains, it ran great! now its sat again for a little less than a month (started a couple times here and there) but its back to no power again.

Rebuild the top end.

This is fun! While you're at it you can think about oversized cams, high comp. pistons, head shaving, porting/polishing, oversized valves, performance valve springs, etc.

If there's oil coming out of the head (not the valve cover?) gasket,I'd just take it apart and rebuild it.

It doesn't take that long. If you haven't done it before, pair up with someone who has to give you tips along the way... Fun levels increase dramatically when working with someone more experienced

so, after going out and starting it again today, i notice #4 isnt firing proper. I take out the plug and insert a new one and it fires now.
After starting the bike, I revved it up all the way and shut the key off W_O_T when i pulled the new plug out shortly after this a huge plume of smoke followed the plug and looked like a smoker being opened to turn the meat.

Cylinder was saturated with oil before i replaced bad plug with a good one.

Beatpoet wrote:

Rebuild the top end.

This is fun! While you're at it you can think about oversized cams, high comp. pistons, head shaving, porting/polishing, oversized valves, performance valve springs, etc.

If there's oil coming out of the head (not the valve cover?) gasket,I'd just take it apart and rebuild it.

It doesn't take that long. If you haven't done it before, pair up with someone who has to give you tips along the way... Fun levels increase dramatically when working with someone more experienced

I really dont want to rebuild it quite yet, I want to repair the COP bike first so i atleast have two wheels to play on while the other one is down.

Now upon donning a helmet and goosing it down the street here, first gear nearly throws me off the back again, second nearly lifts the front wheel again.
All back to normal, I guess i need to stop idling it here and there and just RUN it WOT down the road a few times to warm it up and cycle the old fuel out of carbs.

The plugs are getting carbon fouled fast, faster now that i rejetted to 70/130 mains. 2 turns out on the adjusters.

well. i took it out on a quick 30 minle ride. First hit the freeway to run it real good, its alot more torky with the different jets in it, used to take all it had to hit 80, today i did it without knowing it and really fast!

Doing 60, threw it down a couple gears to get way ahead of the cages and twisted the gas. looked down and the needle was pegged at 85. I quickly got off it as i was not in a good spot to be doing that.

However i slowed to 65 and then proceeded to take the next exit to another highway and went two more exits (5 miles) to Green Valley road.
Stopped at the meat store for a Coke and looked the bike over again, all seemed fine except all the goo seeping out my head gasket.
Wiped it off and headed home.
when i got home i snapped this photo with my phone of the head gasket area on #1.


Heres the bike all by its lonesome at the store. Yes, i set my hemet there it didnt fall off.

With the history reported, I would also check for possibility of liquid black goo weeping past the exhaust gasket and blowing everywhere else from there.

Patton wrote:

With the history reported, I would also check for possibility of liquid black goo weeping past the exhaust gasket and blowing everywhere else from there.

Holy crap i forgot!
I only have one compression sleeve on the #1!
That (i hope) is it.

Thanks for reminding me.

ran429 wrote:

so, after going out and starting it again today, i notice #4 isnt firing proper. I take out the plug and insert a new one and it fires now.
After starting the bike, I revved it up all the way and shut the key off W_O_T when i pulled the new plug out shortly after this a huge plume of smoke followed the plug and looked like a smoker being opened to turn the meat.

Cylinder was saturated with oil before i replaced bad plug with a good one.

I'll bet your valve seals are hosed.

It could also be blowing by the rings, but if the rings are bad you should see blue smoke when you accelerate hard.

If it's leaking under the head on the side of the jugs like your picture shows, it may not be the gasket, but the rubber o-rings in the oil galley between the head and the jugs.
My B1 sat for a long time and leaked a little from there, but stopped once I started riding it most of the time.

Just wipe it off and ride it like you stole it.

Have you tried to retorque the head, maybe just a quicl sung up will stop the problem

As said above, I bet you need new valve stem seals. When is the last time they were replaced, if ever? I don't understand the point of running the engine wide open then shutting off the switch? All that does is suck gas into the cylinders and washes the oil off the cylinders so the rings make metal to metal contact.....chris3