1975 Z1B cam cover gasket

I just got,from one of the well known supplier, a new cam cover gasket( blue in color).
Much cheaper that the OEM and seems to be of a good quality BUT,the gasket is much wider than the factory OEM (pink in color) and stick out between 1/16 and 1/8 all around the cover.
So, its' more of a cosmetic issue than a quality one but I simply don't understand why an aftermarket manufacturer can't copy the factory gasket correctly.
I mean, they use a die to cut gasket, why can't the do the die the right size?
Do you know any other aftermarket gasket that fit and look correct?
Thanks
luc

Made in Taiwan. Take a razor knife & trim it

I complained about this for years. I don't get it either except maybe copying a gasket and making it actually fit is somehow illegal. (copyright, patents ect)??? I know I've never seen an aftermarket that even came close to fitting without needing trim.

I got the same one(blue) so I just took a black (permanent)felt marker to the entire outer edge,after it was installed,and just cleaned the black off of the engine with laquer thinner...worked great!

The"illegal" part is interesting but i really doubt it, you have a bunch of aftermarkets parts, as filters (air,oil,etc) that are a perfect match for the OEM.
my guess is that either they don't care or there is a technical reason that make the cutting die more expensive for a narrower gasket of this thickness due to dimensional tolerances.

A few years back I went to the stealership and they wanted $60 for the gasket. I found a guy on ebay that was selling them for $8. I got one to see how good it was and it was great. I then picked up 5 from the same seller. They fit great and were just as thick as the factory ones. I just used my last one and of course the seller is gone.

well, I think the answer is a sloppy/careless manufacturer.
i bought 2 of the blue gaskets and on the spare and on 1 side, just where the cam plugs/chrome part of the cover are, the gasket is about 1/16 wider than the rest of the gasket.

I have gone to the parts store and bought cork gasket material and lay my cam cover on it and trace around it and then cut it out with a hobby knife. I have never had any trouble with leaks. I just have to check the bolts periodically as the cork compresses. Having to replace gaskets everytime you what to check the valves was a pain.

The extra material is to allow for "warping" of the long thin runs of material. The Athen gasket I got was so warped it was useless. Very brittle paper material, couldn't straighten it without cracking it.

BTW, I use the .032" rubberized fiber gasket material they sell at pep Boys for $5. Works great.

Cork can disintegrate at the edges and drop material into the engine (guess how I know).

Thanks for that. I will use the rubberized type the next as I have a roll of that as well.

Update:

The blue gasket turned dark blue from light blue due to the oil seeping through.
I also had to retorque the cover 3 times because the material used for the gasket is a lot "softer" than the factory gasket and consequently crush/compress too much after a couple of heat cycles.
The gasket was cheap (about $10), made cheaply and all together a waste of time and money.
I then ordered a gasket from American Classix, twice as expensive (about $20) and hoped for the best.
Shipping took about 4 days , not bad at all, and I was agreably surprised when I received it.
First, on the web site the gasket was black in the picture but the one that I received was almost the same pink ( a shade lighter) than the OEM and made in Japan.
The material used seems to be exactly the same than the OEM and both the stamping/ die cut and shape/size was very good.
I said very good and not perfect (compared to the $50 OEM)because I hade to slightly clean the edges to make it perfect.
I also ordered a set of 4 aluminum camp plugs ($40) nad they were the perfect size, no need for filing or "adjusting".
I used a little bit of black, hi-temp RTV on them and installed the cam plugs, gasket and torqued the cover to 100 inch/lbs and let everything set/dry for 24 hrs.( the only good thing about the "blue" gasket is that it did not stick at all to either the cover or the head and therefore removal was a breeze)
I then retorqued the cover, ( almost no lost of torque) and took the bike for a long ride.
Happy to say that everything is dry and not the slightest hint of oil seepage.

luc wrote:

The gasket was cheap (about $10), made cheaply and all together a waste of time and money.

They make a great pattern for cutting your own....