what to do??

well my bike is leaking oil from the front so I think its a head gasket. the problem is that it was my primary transportation so now I have to fix my pickup so it will smog.
I don't have the funds for both.and the way the economy is going I will be laidoff this winter so saving it and rebuilding it this winter is not an option. no funds and I will probibly have to go out of state to get a job (I drive truck and local work is real slow in the winter so I will go "over the road")
I'm tempted to part it out online but don't want to be stuck with a carcas that has parts that are un-needed.
I'm in the bike over 2k. its been an expensive education. I have it on craigslist but haven't gotten and bites.I don't know what to do..

clean the motor up really good first before condemming it.if it still runs good it could just be a valve cover gasket or tach drive,if all else fails try retorquing the head

I forgot to mention that there is oil in the right side pipes

could be leaking down from valve cover and working its way around exhuast flange,run compression test on it if your convinced its a head gasket.i start with simple stuff 1st though

you think it could be the rings. thats the suggestion I got from a co worker.
got a quote of 1000 - 1200 to rebuild the motor.
what if I bought a set of 1075 jugs and pistons, did a valve job have wiredgeorge do the carbs. simple plan..
do able????

a upper half gasket set can be had for under $100.
clean it like plummen suggested and find the leak first before you make any rash decisions like parting her out.

Whoa! Slow down a minute, Jim. You're halfway to the moon and haven't even fueled the rocket yet!

Identify the source of the leak. With oil a small leak--barely a pin hole--can create quite a mess. Take some pics and share them with the folks here.

Do a compression test as suggested. What do the spark plugs look like.

I think I'll move this to the Engine forum where the technically inclined folk will see it.

I have to agree with everyone here on this Jim where notch it down for if you have no funds, rebuilding the motor, pistons, bore, valve job, carb rebuild for an oil leak isn't a cheap option.

For all this work, probably add another $1500 plus (piston kit alone is $500 then add $80 bore/hone per cylinder hole, pending your heads condition valve parts $270 plus labor $250, carb re-build $300 at which point it becomes harder to sell unless in immaculate condition for you now have $4k invested.

Sure, it would run real nice and most of us are doing just that but not our main transport and we are spending the cash.... This crap ain't cheap, expensive hobby.

Some questions to ask yourself and in troubleshooting your problem.

Find the source of the leak... If blown or worn gasket/s, then replace top/lower/valve gaskets as Steve mentioned. Hell, I purchased my bike (every friggin gasket on the bike) complete gasket set for $80...

Was the bike blowing smoke prior to the oil leak?

Where you hearing a pinging sound such as broken rings prior to the oil leak?

Did you have good acceleration prior to the oil leak?

What do the spark plugs look like, burnt, oily, melted etc...?

As Nate mentioned, what's the compression testing inform you?

Are your cylinder/head bolts tightened to spec?
And tightened in correct order...

As Plummen replied, is the exhaust bolts tightened to spec?

All in all, with some troubleshooting, 1 days time and some gaskets, you can most probably fix your leak for under $100...

OMR

49.68 from Z1E

my main thing is that I know I will get layed off this winter and possibly not be called back (down sizing) . I don't wanna get into a project and not have the money to fix it nor the time.
like I said earlier I drive truck so there is a good chance that I will have to go drive coast to coast. got 1.65 million miles of doing that for 15 years and its a hard place in the winter. ya can't stop because you get paid by the mile and 2 weeks of 35mph because of snow and ice sucks.. but enough boo hoo..
then as stated there is a point where ya gotta put the fork in and call it done. I'm in this free bike over 2k. I would love to be able to put 1500 in it and have the bike I want to ride for years to come. the best I can do now is try all the suggestions that have been submitted and hope to make it so I can sell it. I will be building another kz. this has been a really sweet bike and since I hate to be part of the herd , I will be sticking to kz's an be unique. will keep all advised of the outcome..
I do want to thank everyone for their advice. this is why I like this forum so much. good people helping each other out

jim_palmore wrote:

I forgot to mention that there is oil in the right side pipes

That's where a leaky tach drive dumps the oil.

jim_palmore wrote:

you think it could be the rings. thats the suggestion I got from a co worker.

Unless the bike has 50k miles or was abused, I doubt it. Ring wear doesn't cause oil leaks, they reduce compression and cause oil smoke under acceleration. Get a compression gauge and check before making decisions.

jim_palmore wrote:

got a quote of 1000 - 1200 to rebuild the motor.

That's actually a decent price if it includes parts and labor.

jim_palmore wrote:

what if I bought a set of 1075 jugs and pistons, did a valve job have wiredgeorge do the carbs. simple plan..
do able????

Unless there is significant cylinder wear, you might be able to simply do a cylinder hone to deglaze and install new rings. Do a head job and you should be good to go for maybe 40 - 50k more miles.