1980 KZ750 H1 LTD - Which Gasket Set?

So, I'm in the market for a gasket set. I see two reasonably priced options online:

www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1862

www.partsnmore.com/motorcycle-gasket_set...&category=gasket_set

(The second link will take some clicking to actually see the set.)

I see from some searching here that Z1 is well regarded so I was leaning towards their set but the PartsNMore set has 37 pieces to Z1's 26. Also, Z1's carb rebuild kits are $5.50 more expensive which adds up with 4 carbs.

Any input is appreciated.

I'm not sure about the number of pieces, but you could as Jeff at Z1 about it. That's the nice thing about Z1, you can actually talk to someone.

I've only ordered parts from partsnmore twice and the messed up one of the orders. They did fix it quickly, but it was still irritating when you want to get on the road. The reason I think Z1 is the way to go is that out of 5 orders I've done with them - 1) never messed up an order, 2) get the order out super fast, 3) easy to track the shipment.

My $0.02 is that it's worth the extra for that peace-of-mind.

I have not tried the kits that Z1 sells, but I recall I got my Athena gasket set from partsnmore for my rebuild. The fiber gaskets were poor quality. The cylinder base gasket failed and I had to tear it all the way down to the rods and rebuild it again, and it made me sick. The valve cover gasket was also brittle, dried out crap that tore. It's not the fault of partsnmore, they were just bad gaskets.

If you can see the head gaskets up close, make sure it isn't a cheap one made from paper. The good ones are fully metal sheets over a fibrous inner layer.

Without examining the gaskets up close, it's hard to say what's better. But the cheaper gaskets are usually cheaper for a reason.

As for carb rebuild kits: there are some with very few parts and some are more complete. The Keyster kits I got cost about $19 each but had every part you need. Some just have a few gaskets and brass parts. Again, unless you can actually compare them side by side, it's hard to know.... but cheaper usually means they are not as good.

For gasket sets, OEM or Vesrah.

Keep in ming that gasket sets do "not" include seals (crank, trans, etc).

del

steell wrote:

For gasket sets, OEM or Vesrah.

Keep in ming that gasket sets do "not" include seals (crank, trans, etc).

Some of them include valve guide seals.

Some of them just CLAIM to come complete with valve guide seals and then arrive without them.... (cough!....ATHENA....cough!)

"37 pc. complete top and bottom end engine overhaul gasket set including valve stem seals and all o rings. Fits Kawasaki KZ750 E1-E3 (80-82), KZ750 F1 (83) LTD, KZ750H1-H3 (80-82) LTD, KZ750 L3-L4 (83-84) Supersport, KZ750N1-N2 (82-83) Spectre, KZ750 R1 (82) GPZ, ZR750 C1-C2 (91-92) Zephyr, ZX750 A1-A3 (83-85) GPZ. Does not fit KZ750 twin models. Highest quality, made by European original equipment manufacturer supplier."

That's the picture and description of the PartsNMore gasket set. If I squint just right with my tongue sticking out of the side of my mouth, I can almost read "Athena" on the picture's background. I guess it's the Z1 set for sure.

Thanks for the input, guys!

Take a look at the gasket sets you can find on eBay, some say Athena, a few Vesrah, but a whole lot of them don't have a name on them

I wonder where the no name ones are coming from??