KZ750 headgasket leak

I bought a'80KZ750 that sat for a few years. It had oil on the front of the cylinders that I thought was from the leaking forks.After the usual carb rebuild, etc.,it runs fine except for the oil running down the front of the cylinders from the head gasket. I read in one of the previous posts that there are oil passages to the head & that O ring seals on these areas tend to leak. Can someone fill me in on what to do when replacing the head gasket so that I don't have to do it twice?I've worked on cycle engines before but this is my first Kawasaki. Also, what are the torque specs for the head & valve cover bolts? Any pattern for tightening or just start at the center & work to the ends? What is best,remove the camshafts or open the cam chain? Thanks for any advice.

Is this a 750 twin? If so, they do seep oil at the front edge of the head gasket. I have never been able to get mine to seal completely tight. The factory head gasket seeped, the first rebuild did, and so did the second. There is a 10mm bolt going upward into the head front you need to fully torque to 100 inch-pounds to try to seal the front edge. The rear edge has two 10mm bolts as well.

There is a specific tightening sequence for the head bolts shown in the manual. You also need to retorque it after running when installing a new gasket.

I'm sorry, I should have said that it is a 4 cylinder engine.Anyone with this problem please tell me about your cure. Thanks

Hav'nt had this problem but you can find a copy of the Bible (aka shop manual) here www.mbsween.com/kz750l3/index.html thanks to mbsween who is a member here.

The manual will show you how to remove the head etc and the torque specs and pattern for tightening the head bolts down again down.

Excuse me if this is a dumb question on my part but but is it possible that the leak is from the tach cable and not the head gasket? This is a common affliction with these bikes and easily mistaken for a gasket leak and also very easily fixed.

JR wrote:

...possible that the leak is from the tach cable and not the head gasket? This is a common affliction with these bikes and easily mistaken for a gasket leak and also very easily fixed.

Ditto to JR's suggestion.

Would clean engine, allow to dry, spray suspected areas with foot powder (optional), start engine and let it idle while closely inspecting for oil seepage. Use a flashlight.

Also check valve cover gasket, half-moon cam plugs, and for loose exhaust clamps.

Good Luck!