Do KZs from the late 70s have asbestos gaskets?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :woohoo:

Update: cleaning the mating surfaces from this 40 years old gasket residue really kicked my ass! It took me probably 3 hours and I hated every moment of it. I tried permatex gasket remover and it was completely useless. Carb cleaner, brake cleaner, and WD40 helped a little but nothing seemed effective in melting the gasket and the gunk down. If you have products that are known to work please let me know so that next time I'll have to do this I won't work as hard.

The old style Permatex gasket remover spray worked okay. It still required several applications with dwell time to allow it to work, but it did help soften the gasket some. The new "low VOC" formula is pure junk though. Some people say heavy duty paint stripper works okay. I've tried it but didn't wait long enough to pass judgement. Sadly, that's all I got in terms of suggestions. Those old gaskets can really petrify themselves and are a bitch to remove.

Nessism wrote: The old style Permatex gasket remover spray worked okay. It still required several applications with dwell time to allow it to work, but it did help soften the gasket some. The new "low VOC" formula is pure junk though. Some people say heavy duty paint stripper works okay. I've tried it but didn't wait long enough to pass judgement. Sadly, that's all I got in terms of suggestions. Those old gaskets can really petrify themselves and are a bitch to remove.

"Petrify" is the right word! I used a stainless bristle brush with my rotary tool. From the looks of it, I believe that the grit was fine enough and the surface is nice and smooth now. I was scared to use it but it wasn't too aggressive at all.

I use sharp ( Sharp) single edge razor blades and a fine sharpening stone to flatten the area around the screw holes that mushroom up a bit .

I use a piece of copper sheet (not brass) or polycarbonate sheet as a scraper. Stiff enough to remove petrified gasket material but almost no chance of scratching the aluminum or embedding dissimilar metal into it.

Plastic putty knives are available at nearly any hardware store. I would not expect them to scar aluminum, but they are pretty stiff, so they should remove stubborn gaskets if the gaskets have been soaked with gasket remover. Ed

You guys suggesting a plastic scraper must have never removed a petrified base gasket.:blink:

Nessism wrote: You guys suggesting a plastic scraper must have never removed a petrified base gasket.:blink:

I bought a gasket scraper and plastic razor blades. They don't work for me. Gasket removal is by far the most hated task for me on these bikes. I've spent 6 to 8 hours getting the base cylinder gaskets and cam cover/head gaskets cleaned off properly. This destroys my ability to use my hands for the next 48 hours. This last time I had time to let chemicals do more of the work since I can't ride in the winter. I applied CRC gasket remover, let it soak for 30 mins or so, scrape, remove repeat. Still tedious as all get out but it worked with far less damage to my hands. The last two bikes I've opened up this year have a very thin layer of black gasket seal as well. Wicked stuff to remove without hosing up the delicate aluminum surfaces.
I've considered having them hot tanked in an aluminum friendly chemical mixture, but haven't gotten off my butt to find out who could do it and if it would be effective. Just an evil task.

PS - CRC gasket remover isn't sitting on the shelf at the auto parts store. You have to ask for it as they keep it behind the counter due to the harsh nature of the chemicals.

Nessism wrote: No disrespect guys but it takes long term exposure to high quantities of asbestos to cause health effects.

I had an old girl friend that died in her twenty's of asbestos poisoning from dust in her basement apartment.

I think in most cases you are right, back in the 70's I was doing a lot of remodeling that involved asbestos siding work and 8" floor tile removal.
We never wet it down or wore respirators and I'm still here.
I worry a lot about what in my lungs these days, that stuff doesn't come out, emphysema is one of the worst ways to go, it takes years of progressive suffocation before it finally kills you.
I watched my father in law die from it, NO THANKS

I'm still doing carpentry and work around a lot of dust, especially in the Winter when the houses are closed up, it really gets to me.

These days I wear a good mask and hearing protection, but my ears are trashed anyway.
Still haven't learned my lesson about chemical ex poser though.

Nah, I've removed several (not dozens or hundreds) of very old gaskets. I'm specifically talking about polycarbonate, not acrylic so I'm not talking about a plastic paint stirrer or something like that. Anyhow, the copper works better of course so i prefer that, but if you've got a chunk of Lexan sheet laying around why not try sharpening up the edge and give it a shot?

Shhh...MEK