Where/What Head Gasket to buy.. 78gl1000

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I'd recommend the Honda OEM gasket, some aftermarket gaskets aren't as good. Motogrid sells the Honda OEM gasket for $43.18 plus shipping so your local guy's price isn't all that bad.

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Z1.com sells an upper gasket kit for $61.00 and includes 2 head gaskets and all others needed for top-end

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boy did i get a shock yesterday. top end gasket set #061a1-mb9-s01 mother honda price $143.36 . also , fuel pump , $108.29 . things are getting a bit much! thats for sure.

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like the others, I would go OEM

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OEM is the best way to go But buget only allows what you can afford. Just Because you have a nice bike dont mean you got alot of money. I like to use OEM parts when I can,Much better parts and better fit. But the way cost is up its hard to pay bills and still have fun on a restricted buget. Bummer Bummer

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I use aftermarket parts when I can save some serious dollars but in the case of head gaskets there's been more than one forum member reporting problems with aftermarket head gaskets. Considering the amount of work needed to replace a head gasket I'd rather spend a few more bucks for a gasket that's less likely to fail.

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Thanks all, I will go OEM. I am curious however, is it possible for water to come out of headers and not be a head gasket or head problem? Just curious because my plugs are not clean at all, and when adding water to radiator it begins driping out of left header pipe within a few seconds at a pretty good rate.
Thanks for your replies!

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Did you over heat your engine?

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Yes, she did get hot almost to black.. Rut Row..

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Get your heads magnofluxed & planed or buy new ones from the bone yard. They are most likely warped!

See if there is a shop that can check your deck for warpage too!

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I've had good luck with athena gaskets.

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Hatchet, your not helping my attitude towards this problem.. lol... I was hoping to just put on the new gasket with permatex right stuff and hope for the best... I guess your saying that ain't gonna happen.. I guess worst case is it won't hold and i am right back here again.. was actually gonna try the straight edge with feeler gage and if less than .004 just put on gasket & sealer.. wish me luck.

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Make sure everything is very clean. Blow out your bolt holes after you spray wd 40 in them to get any grit out. Wire wheel your head bolts & use a very light coat of oil on the threads. Lubricate the underside of the bolt heads. all this will help you get an exact torque.

Once it has ran & come up to temp, re torque the heads within a few hundred miles.

i hope you get back on the road with no bad news!!!!

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Now were talkin HM.. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

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Update:
Just got the head off. It has what looks like a tiny leak going into one cylinder. Looks like it has been there for a while, long while.. slight surface rust, one valve has a bit of carbon buildup the others look pretty good. ( that is to me)lol.. which ain't worth much.. ) Anyway, HM you said clean it up good.. What do you use to clean it up? Should I try cleaning up that one exhaust valve a little? Remember these tools need to be cheap.. serious..

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I think the head is ok, get gasket kit and slap her back together.

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All that grunge on the head surface has to come off. It must look like just aluminum or you will have another leak. You can Gently scrape it with a razor or paint scraper but remember that aluminum is soft. Try not to scar it. You can use steel woll to scrub the little build ups as well. If you can get a valve spring compressor off a buddy, pull the valves out, Keep them in order so they go back in the same hole they came out of, replace your valve seals, (dirt cheap) & lap your valves. To test for a good valve seat, Hold the valve closed & pour some gas into the ports of the head. If gas comes through the valve area into the combustion chamber than your valves are not seating properly & you are losing compression.

You can buy a valve lapping tool & the compound at most auto part stores cheap as well.

Study the gasket before you put it on. If its backwards you will know as soon as it starts & you wont be impressed!!!

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Thanks Hatchet, great advice. Don't suppose you know the trick to getting that oil orifice outta the hole? I see one small oring that was around the corresponding tube on the case, however I understand there is another oring around the orifice itself? How about sanding the head a little with 220 grit?