Gasket Kit Price

Could there be 2 versions? Like one without guide seals and such?

Both have the exact same Athena stock number. I think it's just mark-up as I found a couple other places that sell them for $42. Mikesxs $72 kit states that it doesn't include the valve guide seals.
My Tsubaki cam chain from boats.net was $38 with the link, Mikesxs and other places that are 650 specific are $50 for the chain and $5 more for the link.

EDIT: MiKes kit does have the valve stem seals. The Athena kit comes with them.
 
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wow - good to know. Great info littlebill - please keep it coming!

Pete
 
Yamaha spec head gasket thickness: .047". Vesrah head gasket thickness: .047". Athena head gasket thickness: .060". I made the mistake of buying one Athena kit years ago and will never use the head gasket. It's yours for the asking, but you'll have to show up at the Yamaha 650 Society Ozarks Rally, Mountain View, AR in April or the Land Between the Lakes Rally, Murray, KY in May. First guy to show up and ask for it gets the gasket.
 
Yeah! I gotta get me some of that! I have the motor for "The Basketcase" all apart (top end) for an inspection/maintenance overhaul, with the intention of replacing all gaskets, seals, and hardware (to make it pretty :laugh: ). It had a lot of "ooze" to it, so I want it buttoned up nice & tight. Bulletins when they happen.....
 
Yamaha spec head gasket thickness: .047". Vesrah head gasket thickness: .047". Athena head gasket thickness: .060". I made the mistake of buying one Athena kit years ago and will never use the head gasket. It's yours for the asking, but you'll have to show up at the Yamaha 650 Society Ozarks Rally, Mountain View, AR in April or the Land Between the Lakes Rally, Murray, KY in May. First guy to show up and ask for it gets the gasket.
Perfect for an XSJohn Deere Special lower the compression, retard the timing and in the spring you can plow with it!
 
Perfect for an XSJohn Deere Special lower the compression, retard the timing and in the spring you can plow with it!

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Yamaha spec head gasket thickness: .047". Vesrah head gasket thickness: .047". Athena head gasket thickness: .060"...

Perfect for an XSJohn Deere Special lower the compression, retard the timing and in the spring you can plow with it!

Just a trivial FYI.
Going from a 0.047" head gasket thickness to a 0.060" thickness will lower the compression ratio by about 2 points. Ex: from an 8.5:1 ratio to about 8.3:1.

Reference:
http://www.xs650.com/threads/when-to-rebuilt-engine.46862/#post-469408
 
Do some gaskets break very easy when bent?

I have a old looking gaskets kit and just from handling it icracked one in half. Is this normal?
 
It makes that much of a difference on gaskets? Wow, I love this site! Good to know.
I thought as long as it doesn't leak, it's doing it's job. Will the thickness of Athena gaskets affect the other areas too?
 
Would lower compression mean it'll run better with today's lower octane rated gasoline? Even today's "high" octane ethanol-free gas is only 90-91 octane. Forty-five years ago, high-test would've been significantly higher and contained methyl-ethyl lead (for anti-knock properties). :umm: Racing fuel is both hard to find, and very expensive when you do (around here, anyways)... :shrug:
 
Honestly, I didn't notice much difference when I rebuilt mine with an Athena head gasket. It definitely didn't perform worse, but new rings, a valve job, and some port work probably made up for any loss the thicker gasket may have given. I plan on using a stock thickness head gasket next time so it will be interesting to see if there's much difference.

I don't know if any of the other gaskets in the Athena kit are thicker than stock, and I had no issues with them. Other than the color, I've been quite pleased with them.
 
Has anyone ever measured the thickness of the gaskets after they have been torqued down? Might be interesting to check used ones and see what the Athena compresses down to after being installed. We are dealing with composite gaskets not steel shims.
 
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