Rebuilt Top End and Now Leaks!

[katoom Dave]

17-04-14 Sorted now by turning non-OEM gasget 'Up' side down......guessing my other reply comment will pop up some time soon......

Evening all, first post looking for some forum wisdom....

I have just bought a KR1S and as a precaution took the top end off for inspection and put in new wossner pistons and bearings.

When dismantling the head from the barrels it took alot of strength to 'break out' the head bolts (I wanted to inspect power valve condition - one was sticking).

I put the head back on the barrels with new head gasket (identical to previous gasket) and found that I could only tighten the head bolts finger - tight before the powervalves started binding up and getting hard to rotate. I tightened the bolts up a little bit more and fired the bike up with some sort of hope that a bit of heat would help things settle back in.......however coolant was pretty much running out between the head and cylinder (gasket).

Totally puzzled. I tightened the head even more to try and stem the coolant leakage but obviously the powervalves are now solid and wont budge!

Does anyone know whats going on? I bought the gasket set with the pistons from PJ i think it was. They are installed with the 'UP' side upward. Aside from that I cant figure how to get the head on tight enough without binding up the powervalves???

If anyone can figure out a workaround for this I will be really really happy.

Many thanks,
Dave

[katoom Dave]

Now sorted........The non OEM gasket sold by PJ are pressed incorrectly I guess so have to be installed 'UP' side label down. Compared it to OEM gasket where the gasket is pressed the opposite way at the powervalve openings.

Now flushed all the Castrol R40 out from previous owner and she is running alot better on Castrol Power 1

[Llewe]

Hi katoom Dave and to all on this site,

I am new here and this is my first post. Recently I purchased a KR1S for a couple of hundred quid which had been left in a damp shed for several years. I committed the cardinal sin of buying a non runner and knowing the guy I bought it off was (although a nice guy) a "bit of a potcher" and did not know what he had done to it, but I thought for what I am paying for it I could sell it for parts if all goes t*ts up.

This is to be my first restoration project and I am not putting a time scale or fixed budget on it, I have a lot to learn about these bikes and will no doubt be asking for help at some point from members on this site.

There was a very poor spark and I tracked this down to a corroded connector and wiring in and near the fuse box, there was a broken kips valve and the linkage was shot which I replaced, the right hand side crankcase was pouring out oil so I fitted a new gasket, I cleaned the carbs out put fresh fuel in and a new battery and was amazed when it fired up first kick!

I can see the post I am replying to is a year old and I dare say Katoom Dave resolved his issue a long time ago, but when I replaced my broken kips valve I had the same issue with the valves tightening as the head is screwed down, and after much head scratching I pinned it down to the patterned head gasket I fitted, it seems the one I put on the bike has depressions where the kips are and after checking the original it does not, so I used a socket to gently tap the gasket back slightly, this worked, but I shall be replacing it with a genuine gasket before too long.

At the moment I am refurbishing the brake calipers and had one hell of a job getting the seized pistons out, but making steady progress.

Thanks
Llewe