Head gasket

Hey everyone. A while back I posted that I received an 83 Interceptor VF750F on a trade for an old truck I had. The bike looks beautiful after the previous owner's restoration. I took it to a pretty reputable shop that is not Honda affilliated to get it certified and it's been sitting there for roughly 3 weeks! After some communication errors on the shops part they decided to go ahead with the work. They said it needed fork seals, front brake switch, rear sprocket dampener and a head gasket I had pre-ordered tires for the bike from these guys too because the ones on it were pretty weather checked. I'm in Canada and was quoted $1100-1200 including labour and tires. I was told last week that the parts would be in early this week and I should have the bike back by the end of the week. I stopped by today and was told that everything but the headgasket was a go, the headgasket wouldn't be here until May 30th! Buddy then said that he'd check with the mechanic on whether it would pass with a bad gasket so that I could at least get the paperwork done and then bring the bike back to have the service done. What do you guys think? There's got to be a quicker way to get a headgasket right? I know parts a scarce but...?

 

Speaking from personal experience as I used to have an 84 Nighthawk, parts for 20+ year old bikes are either near impossible to find or outrageously expensive because Honda still has them new, but they're charging you for 20 years of storage. There is another thread here http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/29899-head-gasket.html dealing with an older bike and it's head gasket woes also. I wouldn't be suprised if the part is having to come from Japan and that's whats taking so long. Then again, they may not have actually found the gasket yet and they're hoping they can get one by May 30th through some searching and digging around. As the thread I linked you to mentions you can probably have one custom cut if you find someone in the area to do it, or if your shop will go that route. Good luck, oh, and :welcome:

 

Call up Cometic, they could probably fab one up for you.

 

This site(my favorite parts house for my 83) shows the gasket is still available. They also have very fast shipping, in the USA. Not sure about Canada. I doubt it would be any different. Check it out. You can call them and talk to a real person too. Nice people.

Honda Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki Sea-Doo Can-Am Ski-Doo Motorcycle Parts ATV parts Scooter Parts personal watercraft parts Accessories

 

Thanks guys! I actually went to another dealership today and asked about the gasket and they also phoned the warehouse and were told they were backordered and not in Canada until May 14th and then sent out from there so it likely would be the 30th by the time they arrived here. So thanks to GreyVF750F and SHS Powersports I was able to order the gasket, which will arrive at SHS on Friday and be delivered here by the end of next week! Thanks again!

 

Wow! That's awesome that things worked out so well for you! If only I could find the valves for my bike without spending $500.... lol

 

$500??? That's harsh man! Good luck.

 

BikeBandit.com is good too

 

That's great to hear. SHS has been spot on all the time for me and a few friends. Glad they could help you. Nice to know. Plus their prices are a little less than most I have found. Now get that bike on the road.