OK. I know this has been discussed but please give me your opinions based on experience.
I'm going to sell the 14 soon. Doctor says I can start doing things like working on a bike in a couple more weeks.
It apparently started leaking a few months ago. Right now I haven't even wiped the leak down. I start the bike every 5 days or so for about 6-7 minutes. During that time it usually leaks a single drop on the ground. I will tell the buyer about the leak but I worry the leak could be a deal breaker. I think the leak would slow down a LOT if the bike was ridden regularly. I saw nothing that would drip on the ground during my Death Valley trip. So sitting in the garage stone cold allows the surfaces to contract and leak more when you warm it up. But you could imagine the buyer might think the leak is worse than I say.
I don't really want to replace the gasket unless I have to. I'll have the fairings off anyway to replace them.
Is that rubber heat shield hard to get off? Can I remove whatever is necessary with just basic tools?
Have any of you simply re-torqued the cover bolts to stop a leak? If that doesn't work, I read before that I can get 6 "M10" washers and that might work? I'd change one bolt at a time and re-torque to factory spec's?

If all that fails I'll have to replace the gasket but is that Kawasaki sealant (around $60) really necessary? It's only used on those rubber half-moons I believe?
Any experience appreciated.

You need to remove the covers. Yes, just use the tool kit for any kind of removal. Find that leak.

Scenario 1: Oh man! I don't know about a leak. I came to buy a bike like a car. Gas in it and go. I'm no mechanic so if you don't know, I don't know? I know I'm walking... Good luck selling it.

Scenario 2: Oh man, that looks like a bad leak (cough-couch) you don't know, [I do] but I'm not telling you... Would you take less? Like much less, here I am the real deal.

Scenario 3: Oh man, that hub told me to hold my ankles and:

1. Give S-1 a cut in the price, go fix it, I'm selling it.
2. Tell S-2 that is too deep a cut in price, we know it won't take much to fix, here is my counter.
3. First lets see what or how deep the problem is? Next, you have to be committed like Rook. Once you get involved with it, there is no turning back or it's now a basket case, (((not running))) and now where are you?
a. Fix it for the premium price ~ Loophole the leak by buying kawibond/hondabond/yamabond/ so you dry the oil, dab the bond on the old gasket [IF] it is at the 1/2 moon cam line bore U. That bond will fill that shrink, etc.
b. Sell as is. Explain the leak. Explain you're physical problem does not warrant your health to attempt a pretty involved leak.

C. C seen your j-peg first... If that is just the bolt washer fix... Here they come... LOOK out for Grn!

* Last updated by: Hub on 1/19/2012 @ 12:45 PM *

KAK you do not have to remove the rubber cover just lift it and take one bolt out at a time and put 2 washers under each and do not re-torque to spec just watch the gasket as you tighten you will see it start to get squeezed ¼ turn and on to the next one I only did the ones on the clutch side and left the other one’s stock!

COOTER, let me make sure here.
You say to tighten each bolt until you see the gasket START squeezing and then 1/4 more turn and stop?
Also, why TWO washers for each bolt? I don't mean to question someone offering help but the second washer makes no sense to me. It leaves you with even less bolt thread too.
I appreciate all the replies. I don't like most of those scenarios Hub.

I don't know? Maybe the two washer deal is stretching it, meaning, the pulling of the threads out.
We are now down to the thickness of the washer. The shoulder is stopped at the head, basically. The shoulder of the bolt is needed to sit at the bottom of the cam tower for the better lock and that too will tear out thread you do not get the hang of a 6mm needing not to much torque before the thread is either torn out or you no longer can spin it by hand. This says both the thread bolt and tower threads are stretched.

Here are the scenarios:

Shoulder cannot crush the gasket down, the gasket is too thin...(wink0wink weight loss). Maybe we now revise the gasket to a thicker rise? Stop the leak with more meat to squeeze down on?

See the bolt sink into the special sealing washer with the rubber grommet, we remove the washer? You now lay that washer over the grommet, you raise the bolt's shoulder is what you want to do or what is happening with the washer. However, you raise the tensile strength on a few threads to squeeze down that leak. That leak will turn into teardrops you tear the threads out. See how less thread the more washer?

Now that I look at it, the waSHEER to gasket is off? No, the threads ride too high into the gasket. Either way, you see the shoulder is losing thread is the point here. I would first try a thin washer to the one leaking area of that top bolt. You want to simply raise the shoulder to squeeze more rubber down. That says:

I still bottom out to the shoulder or if I feel sheering there of?????? TOO LATE! So, try not to bottom the shoulder back down. That, is the tearing out. This comes down to, finessing the windup before sheer. You can't use a torque wrench. This is hand feel, no bottoming out = Never Bottom out or sheer asshit... Need I say more.

* Last updated by: Hub on 1/20/2012 @ 1:44 PM *

THANKS

* Last updated by: omar on 1/20/2012 @ 3:32 PM *

OMAR!!!!!Bad poster,bad poster! That white skin is telling me///'middle easterner'.... Okay...Turkey maybe?Russia?How 'bout.....Slovakia?Whatever... Don't mind me....I'm a nut job.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/20/2012 @ 4:21 PM *

GRN, GAS'd!

No muzzy act like that. He's a goat choker. Goat behind one and has a goat of a time. KAK... Must be the flu going around...

You can try using just one washer I used 2 because I did not feel that the one gave enough squeeze but you want to do it by feel so you don’t damage the threads or valve cover and the washers I used were thin ones I just picked up from lows not the M10 or whatever everyone ells is using so that maybe why I had to use 2 sorry for the confusion.

Look at my tutorial in How-Tos.

Cooter, no confusion. Thanks for the reply.
It's just that there seems to be different methods to fix this. I did search and the more I read the more I'm not sure what to try. Use two washers and it seems you may pull out threads. Use one and it's sometimes not enough. Do ALL 6. Do ONLY the left side. AAAHHHHH! How the hell does Kaw' turn such a simple thing into this baloney? Like older bikes, you take a cover and hold it down with lots of bolts. Just hard to believe really. So-called engineers and designers come up with this stuff and release it not knowing how it performs?
Well, I'm going to try the one washer method on both front and rear left side first and test. I haven't found discussion about the actual thickness of these washers...just that some are thicker than others. Sure can't go by that. I guess I'll check the M10 SS and compare them to the typical 3/8" zinc plated and I'm thinking the zinc will be thicker(?) If so then one zinc plated washer seems a good choice. Less thread loss and just a little more crush than a SS washer.
Thanks again for the help everyone.

What's with the finger? Havin' a bad day?

I haven't found discussion about the actual thickness of these washers...just that some are thicker than others. Sure can't go by that. I guess I'll check the M10 SS and compare them to the typical 3/8" zinc plated and I'm thinking the zinc will be thicker(?) If so then one zinc plated washer seems a good choice. Less thread loss and just a little more crush than a SS washer.

It's a shame people want to struggle through every step of this after it has been written in detail with copious photos.

oh well good thing I will always be able to look back and know what the hell I did. The 3 kinds of washers are also discussed in my Tutorial, Head Cover Gasket Leak Fix. How Tos Section, right there on the current page. Easy.

KAK,
The right way is to replace the gasket(s). The washer way is to use only the one bolt area [that is at that weak area] of the squeeze. It's possible to break the seal and create a sweat or worse, a leak chasing other sealing washers. That too, may cause more thread tears you start messing with hole after hole... Find the one and use any washer just enough to raise the bolt stop high enough to crush down more rubber. It's really not rocket science. Just a lot of desquidding.

Squids washer up. Pro's gasket up. The sale looks less amateurepair.

Rook, I saw your tutorial and will use it when I fix the leak. But you even said the leak was only reduced at that time and not fixed. Seems everyone has tried the same method and had varying results. What works for one doesn't work for another. So naturally I'm not sure what to try so I'll just take my chances with one washer for now, test, and go from there. It really is a shame that us owners have to solve this riddle and Kaw' can't make a positive cure known.
I appreciate the time you took to make that tutorial and everyone else for their help too.

Thanks KAK, hope it helps. You're right, there are a few different approaches and mine was NOT fixed 100%.

You might need to take a couple tries at this before you make it stop. Just puuting the washers in is a logical first try. If that doesn't do it, you get new rubber parts and torque it. Use some liquid gasket and pop the washers back in there if you need to. If that doesn't do it? I give up.