TOPIC:

I've taken on board that the Kawasaki head gasket is by far the best to fit, the only one I've found so far in the UK is nearly £100 . I will need other gaskets as well and a full aftermarket gasket set is also £100. Is there any alternative to spending £200 on gaskets before even turning a spanner...I'm hoping so.

Sadly? Not really. There are other gaskets out there, but nine I would trust apart from OEM. Vesrah is commonly quoted as a good aftermarket company, but I don't know of they carry a head gasket for the 1300. You're also risking another teardown and big money for another gasket of your aftermarket one fails.

I spent the money to have an OEM one shipped from overseas, and it's up to 500 miles with no issues. One thing to watch for is that the coolant passages need a touch of Yamabond to properly seal. The original gaskets had a bead of sealer, but in the 40 years since they made them much of it has deteriorated. A quick swipe of liquid sealer will solve this.

Not what you wanted to hear, I know, but the head gasket IS kind of important.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationThere is a complete gasket set on eBay right now for about $160 with free shipping to worldwide. It's TARIC brand. Made in Japan.

Only use orig Kwack head gasket. Expensive at £100 but only have to do the job once.

Ok thanks guys..proper parts at silly prices it is then, if I wanted cheap parts I woulnt have a 13

After completely rebuilding the engine on mine, you have NO idea how right you are...

Best of luck to you!