Genuine vs pattern gaskets and seals

Does anyone have any good/bad experience with pattern gasket sets?
I'm doing a top end rebuild on a Yam FZR1000EXUP and
a pattern set works out 30% cheaper than genuine - i.e. 40 UK
pounds saving,

Should I stick to genuine Yam - especially as I don't
want to strip it to change a head gasket or valve seals
due to penny pinching at this stage.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Absolutly! Don't skimp on the gasket set, go oem

 

I did a top-end job on a Kawasaki a little over a year ago, using a non-Kaw
gasket set. After about 1000 miles, in multiple areas around the valve cover
oil was weeping (showed mostly when fine dirt got on it). After the 1000
miles I did a valve check to see if any clearances had changed, but this
time I bought a genuine Kawasaki valve cover gasket.

I noticed on the genuine Kaw gasket there was extra gasket sealer
pre-deposited exactly at the points where oil had been weeping (indicating
Kaw designers are onto something). So far with the Kaw gasket the valve
cover is dry as a bone.

Of course, the single Kaw gasket cost almost half as much as the entire
non-Kaw set...

 

I've used pattern gaskets just about all my life (except for when I
couldn't find one: see the other posting). I've never, ever had a
problem.

The only other exception was with a Yamaha RD350 YPVS which had quite
sophisticated two-stage head gaskets, and I bought genuine for that (but
pattern for everything else).

IMHO you're much more likely to cause an oil leak by incorrect or
cack-handed assembly than by a faulty gasket.

If you can, examine the pattern and genuine kits side by side. Or... buy
a genuine head gasket and use pattern for everything else, if that still
works out cheaper.

 

My Haynes manual actually tells you to add the sealant to any gasket,
kawa or non-Kawa. And the last Kawa cam cover gasket I bought was dry
anyway.....

The gasket cost ukp20.01 - call it 35 bucks. For a single gasket.