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wdnavion · 07-19-2009, 02:29 PM

Hi All,
Just joined the forum yesterday and updated some info about cylinder head gasket replacement.
I have been riding my little 2002 GZ since I bought it new in 2003. It now has almost 26,000 miles on it. I really enjoy the smooth counterbalanced engine after riding some "English Thumpers" back in the 1960's. I have taken it on a few multi-hundred mile trips across Ohio but I mostly end up staying within 100 miles of home. The economy has been phenomenal with tank fill-ups usually running anywhere from the low 70 mpg up to the mid 90 mpg range. Even got 98 mpg on a leisurely back road trip of 200 miles a couple of years ago. Reliability has been generally excellent. The fuel strainer in the gas tank came apart and left me OOG with no reserve but luckily I was within pushing distance of a gas station. I was able to repair it a few days later. I got 14,000 miles out of the rear tire and the front brake pads are good for about 14,000 miles in my riding profile. I was able to eke out 24,000 miles on the chain and sprockets and had to resurface the front disk at 25,000 miles when I replaced the front tire. I change the oil around 1000 to 1200 miles and it is as clean as new inside. I did have to replace the head gasket at 25,700 miles and in the process installed a M6 threaded insert "helicoil" in the front of the cylinder head. The chat and pix are posted elsewhere on this forum. I love my little GZ for the kind of riding I do in Ohio. If I lived out west, I might want something a little bigger and heavier but it suits my needs for fun and economy and I hope to put a lot more miles on it!
Here are some pix with my grandson...

07-19-2009, 02:29 PM	#2
wdnavion Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Lancaster Ohio Posts: 12	Re: From Missouri Hi All, Just joined the forum yesterday and updated some info about cylinder head gasket replacement. I have been riding my little 2002 GZ since I bought it new in 2003. It now has almost 26,000 miles on it. I really enjoy the smooth counterbalanced engine after riding some "English Thumpers" back in the 1960's. I have taken it on a few multi-hundred mile trips across Ohio but I mostly end up staying within 100 miles of home. The economy has been phenomenal with tank fill-ups usually running anywhere from the low 70 mpg up to the mid 90 mpg range. Even got 98 mpg on a leisurely back road trip of 200 miles a couple of years ago. Reliability has been generally excellent. The fuel strainer in the gas tank came apart and left me OOG with no reserve but luckily I was within pushing distance of a gas station. I was able to repair it a few days later. I got 14,000 miles out of the rear tire and the front brake pads are good for about 14,000 miles in my riding profile. I was able to eke out 24,000 miles on the chain and sprockets and had to resurface the front disk at 25,000 miles when I replaced the front tire. I change the oil around 1000 to 1200 miles and it is as clean as new inside. I did have to replace the head gasket at 25,700 miles and in the process installed a M6 threaded insert "helicoil" in the front of the cylinder head. The chat and pix are posted elsewhere on this forum. I love my little GZ for the kind of riding I do in Ohio. If I lived out west, I might want something a little bigger and heavier but it suits my needs for fun and economy and I hope to put a lot more miles on it! Here are some pix with my grandson...
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