small crack in cylinder head

[valiant106737]

gday,I been lurking on these forums for quite a while now as I have a `96 750 katana that my son gave me a few years back. It has always had a few issues with it mainly the way it seems to be running on only 3 cylinders! I decided to strip it down an have a closer look and today I found on cylinder no 2 a small crack in-between spark plug hole and exhaust valve. When I previously did compression test it was #3 cylinder that was low on compression so I am wondering if a small crack like that has any effect on the way it runs. Could I get away with lapping the valves and a new head gasket. Thank in advance for any feedback as I really like this bike. I also have a Yamaha XJR1300 which so far has just turned over 150,000 kilometers and still running like new! Dave

[Wild-Bill]

You're going to need to have that fixed. A good machine shop can weld that up and re-seat the valve if needed. Low compression when the head is cold will translate into no compression when the engine's running.

[Trackerrrr]

You could also buy a used head and install. Congrats on the XJR mileage, very few bikes get that far or even close!

[valiant106737]

Thanks for replys fellas, I will take it to the shop and see what they can do for me. I just coudent bear to see the bike just corrode away!
Yes the XJR has been a great bike, heaps reliable, but I like the Suzi better! Dave

[valiant106737]

Hi there. Thankyou for reply`s. I took the cylinder head in to get it checked out. The one small crack turned out to be several! The mechanic said it would not be viable to fix up so he suggested I find another one from somewhere. The one that I bought second hand looked very similar to my old one except that the cam-shaft sprockets are smaller and it has an S-2 marking on it too! I have done a search through the forums and it appears to be a GSXR head. My problem is what year and what model is it off as I want to order a top end gasket kit for it. I see that there are different part numbers for items such as valve stem seals and head gaskets.
I really want to get this thing running again as it was such a great bike that I like a lot! Thankyou. Dave.

[bob393]

Yes congrats on the millage milestone! That's a dream millage!