Gasket Kit (Overhaul) | Honda CB200 / CL200

Honda CB200 / CB200T / CL200 Gasket Kit (Overhaul)

Staring at your disassembled CB200 engine can be stressful — but there is no better time to replace your original paper gaskets, O-rings, and exhaust gaskets with our complete Overhaul kit. All 22 gaskets and O-rings covering the top to bottom of a Honda CB200 family engine, including the head gasket, cylinder base gasket, and valve stem seals — none of which we sell individually.

Why You Need This

The Overhaul kit is the top tier of three CB200 family gasket kits (smallest is Oil Change A–F, middle is Service A–J, this is A–V). Choose this kit when the head is coming off — for a head gasket leak, a valve job, piston or ring replacement, or a full top-end and bottom-end reseal. Letters A–F handle routine oil-change paper and O-rings; G–J cover the points cover, intake manifolds, left crankcase cover and top cam cover; K–V add the head gasket, cylinder base gasket, exhaust gaskets, valve stem seals, cam chain tensioner O-ring, and head cover sealing rings — the parts only accessible once the head is off.

Every gasket and O-ring in the kit should be replaced on reassembly — paper gaskets compress on the first install and lose their seal once removed. Reusing a 50-plus-year-old paper head gasket or composite exhaust gasket is the fast path to a fresh leak after the first heat cycle.

Specifications

Note — Letter M is a composite exhaust gasket. The Honda CB200 family uses a different exhaust port diameter than the CB350/CB360 twins. The standalone version of this exhaust gasket is sold separately as our Composite Exhaust Gaskets for CB175 / CB200 / CB500 / CB550. Do not substitute the CB350/CB360 copper gasket — it will not seat correctly.

Note — this kit covers gaskets and O-rings only. It does not include pistons, piston rings, valves, valve guides, valve springs, or the cam chain. We sell replacement intake and exhaust valves and the CB200 cam chain separately. We do not currently stock CB200 pistons or valve springs — those have to be sourced used or new-old-stock.

Note — head gasket and cylinder base gasket are not sold individually. This kit is the only way to source those two parts through CMC. We bundle them with the other top-end and bottom-end gaskets that should be replaced any time the head comes off.

Model-Specific Notes

• CL200 was a 1974-only U.S. model. Same engine and gasket set as CB200K0.
• CB200T (1975–1976) uses the same gasket kit as CB200K0 / CL200 — no kit variation between K0 and T.
• This is not a CB175 kit. If your CB175 was bored to 200cc, the cylinder bore will not match the CB200 head gasket inside diameter — either source a CB175 Overhaul kit (#4175) or have a custom head gasket cut.
• Does not fit CB350 / CB360 / CB450 / CB500K / CB500T / CB550. Each is a different engine architecture with different gasket sizes and torque specs.

What's in the Kit

This Overhaul kit includes everything from the Oil Change kit (Letters A–F) and the Service kit (A–J), plus 12 additional gaskets and O-rings (K–V) that you only need when the head is off.

Installation

Difficulty: Advanced

Tools needed: Standard hand tools, torque wrench (kg-cm or in-lb scale), Honda valve spring compressor tool #07957-3290000 or equivalent, single-edge razor blade, acetone, Honda Bond 4 gasket sealer, anti-seize lubricant.

1. Drain all oil. Remove the right crankcase cover — the CB200 has no separate filter access panel, so the full cover comes off (muffler must also come off on CB200; CL200 exhaust routes around it).
2. Strip the engine top end down to a bare cylinder head: valve cover, head cover, head, cylinder jugs, and pistons. Strip the engine in this order — breather tube, point cover, contact breaker base plate, then top end.
3. Remove all old gasket material with a single-edge razor and acetone. Inspect every sealing surface for warpage. A head that has lost compression often needs decking before reassembly — see our Cylinder Head Machining Service for CB200 family heads.
4. Compress the valve springs with the Honda special tool #07957-3290000 (or our Valve Spring Compressor), remove cotters, springs, and the old valve stem seals. Walk-through video: Remove and Install Valve Springs on Your Vintage Honda.
5. On reassembly, install the new valve stem seals (Letter U, qty 4) before the springs. Oil each valve stem before sliding it through the guide, then seat the seal squarely.
6. For cylinder reinstall, apply a small bead of Honda Bond 4 around the oil passages on the upper crankcase and bottom of the cylinder before laying the new cylinder base gasket (Letter K). Do not use RTV silicone — it sheds debris into the oil galleries.
7. The head gasket (Letter L) installs dry between cylinder and head. Do not apply sealer to the head gasket itself.
8. Torque the cylinder head cover hold-down cap nuts the factory tightening sequence to 180–220 kg-cm (13.0–16.0 ft-lbs). The sequence matters — uneven loading is what cooks head gaskets.
9. Set valve timing: rotate the crankshaft so the "T" mark on the generator rotor aligns with the index mark on the right crankcase cover, then install the cam chain to the cam sprocket.
10. Adjust the cam chain: with the engine at the "T" mark, loosen the lock nut and the tensioner setting bolt, then re-tighten.
11. Set valve clearances to 0.05 mm intake / 0.08 mm exhaust using the "overshoot" technique — tighten to 0.06 mm, then loosen back to 0.05 mm — as demonstrated in our YouTube walk-through.
12. Fill with 1.7 L / 1.8 US qt of SAE 10W-40 100% mineral oil. Add 2 oz of Zinc ZDDP additive per quart at first fill.

Installation Tip: Clean all sealing surfaces with a razor blade and acetone. Lightly grease new paper gaskets when installing — it prevents sticking and lets you re-separate the joint later without ripping the gasket.

In this Fixin' 2 Ride episode, Jessi rebuilds the top end on her CB200T — wrist pin clips, piston ring orientation, cam chain valve timing, head reassembly, and the same valve adjustment overshoot technique used above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I just buy the head gasket and cylinder base gasket separately?

No — we only stock these two gaskets as part of this Overhaul kit. The kit bundles every gasket and O-ring you should replace when the head comes off, which is more cost-effective than sourcing them piecemeal. Reusing 50-plus-year-old camshaft end cover gaskets and dowel O-rings while replacing the head gasket is the classic recipe for oil weeping out of the head after a successful job.

What's the difference between #4179 Oil Change, #4180 Service, and #4178 Overhaul?

Three tiers, cumulative letter scope:

• #4179 Oil Change (A–F): Six gaskets and O-rings for a routine oil and filter change — what you replace when the right crankcase cover comes off.
• #4180 Service (A–J): A–F plus four more (G–J) for a deeper service — points cover, intake manifolds, left crankcase cover, top cam cover.
• #4178 Overhaul (A–V): Everything in the Service kit plus 12 more gaskets and O-rings (K–V) that only get touched when the head is off — head gasket, cylinder base, valve stem seals, exhaust gaskets, cam chain tensioner O-ring, and the head cover sealing rings.

Does this kit include pistons, rings, valves, valve springs, or a new cam chain?

No. This is a gasket and O-ring kit only. If you're doing a full top end and need wear parts, source those separately: we stock "Airlock" CB200 intake and exhaust valves (set of four) and the CB200 cam chain. We do not currently stock CB200 pistons, rings, or valve springs — those have to come from used or new-old-stock channels.

Does this kit fit my CB175 that was bored out to 200cc?

Probably not. The CB200 head gasket is sized for the factory CB200 cylinder bore. If your CB175 was bored to 200cc, the cylinder outside diameter is in a different position relative to the head bolts, and the head gasket may not seal correctly. Either order the CB175 Overhaul kit (#4175), or measure your overbored cylinder and ask us before ordering.

The CB175 Overhaul kit goes A–Y, but this one stops at V. Did I order the wrong thing?

You ordered the right one. The CB200 Overhaul kit covers Letters A through V (22 gasket types) — that's the full gasket count for the CB200 family engine. The CB175 family kit covers Letters A through Y because that engine has additional small gaskets (notably intake manifold O-rings, which the CB200 manifold doesn't use — the CB200 design uses a paper gasket alone at the flange). Different bikes, different gasket counts; both kits are complete for their respective engines.

My head gasket leaked oil after I installed it last time — what went wrong?

Three things to check before you trust a head gasket again: (1) the head surface should be flat — a warped head will not seal regardless of how perfect the gasket is. Send the head to us for a deck job using our Cylinder Head Machining Service if you suspect warpage. (2) Test-fit the head gasket before applying anything — the oil passage cutouts should line up with the holes in the cylinder and head. If they don't, the gasket may be wrong for your engine. (3) Torque the cap nuts in the correct sequence (the factory tightening sequence) — uneven loading is the most common cause of post-rebuild leaks.

You Might Also Need

• #4179 Gasket Kit (Oil Change) CB200 / CL200 — Letters A–F, smallest tier
• #4180 Gasket Kit (Service) CB200 / CL200 — Letters A–J, middle tier
• CB200 / CL200 Oil Seal Kit — the seven engine oil seals (kickstarter, tach drive, clutch lifter, output shaft, shift lever, camshaft, transmission shaft)
• CB200 / CL200 Allen Bolt Kit — replace all crankcase cover bolts on reassembly
• Valve Spring Compressor Tool — required for valve stem seal installation (Letter U)
• "Airlock" Intake & Exhaust Valves CB175 / CB200 — set of 4 (2 intake + 2 exhaust)
• Cam Chain CB200 / CL200 — 86 links, replace while the top end is open
• Composite Exhaust Gaskets CB175 / CB200 / CB500 / CB550 — the standalone Letter M part if you need spares
• Honda Bond 4 Gasket Sealer — for cylinder base oil passages and aluminum mating surfaces
• Anti-Seize Lubricant — for bolt reinstall
• Zinc ZDDP Oil Additive — 2 oz per quart at first fill after rebuild
• Cylinder Head Machining Service — if your head needs decking before reinstall
• Cylinder Boring & Honing Service — if cylinders need to be bored before reinstall

Last updated: May 2026