Why does the contact breaker need a gasket?

[nboka44]

Piggybacking off of this thread, is the breaker cover gasket installed with any sealant/adhesive to hold it in place? Or just dry? I'm a rookie at bike work as my 82 gs650gl is the first bike. Bought an oem gasket off ebay.

[eil]

Putting a very thin smear of grease or oil might make it easier to remove further down the road. Using any kind of sealant is entirely pointless. Like the above posts said, it's not a critical mating surface. It's just there to keep dirt and rain out. Reuse the existing one if you can and save your new OEM one for later.

[nboka44]

Awesome, thanks eil

[mrbill5491]

I'm still using my original gasket yet, never had any problems with it. Never used any kind of sealant. Comes right off when I when I need to get to the crank bolt to adjust my valves.