Almost ready to ride!

[kbankovi]

So I've been trying to get my 07 GS (20K miles) back up and running since last fall when I took a 3 hour camping trip to Southern Ohio and when I went to move it the next morning it wouldn't start.  it would crank and crank but wouldn't fire.  When I stopped for gas about 2 hours into my trip the previous day it did the same thing but I was able to start it with a little help holding down the throttle.  The right engine was getting flooded with gas. While down there and with the help of my friends I opened up the spark plug, put it in gear and turned the rear wheel to get the gas to come out and let it dry out for the day with a paper towel rolled up covering the hole.  It shot gas about 6 ft. high and over my friends shirt (we laughed but I felt terrible).  The next day she started right up and I quickly got everything packed and rode home without noticing any horsepower issues or engine trouble. This was my last ride of the season and I changed the oil a few weeks after that weekend and I noticed some very small shavings in the oil filter and thought CRAP!  I'm wondering if I toasted something so I started investigating.  At first I thought my carb float was stuck so I took the carbs off for the first time and cleaned everything inside and out and reinstalled them.  They didn't look that dirty and I wasn't sure if gas may have mixed with the oil so this was my first test since I was getting flooded.  I then opened up the top crankcase cover and both the intake and exhaust on the right side had tolerances less than the .03MM feeler gauge so it was not letting air in but also not letting air out.  Now I'm wondering if the carbs were ok and gas was just dumping into the engine and I couldn't get a spark.  I didn't notice horsepower issues on my way home so didn't think that could be it.  I also took a flashlight and inspected everything I could see in the top of the engine and didn't notice anywhere the shavings could've came from other than the Crankcase top.  When I flipped it over I noticed the right side had some cracks in it almost like it got way to hot and possibly the shavings came from there. I ordered a new top, gasket, Oil breather and tappets.  Once that's on I think it's best to baby it for a week or two, check the oil daily and see if I notice anymore shavings or if it's running rough.  I was possibly going to get a magnetic oil plug to be more cautious and I haven't dropped the oil pan yet.  Also replaced the front and rear tire and the chain. My front right fork was leaking which caused a bubble on my tire so I took both off using http://beergarage.com/GSForks.aspx instructions which were terrific except the homemade tool didn't work. Still saved me ~$200 in labor by just taking the forks in so that site still saved me.    Hope to have it running this weekend when my parts show up!