I'm trying to replace my magneto cover gasket and was wondering if the engine cover next to it must be removed before the magneto cover will come off? I have removed all the bolts but the cover does not budge. I tried liberally beating on it with a rubber mallet but that didn't seem to help. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Yes. And there's some bolts under that cover, for the magneto cover.

Keep hammerin' 

Yep, that was it. Followed your advice though and beat on it a few more times for good measure...

Any ideas for getting the old gasket off? I searched the forums and confirmed that it is a pain in the a$$ to get off.

Razor blades, and time. A wire brush on a power tool helps to some degree, but not all that much.

If it gives you any consolation, you don't have to get ALL the old gasket off. I left a bit of the cardboard still stuck to the cover when I did the clutch side, and it sealed just fine.

Well...this marks the last of my gasket replacement saga, and the bike appears to be (mostly) leak free...for now.

Thanks to everyone who provided input over the past few months and helped get my bike back on the road.

I've learned a valuable lesson -- If anyone tells you their GS doesn't leak, tell them to check their oil...it's probably empty.

What gaskets did you have to replace?

Both of my side gaskets went just a few months apart from each other, after 10 years of life. The rest appear pretty much OK though. What else is there? Valve cover? Oil pan?

Excellent guess...I replaced the valve cover gasket, magneto gasket, and oil pan gasket. My bike is a 2002 so I guess it must be part of Suzuki's 10 year obsolescence plan.

How bad was the oil pan gasket leaking? And how annoying was it to replace?

My bike is a 2000. I'm not looking forward to it :|

It was leaking a little, not nearly as bad as the valve cover and magneto cover. My friend was good enough to replace it while I was traveling so I'll have to ask him how difficult it was. I think he pulled the exhaust to get to it...I'll ask him tomorrow.