This is a photo of the old gasket which was leaking, I thought perhaps it was the wrong gasket but the Suzuki replacement gasket has the same cut outs. I have circled the anomalous holes in green. There appears to be what looks like an oil channel between the green circles with two small holes sitting on the channel at either end. However I am confused as to the purpose of the large and badly aligned holes next to them that also straddle the end of the channel. What is the purpose of these two end cut outs?

The gasket is probably made to fit more than one engine.  It doesn't look like it hurts anything on the GS and is probably needed on some other engine.

I've seen a similar post in last couple years. .  Vague memory that the user cut away the 'problem' bit. ... installed. ..  and it caused problems!?

I can'tspeak for the GS500 sspecifically, but those holes are oil passageways. Don't block the holes off or open them further - you'll be changing the flow characteristics of the engine.

Another thing that puzzles me about the gasket is that there is a large area on a part of it that does not contact anything, it just flaps around, and it makes me wonder if this huge piece of useless gasket deforms when it gets hot and pulls the rest of the gasket out of position due to the extra leverage with has. That is what it looks like, you can see that it is all wavy. Anyway I put on a new factory gasket dry except for some silicone around the bung, and it is sealing OK, but I really am troubled by the wavyness of the gasket and how deformed it was.

On a side note, the Adidas guy (rip) on his youtube video on tightening a loose stator, had the gasket that looked the same as my one did, he thought it was so bad that it was put on originally incorrectly but to me it just has the same deformed look.

BTW what is the correct answer to this challenge questions? "What creates the electric arc that ignites fuel in the cylinder?", I've tried everything I can think of from ignition coil, to spark plug and every other component along the way.

I can't explain the extra gasket material under the stator, but I can tell you the stator gaskets on the earlier GS450 and GR650 have the same excess material.

I do remember that question though - GS JACK answered it in an older post somewhere.....

Maybe it is just "voltage" ?

Where are you seeing challenge questions?

Or sparkplug as one word.... in any case you have 5 posts now and the challenge questions should disappear!