Hi all I was riding and could hear a soft ticking noise after stopping for a while I just turn the bike over and the valve cover Gasket blew at the half moons on the front cylinder. Should I just replace the gasket or check for a cause for the blow. Thanks

You should always check for the cause of any failure. Otherwise it could get expensive buying the same part over and over.

Do you know if the engine was ever pulled? If I remember right when I put mine back together the manual had me put some silicone in the valley there, not sure if that was to help hold it in place or to make a better seal.

All things being equal, if hte gasket was installed correctly then there had to have been a huge increase in pressure that blew it out. I would investigate what caused that pressure. Of course, if you can confirm that it was not installed correctly (def requires sealant) then you may be good installing a new one and using sealant.

what should I look for that might cause pressure.

Should I do compression and leak down test?

Thanks for your reply, no the engine has never been removed since I've owned the bike.

Check the engine vent line. It is on the left side front of the engine. It goes into the plastic air box. The hose appears to be about 1/2 in. in outside size.

Thanks for the info, I checked the vent line it didn't seem clogged but replaced it anyway.
Anything else I should look for?

The only other way pressure could get too high in the crankcase or valve covers is to have a problem on a piston or maybe a blown head gasket. With the piston, it could be broken rings, cracks, or hole burned in the piston.

Is it missing or down on power?

A compression test should show if there's a problem.

Pressurizing the problem cylinder and listening for air escaping would tell you where to look for a problem.

If it's running ok, there may be no problem. Could the valve cover have been over-tightened?

I found the cause, the sound I mentioned in my first post was my stator rattling causing excessive heat and oil vapor pressure traveling up blowing my valve cover gasket, runs great now. Thanks for all your help.