How bad is a very small head gasket leak?

[Moto]

I am really getting to know the ins and outs of these engines, having rebuilt a few, etc. But I dont really know how bad a very slight head gasket leak is. Here is my setup: 66cc with m8 headstuds and a puch head. Stock head gasket with a puch one on top of it. It runs great! However, after a few rides I have a very small drip of small oil that seemed to work its way out from the head. It is tiny, smaller than a penny. Should I worry and change gaskets? It seems fine, and it doesn't bother me. Will I damage my engine if I continue to run it like this? Thanks and cheers

 

[Cavi Mike]

If it's just a drip, it won't do anything except for make a mess of everything. I was running with an actual spit for a couple days before I finally got the motivation to replace the gasket(which I reused like 4 times) and I still didn't notice any loss of power.

 

[BarelyAWake]

Any head gasket leak will eventually result in this;



...but if you've not blown it out - you don't need to replace it, you may just need to check the head bolt torque... if that's ok, I suspect there may be a small irregularity in the mating surfaces which is easy enough to fix with 400 grit or finer sandpaper on a sheet of glass...

...you've double stacked gaskets tho & sometimes they don't get along - if you don't absolutely need two for piston crown clearance I'd rid yourself of one of 'em

 

[Moto]

Great! Thanks for the info!