17-10-13, 01:02 PM
Well, sorry you paid over the odds for it, but it sounds to me like that is colouring your judgement a bit. Old bikes do need a fair bit spent on maintenance.
I'd concentrate on the things that matter and stop worrying about the cosmetic ones. If the pits in the forks aren't in the swept area they're not going to damage the seals. Likewise, flaking paint and rusty areas on the frame... it's a 13 year old bike and is to be expected. Use the usual products to tidy it up and slow the rust down, and just accept the bike won't be in concours condition.
You don't say what the mileage of the bike is, but the engine may well not need much doing to it... the valve clearances check is easy enough to do and chances are they won't need re-shimming. Check the camchain at the same time, you'll probably find it has life left in it if the bike's under 100,000 miles.
Brake discs sound like the biggest unavoidable expense, but there are usually a few cheap second hand rear ones on ebay (a bastard to change though). Fronts: you've a choice of second hand or budget aftermarket ones. Everyone says avoid the latter, though I've no experience of them myself... I opted for mid-priced EBC ones last time and wouldn't recommend them.
It doesn't sound to me as if breaking it is the best option. You'll land yourself with a heap of work for not much money and a large pile of unsaleable parts rusting in your back yard. Either give it the attention it needs or sell it to someone who will and buy a 2 year old bike instead.
I'd concentrate on the things that matter and stop worrying about the cosmetic ones. If the pits in the forks aren't in the swept area they're not going to damage the seals. Likewise, flaking paint and rusty areas on the frame... it's a 13 year old bike and is to be expected. Use the usual products to tidy it up and slow the rust down, and just accept the bike won't be in concours condition.
You don't say what the mileage of the bike is, but the engine may well not need much doing to it... the valve clearances check is easy enough to do and chances are they won't need re-shimming. Check the camchain at the same time, you'll probably find it has life left in it if the bike's under 100,000 miles.
Brake discs sound like the biggest unavoidable expense, but there are usually a few cheap second hand rear ones on ebay (a bastard to change though). Fronts: you've a choice of second hand or budget aftermarket ones. Everyone says avoid the latter, though I've no experience of them myself... I opted for mid-priced EBC ones last time and wouldn't recommend them.
It doesn't sound to me as if breaking it is the best option. You'll land yourself with a heap of work for not much money and a large pile of unsaleable parts rusting in your back yard. Either give it the attention it needs or sell it to someone who will and buy a 2 year old bike instead.