I am starting a rehabilitation on a 1980 SG

[Doonie]

Hey guys, nice to be here.
I have a 1980 SG that was parked in a garage in 1985 with about 12,000 miles on it. I am bringing it out and would love to get this beauty back into original condition. Can anyone advise me as to how to approach this? Where is the right aera to start? I have the Charlton manual.

Thanks a lot
Doonie

[audijunky]

first how was it stored? where all the areas that had fluid drained prior to storage? If not you should drain all existing fluid. Then pull the carbs off and clean them thoroughly. check the gas tank for rust. get some inline fuel filters from your local auto/motorcycle, dealer/parts store. Depending on the shape of the tubing for the carbs replace fuel lines and vacuum lines. There is a great site (not as good as this one, but good none the less) that I used some info from to get my project back on the road. Here it is http://dansmc.com/MC_repaircourse.htm
He has some helpful non bike specific info. This site also has alot of info on the left use the tech tips. The steps I named are some of the things I did. Hopefully somebody else will chime in w/some more info. Good luck and welcome the world of XS.(OR SG)

[mro]

sitting for 21 years

I'd pull cover over the vac advance unit and see if engine will turn over with a wrench (I'd pull plugs first). Would not hurt to put a squirt of oil thru plug holes either. If engine free then need to go through complete bike maintenance, and would not hurt to clean all electrical connections/grounds. Regular stuff like tires etc.. when you get it running.

Read thru tips at left and also at bottom of main page of this site. Has helped me getting several XS's running.

Welcome to XS land


mro
post a pic of your bike?

[HobbyMan]

replace all fluids, turn engine over by hand, put oil in cylinders( i use an engine fogger that breaks down grime), replace plugs, dissasemble entire brake system, cleam carbs and tank. When everything is done, try the electrical system and starter. After the eingine is running, adjust carbs. Note: when carbs are off and intake manifold boots are off, I take gas and a toothbrush and clean carbon deposite off of intake. Then with a few test drives, loads of cleaning and a few carb adjustments you might just end up with a classic running machine