ride or restore

hi all, how do u/me decide on what to do with bike? again i have a 1981 csr 650 9000 orig mi. bike is all stock/complete. bike was given to me buy a guy that left it in heated garage for 14 yrs. i'm second owner. so far i have rebuilt master cyl./rebuilt front brake/cleaned carbs/new oil filter/new air filter/cleaned gas tank and petcock. question is how far do i go don't know how much $$$ bike is worth, or how much for a restore. bike was given to me for free. needs a new seat not just a cover. new chain? tires look very good. going to give to my son when i'm done. he is done with school in the spring. :woohoo: OSU go buckeyes. now i may have some money to play with bike:::laugh: question is, do i give it good cleaning and tune up, and ride it. or do i restore? just thinking out loud. any thoughts/comments.

thanx jim.

I'd keep heading in the maintenace direction for now. Plugs, lube the cables, clean up any wiring conections, etc and the biggest thing is CHANGE the tires...if its been stored for 14 years the tires will be well past thier prime even if they look OK.

After you ride the bike for a bit, then you can decide if you want to continue down the path of restoring it.

thats what i been thinking,don't have to spend lots of $$$ all at one time. will look into tires for her over the winter. might want to think about cleaning up rims at the same time. thanx for info M357.5

jim.

Jim, I would consult the Kelly Blue Book for the aprox value of your' CSR before considering a "restore". In most cases, just building a nice rider far exceeds its possible resale value. In most cases doing a true "restoration" on even the most desirable (IE; '73 Z1's,sandcast SOHC 750.s etc) is at best a "break even" venture. Just my 2 cents, but, any project involving a 650 should be a "labor of love" without the hope of anything but your' own satisfaction & possibly the kudos of the few who will recognise/appreciate the fruits of your' labor. luck G

thanx for your info gane, that is my idea of a restore. do whatever i have to to make her safe to ride. did not mean to say restore for sake of $$$. just get her looking good and running as good as pos. have nothing but time to give to bike, $$$ is another story. don't want to spend crazy money on her. after all she is 30 yrs.old, but in very good cond. if i want something showroom cond. i'll go buy it.
buy the way kbb. says around $500 for good running cond.

thanx again, jim.