It's a gorgeous bike!
A couple of questions (which I do not intend to be condescending in any way, it's just something to take into account when buying older machines): Have you previously owned an older bike? Do you plan on working on it yourself?
I ask because there are definite upsides and downsides to having a vintage motorcycle. As an upside, they don't tend to lose value, usually the opposite, and even if you run into problems down the road, you could likely sell it for most of what you paid for up front even in a non-running condition (bar any major issues). But they do have real running costs!
In my experience, you can't expect an older bike to brake as well as a modern one, though it sounds like it's still underperforming. I would absolutely replace any cables on a bike that has been sitting that long, especially those in a braking system! Moisture can make its way into the housing and corrode the cable. A new quality clutch cable does wonders, so can an eye on good cable routing to soften hard bends.
A tank with rust will need attention eventually.. In the very least it needs a fuel filter (if it doesn't already have one) because it's only a matter of time before rust particles make their way into one of your four (!) carburetors and start causing issues.
I would compare this price to what you see on the market for this model in a range of conditions. I would also make sure I can find some good resources for this bike if you plan to be hands-on, both in terms of more bike-specific forums, manuals, and retailers to buy parts from. In my experience, it's unreasonable to think that it won't need some kind of work down the line, apart from the usual maintenance. Also search forums for common/known issues!!
Anyhow, back to the start.. First two questions are important.
A couple of questions (which I do not intend to be condescending in any way, it's just something to take into account when buying older machines): Have you previously owned an older bike? Do you plan on working on it yourself?
I ask because there are definite upsides and downsides to having a vintage motorcycle. As an upside, they don't tend to lose value, usually the opposite, and even if you run into problems down the road, you could likely sell it for most of what you paid for up front even in a non-running condition (bar any major issues). But they do have real running costs!
In my experience, you can't expect an older bike to brake as well as a modern one, though it sounds like it's still underperforming. I would absolutely replace any cables on a bike that has been sitting that long, especially those in a braking system! Moisture can make its way into the housing and corrode the cable. A new quality clutch cable does wonders, so can an eye on good cable routing to soften hard bends.
A tank with rust will need attention eventually.. In the very least it needs a fuel filter (if it doesn't already have one) because it's only a matter of time before rust particles make their way into one of your four (!) carburetors and start causing issues.
I would compare this price to what you see on the market for this model in a range of conditions. I would also make sure I can find some good resources for this bike if you plan to be hands-on, both in terms of more bike-specific forums, manuals, and retailers to buy parts from. In my experience, it's unreasonable to think that it won't need some kind of work down the line, apart from the usual maintenance. Also search forums for common/known issues!!
Anyhow, back to the start.. First two questions are important.
