As a newbie you are facing a great chance to learn. Buy the bike, get a service manual (not the owners manual) get some good basic tools (don't buy that cheap Chinese/Indian crap). Then start taking things apart. Get those carbs off and clean them. The pilots, needles, mains and float bowls will need cleaning and adjusting. You won't have any idea what I'm talking about here but that is what the manual is for. The forks may work fine but there is a good chance the fork seals will have dried and will need replacing. The seals are inexpensive but replacing them is a right of passage. If the bike has an o-ring chain, throw is out and get a new one. If both sprockets are in good shape, keep them. If the front sprocket shows wear, replace them both.
Do all the usual service stuff yourself. If you don't know what that entails, read the recommended service intervals in the shop manual and get busy. Since the bike has been sitting for a while, get three cans of WD-40 and spray every nut and bolt on the bike before you start to remove anything. Have fun with the education. Compare this education with the price of three college credits. You will learn a lot more with this project than you would in any class.
If you just want to ride, go to a dealer, buy a bike with a warrantee and have fun. But the 500 is a great bike, is very reliable and should be fairly easy to put back on the road.
Do all the usual service stuff yourself. If you don't know what that entails, read the recommended service intervals in the shop manual and get busy. Since the bike has been sitting for a while, get three cans of WD-40 and spray every nut and bolt on the bike before you start to remove anything. Have fun with the education. Compare this education with the price of three college credits. You will learn a lot more with this project than you would in any class.
If you just want to ride, go to a dealer, buy a bike with a warrantee and have fun. But the 500 is a great bike, is very reliable and should be fairly easy to put back on the road.
