thanks for the comments gentlemen, all very sound advice. Especially tambaypiper the bacon bit is useful (as i'm a chef) on a serious note though my 'modern antique' has about four thousand miles on it, last oil change was two months ago by the previous owner. what kind of preventattive maintenance can i do to make my 'piece of history' last until its a real antique?
1) Lubricate cables: Throttle, clutch, brake, speedo. Then examine cables for correct slack and overall condition.
2) Clean and oil air filter or replace.
3) Lubricate footpeg hinges, shift lever shaft, kick start lever hinge.
4) Clean petcock and screen. Replace fuel filter. Examine fuel line.
5) Examine rubber carb manifold
6) Check steering head bearings.
7) Check drive chain tension and rear sprocket condition
8.) Check and/or replace spark plug. Armor-all ignition wires then plastic caps and rubber boots inside and out.
9) Change engine oil and filter
10) Change gearbox oil at specified intervals (allow 24 hrs to dry drain plug if using locktite)
11) Change primary oil at specified intervals
12) Wheel bearings: With wheels up off ground check bearings for side-to-side wiggle and drag.
13) Examine swing arm condition and drive chain adjusters
14) Adjust brakes as needed. Grease pivot points (cam area) and return springs as needed. Lube any brake linkage that hasn’t already been done; examine pads, disc, fluid, hydraulic line, hub, and drum; clean off brake dust
15) With the wheels up off the ground, check and adjust spoke tension
16) Torque head according to factory specs.
17) Adjust valves according to factory specs
18) Dress all rubber and vinyl
19) Check all fasteners for tightness (electrical connections, oil bango bolts, lock washers for breakage, exhaust brackets)
20) Check tire pressure tires
Matt