Sitting for a while, problems???

[zerocool61]

Wasup everyone;
I just both a 2002 600 Kat with 4100 miles for a price I couldn't refuse. I was told that the bike had been sitting for a long while since the owner was shipped off to war. The bike has been sitting with the same gas (about half tank) for almost a year and I was told that it wasn't prepped for long term storage.

I will be doing an oil change but is there anything else I should do before running it???????

[bigpapac]

Draing the gas(From the tank and the floats) put new gas in, some new plugs, and you should be set. I would check items like the chain for rust and make sure all your brakes work like they should and havent frozen (unlikely) and then go have fun. Hopefully nothing gummed up in the carbs but if something did then go ahead and run a couple tanks of a cleaner through it before ripping it apart for cleaning.

[ThAzKat]

what he said!! If you have tried starting it the you should go through them(clean) and sync them.

[The CyberPoet]

Remove battery and connect to 0.9 Amp trickle-charger overnight, or to a 1 to 4 amp charger for max of one hour. Disconnect headlight bulbs to prevent drain on battery when trying to start later.
Drain the fuel from the gas tank. Check for presence of rust. If found, follow the instructions at CyberPoet's How to Deal with Rust in your Motorcycle Gas Tank.
Remove the carbs and drain the fluid from the carbs. Clean thoroughly, with a spray carb cleaner and pray you don't have to go through a full disassembly later.
Remove the spark plugs and put a tablespoon of oil into each spark plug hole. Then, before you reinstall the plugs, turn the engine over about a dozen times manually, using either the back wheel with the bike in gear, or using the ignition signal bolt (bike in neutral).
Do oil & oil filter change.
Reinstall the plugs.
Reinstall the carbs.
Reinstall the gas tank, add 1/3rd of a bottle of Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner, then fill the tank the rest of the way with high-detergent (good brand name) 87 or 88 octane gasoline.
Set fuel petcock to PRIME and wait 60 seconds.
Reset fuel petcock to ON.
Check battery has 12.4 volts or higher (preferably 12.6 or higher), reinstall. If battery after charging does not have 12.6 volts, expect to replace battery soon; if it doesn't have 12.4 volts, you'll need to replace it before proceeding.
Set choke to full-on. No throttle.
Side stand up, bike in neutral, clutch pulled in, kill switch set to run.
Hit starter. Bike should catch within 5 seconds.
Do not run starter more than 15 seconds at a pop, and let it cool/stand for 3 minutes between attempts to keep from overheating starter.
Once started, wait 30 seconds, shut down choke and use throttle to keep her running. Allow to come all the way up to full operating temperature before shutting her back down AND before putting any load on her (i.e. - riding).

Expect to have to do the following within the first week it's running:
Flush all brake fluids (DOT 4)
Change fork oil & seals
Address any chain deficiencies.

After first full tank of gas has burned through, change the oil again (you can keep the same filter for the 2nd oil change). The engine only changes between 65 and 75% of the oil at any standard oil change, so doing it twice is the only way to get above 90% of the old oil out.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet