New (to me) 93 Kat 600

[madadam]

So a friend is selling his 93 Katana 600 with 10000 miles on the clock to me. It runs, but it hasn't really been ridden in at least three years. The carburetors were leaking, but replacing the o-rings in the fuel bowl cleared that up. I have changed the oil and put a new filter on it, and it is going to need a new chain which I will be purchasing shortly. I have no information on its service history (my friend bought it from another guy then never rode it), so I am going to treat it as though it hasn't had anything but oil changes (and some work on its clutch judging by the rtv sealant around the cover) since it was new. To top it off, I might be taking it on a 3000 mile cross country trek in a few weeks.

My question is, then, what service NEEDS to be done on it before I go? I'll probably change the spark plugs, air filter and brake fluid since they're cheap and easy (along with any easily checkable wear items like brakes pads), but this 4000 mile valve clearance check is nagging at me.

I know that I should do the check, but the choice to do so isn't all that easy. First off, I have never worked on engine internals before, so I have the jitters. Second, risks like breaking the valve cover gasket, and having to find a replacement (possibly difficult) give me pause. Did I mention that I am on a shoe string budget? Third, this year has shim type valve adjusters right? Finding shims would be a pain too.

So is a valve clearance check REALLY neccessary? what are the risks of running the bike with valves that are out of spec? Do they actually go out of spec often?

Oh, and the clutch pull is pretty hard on the bike; I'm thinking that it might have an aftermarket clutch in it since there is that RTV sealant coming out aroun the clutch cover (kindof strange to be replaced at 10000 miles, but maybe someone learned on this bike or something), but any ideas or theories that don't involve buying new clutch springs would be welcome.

Hey, nice forum by the way.

[Dfurgi]

My question is, then, what service NEEDS to be done on it before I go?

Well as far as i can guess I'd say clean the carbs just in case something might have gotten in there just because you said they were leaking, but that would only be if you have the time before your trip.
Other then that dude I can't answer any of your other questions because I'm new to kats and not mechanically inclined at all. Hope you get it all sorted it out and have a great trip
Welcome to KR

[40something]

I would have the valves checked and the clutch looked over as well.

Another of concern would be the chain and sprockets as these can become worn especially of no maintenance has been performed on them in the 10k miles. I would give that chain a very good clean and lube at a bare min at this point due to having been sitting and not used.

Tires are another concern as over time they may have good tread but can become hard and not grip very well which has all kinds of concerns especially if riding in wet conditions or if you are strafing any corners. They can also become weather cracked which is a sign that you probably need to replace them.

The cables from the clutch and throttle could probably use a good lube job as well to prevent them from sticking when you least expect or need them to.

If the bike has been sitting outside or has the original handlebar grips you may want to replace those as well as they are probably getting brittle and may start coming apart after a few days of riding especially if you are on a long trip.

You may also want to consider draining the brake fluids, replacing and bleeding the brakes as I have seen condensation get in the reservoirs when not used. This can also happen to the fluid in the front forks so you may want to think about changing that fluid as well.

You may want to ride for a few days and check the front forks to see if you have any leaking fork seals as well as you do not want to be out on the open road when those fail on you.

These are just my 2 cents on your question. Hope this helped out.

[madadam]

Cool, thanks for your takes on it. Lubing the clutch cable helped a bunch.

[Psycho1]

Another thing you might want to do before the trip might be to locate different KR members that might be living somewhere along your intended travel routes. I know personally, if any KR member I've talked to on here ever ran into mechanical trouble within 100-200 miles of my place, I'd be more than happy to get in my truck, go pick them and their bike up, and do whatever I could to help get them back on the road again asap. I'm sure there are more than a few of other KR members on here that feel the same way.

[tobias]

make sure the brakes are up to par. you can handle pretty much any catostrphic failure depending on what part you pick, but without stoppers, well, somethin will get you to stop eventually.....