XT550 – parked for 10 years – what to do before starting.

[G600]

Hi all


My buddy parked his ’83 XT550 in his garage 10 years ago. It is in decent shape I think (hope). I have a soft spot for this model so I bought the bike today, and plan to restore it.

I want to get the engine running and check if it has normal power, runs normally in all rpm’s, test the gearbox/clutch etc. before I start spending money on parts. The engine probably isn’t perfect but I want to know its condition before moving on.

What should I do before attempting to start the bike? I squirted a little oil down the spark plug hole and plan to change the oil. The plan is to simply replace the gas and then try to start it.

Should I do something more before trying to get the bike running? I am a little concerned if I will damage the engine when (if) it fires, since it surely is bone-dry internally after the 10 year rest. But then I usually worry too much…