Things To Think About First - Before You Buy Something

I did get some really great advice from a friend - let's call him Master Julian. While Julian is clearly not 100% upstairs, you do recognize wisdom when you hear it spoken so plainly. Master Julian say, "if you're going to go look at motorcycle, you're probably going to buy it. So do your homework and understand the likely trouble-spots." Brilliant! So take this to heart! 

Those old Yamaha XS750s have a notoriously funny second gear! It's all over the web! And they have a problem with those vacuum actuated gas tank valves (petcocks). And if the old bike is missing body parts like side covers or fenders - well - old bike parts can be challenging to find. And since MANY old bikes will be, "the project I don't have time to finish" - parts may be scattered and not all there. 

So even if you do end up buying the bike, know the places where you'll be able to look for bargaining points. Of course I'm leaving out all the standard mechanical advice that anyone should be thinking about, but that I'm not smart enough to recount here.