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New member - new bike (to me)

motorboy618707

motorboy618707

Member
Member
My name is Larry and I just took ownership of a 1998 ZG1000 with 70k on the odometer. I found the bike on Facebook marketplace for $1950 so I went and checked it out. I read up about the bike beforehand which obviously led me to this forum. The bike came with service documents, a Clymer manual, service manual, owners manual an extra oil filter and as far as I can see, everything the bike came with from the dealer. Including the padlock/chain and toolkit. To me the bike looks almost new condition. Upon looking the bike over I didn't find any indication that it had been dropped or any body/pegs/bracket/mirror damage anywhere. I did ask if it had been dropped and was told that it was and that any damaged components were replaced with new. The service records that I read confirms. I took a test ride and it runs and shifts well. Currently looking for a good shop to get it serviced. I've put about 350 miles on it and I don't even know where to check the oil. I can see this fairing is going to be a challenge.
My experience working on bikes is limited to old air cooled Norton twins and the like.
 

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Welcome Lawrence! Very nice bikes you have there. The C10 really is easy to work on. The plastics are no big deal. You have a manual and us to lean on. Try an oil change to start the process of getting to know your bike. We're glad you're here!
 
@motorboy618707 welcome to the Concours Owners Group!

Check out the technical section and Chalkdust documents for the C-10.

Also where are you located?

Nice looking machine, and the fairing is not a big deal - after you take it off / on a couple times it’s a breeze.

Wayne
 
Finding a "good shop" for an older bike can be a challenge . You might reach out to any members near you ( look in the member handbook) for recommendations if you're sure you need that . As said , these are fairly easy bikes to work on if you want to dig in to it yourself .
 
As a member you have access to the tech section of the forum. You also have the service manual. All this is a good start to doing you own service. I do my own but have heard that many dealerships will not work on a bike as old as a C-10. Your start to removing fairings and getting access to a lot of thing will be the removal of the aft side fairings seat then the faring panels with the locking compartments in them. Always take the aft side panels off before removing or installing the fuel tank or you will scratch the paint on the tank or fairings. The oil check window is down by the left drivers peg. Some say it is inaccurate. I have good luck with it by starting the bike and let it warm up, shut it off and wait about 5 to 10 min. I sit on the bike an have my wife look at the sight gauge. I can rock the bike a little to make the oil move in the window. It makes it easer for her to see the oil moving not just sitting still. the oil change needs to have both drain plugs removed and the filter. It is shown in the service manual.

I see you have the KMW stickers on the side fairings and have a custom mount for a top case. Hope the bike came with the case.

Look to Murph's Kits for side panel attach screws and the fuel tank quick release hardware. That makes that part of the removal easer..
 
Welcome Larry. Easy to work on. Take lots of pictures and organize your parts as you take them off and have fun.
 
Welcome! That looks like a very nice bike, and the first I've seen that's still had the factory chain and lock with it (not that it's very useful, but still cool to have). A bike that comes with goodies like that and a full complement of manuals is usually a sign it was cared for by a fastidious owner.

There's certainly more stuff to take off for service than your old Brit bikes, but it's all pretty simple. If you get the knob screws for the side covers and quick-release for the tank, the basic stuff is all quick and easy to get at. I like to use spring clamps on the fuel line to make tank removal quicker and easier than fiddling with screw clamps (and they work well). Some have also installed quick couplers in the fuel line. Honestly, you don't need to take the fuel tank off except once a year or so to check/change spark plugs and sync the carbs.

You'll find the front plastics come off faster and easier than you'd think, and you usually only need to take part of them off to do much. The upper fairing rarely has to come off unless you're really getting into things deep.
 
Welcome, great looking C-10! I learned so much about bikes by working on my '01, looks like you got a keeper. A lot of info here. Great Norton Commando there. You will work on the C-10 a lot less than the Norton. :LOL: My Brit bike is a '79 Bonneville Special, we all have weaknesses.
 
Cra-z1000 said:
Finding a "good shop" for an older bike can be a challenge . You might reach out to any members near you ( look in the member handbook) for recommendations if you're sure you need that . As said , these are fairly easy bikes to work on if you want to dig in to it yourself .
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As easy as these bikes are to work on, I’m really not interested in doing so. At least not now. I just want to ride this season with the confidence that my machine hopefully won’t breakdown. I currently have an appointment at World of Powersports for a general service. They quoted me around $250.00. Reasonable? My peace of mind says it is. Thanks for the welcome.
 
Strawboss said:
Welcome, great looking C-10! I learned so much about bikes by working on my '01, looks like you got a keeper. A lot of info here. Great Norton Commando there. You will work on the C-10 a lot less than the Norton. :LOL: My Brit bike is a '79 Bonneville Special, we all have weaknesses.
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Yes, it’s a weakness. Not working on the bike is the goal. Tired of wrenching and wanting to ride.
 
I can't imagine they do an entire valve adjustment for that price. That sounds like a good price for a reputable shop to do oil filter, spark plugs, and air filter service along with a general inspection of other potential wear items like breaks. I'd ask if they can inspect the suspension and grease the rear shock linkage while they are looking it over.

Also note that these don't have a fuel filter, unless someone has installed an aftermarket inline filter between the petcock and carbs. The stock air filter on these bikes is reusable oiled foam, but they tend to get crumbly with age. OEM and aftermarket foam filters are available. K&N used to make an oiled gauze filter for these bikes, but I believe it's been discontinued.

A few other maintenance items I'd suggest for peace of mind and longevity if you don't have documentation that they were done within the past two years:
  • Brake fluid flush (cheap and easy to do yourself if you get a set of speed bleeders)
  • Coolant change/flush (you can do a full drain and flush with water and diluted vinegar, but unless the old stuff is nasty or you get a lot of crud out of it, I'd just drain, refill, run it for a while, and then do another drain and refill)
You can also change fork oil, but it's enough work most people just wait until they need seals and you have to take them off.
 
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Hello and Welcome, Larry! I currently ride a 2019 C14, but have lots of 99-ish C10 parts due to a series of unfortunate events. Let me know if I can supply you with the odd bit or piece. And again;. Welcome to the club!!
 
SethInIllinois said:
I can't imagine they do an entire valve adjustment for that price. That sounds like a good price for a reputable shop to do oil filter, spark plugs, and air filter service along with a general inspection of other potential wear items like breaks. I'd ask if they can inspect the suspension and grease the rear shock linkage while they are looking it over.

Also note that these don't have a fuel filter, unless someone has installed an aftermarket inline filter between the petcock and carbs. The stock air filter on these bikes is reusable oiled foam, but they tend to get crumbly with age. OEM and aftermarket foam filters are available. K&N used to make an oiled gauze filter for these bikes, but I believe it's been discontinued.

A few other maintenance items I'd suggest for peace of mind and longevity if you don't have documentation that they were done within the past two years:
  • Brake fluid flush (cheap and easy to do yourself if you get a set of speed bleeders)
  • Coolant change/flush (you can do a full drain and flush with water and diluted vinegar, but unless the old stuff is nasty or you get a lot of crud out of it, I'd just drain, refill, run it for a while, and then do another drain and refill)
You can also change fork oil, but it's enough work most people just wait until they need seals and you have to take them off.
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Yes, a general inspection is included. This bike has an inline fuel filter so it must be aftermarket. I don’t think it will hurt anything, do you?
 
motorboy618707 said:
Yes, a general inspection is included. This bike has an inline fuel filter so it must be aftermarket. I don’t think it will hurt anything, do you?
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No, and it's generally a good backup to the screen on the petcock tubes in the tank. Some people have had issues with filters restricting fuel flow to the carbs, but as long as it's a filter with low resistance and positioned so there aren't excessive dips or kinks in the line, everything works just fine.

A popular filter is a Wix 33006. It's got a low-resistance mesh, and a 90-degree outlet that lines up really well with the carb line.
 
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