NEW OWNER: OLD BUT NEARLY NEW MONSTER

[Rickrides]

I am buying an old friend's 2000 Monster 900.  It's covered a mere 600 miles and has been sitting, covered, in his garage in So Cal for several years.

It will need a battery and a set of new tires (probably Avon Storm II Ultras) for sure.  Oil and filter change.  Replace hydraulic fluids. 

Should I replace the cam drive belts?

What can I expect from the fuel system?  I don't know if he's kept it drained (I hope so!). 

Any other suggestions for getting this bike back on the road will be much appreciated.

Thanks, Rick

[koko64]

If the cam belts are over two years old, then change them.
A close inspection of all fuel system lines and potential replacement is also important.

[FrankenDuc]

Standard new vehicle stuff, in priority
- replace the timing belts ASAP... before running the engine if possible...
- drain the fuel and put new gas in with your preferred cleaner. (If it runs good, drain it by running the bike through mountain twisties for several hours  )
- replace the tires when you can, soon if possible.
- ride it often, and enjoy.
- replace all other rubber as time permits.  This includes the rubber fuel lines inside the tank.

Basically, its about prioritizing and scheduling the replacement of all rubber on the bike...

[Slide Panda]

900s are pretty tough, but do as FrankenDuc and koko64 state

Also
- Fork oil should be replaced.
- Shock oil probably should be as well.
- These bikes are spec'd for a valve check at 600 miles. This isn't hard to do on a 900 if you're handy. If you plan to take the tank off, might as well keep oing and dig in.
- I'd flush a bottle of cheap DOT4 fluid through the hydraulics before putting anything good in. You'll want to clear out any gunk that's developed. A vac bleeder may be needed.
- Inspect the chain for frozen links. A dose of good lube may free it up, but some might be too far gone after sitting of a long time.

- Be wary of raising the tank when it's got a decent amount of fuel in it. The original welds for the hinge plate on the tank aren't so great and get over stressed and crack if you're not careful. The cracks lead to a leak. It's not hard for someone in the know to beef it up (Ducpainter has done it many times), but does take welding gear and care to do right.

[Rickrides]

Thanks for the great tips.  Looks like I found the right place! 

I found a factory maintenance manual on Ebay so I'll get that and maybe a Haynes as well.  I am pretty handy with a wrench so I should be able to take care of most maintenance myself. 

[muskrat]

and don't forget to post pics or no one will believe you. 

[Slide Panda]

The factory manual is good and comprehensive, but a bit oddly organized. All the torque values are at the end of the sections, which makes for a lot of page flipping.

[Pedro-bot]

pics or it didn't happen

[dlearl476]

I am buying an old friend's 2000 Monster 900.  It's covered a mere 600 miles and has been sitting, covered, in his garage in So Cal for several years.

"Several?" As in 12?  

Well, you've got me beat.  When I bought my '99 in 2007 it had 2100 miles on it.  By all means, change the belts and all the fluids.  I have a sneaking suspicion unless he stored it dry, you're gonna need a carb rebuild. (Or save yourself the aggrevation and put some FCR's on it)  If he DID store it dry, you may get get some leaks as the seals in the carb may have dried out.
Another thing you may have to worry about, if it wasn't put up properly, is the rings rusting against the wall of the cylinders.  If they've been sitting in the same place for twelve years, close to the coast, who knows.  If it were ME, I think I'd blast a good dose of PBlaster or LP3 Corrosion inhibitor in the spark plug holes and crank it a minute with the spark plugs out (or maybe even turn it over by hand) before I tried to run it.  
12 Years?  I think I'd also buy a case of cheap oil.  Change the oil before you run it (cold), then again after it's warmed up, (to get the aforementioned anti corrosion/solvent out of the oil) then again after 50 miles or so.  Then put it whatever brand you intend to run.  

If the tires don't have cracks, you may be good to go for a while. If so, replace them ASAP.  Either way, I wouldn't run them hard until you've replaced them.

Enjoy. I sure love mine.

[FrankenDuc]

900s are pretty tough, but do as FrankenDuc and koko64 state

Also
- Fork oil should be replaced.
- Shock oil probably should be as well.
- These bikes are spec'd for a valve check at 600 miles. This isn't hard to do on a 900 if you're handy. If you plan to take the tank off, might as well keep oing and dig in.
- I'd flush a bottle of cheap DOT4 fluid through the hydraulics before putting anything good in. You'll want to clear out any gunk that's developed. A vac bleeder may be needed.
- Inspect the chain for frozen links. A dose of good lube may free it up, but some might be too far gone after sitting of a long time.

- Be wary of raising the tank when it's got a decent amount of fuel in it. The original welds for the hinge plate on the tank aren't so great and get over stressed and crack if you're not careful. The cracks lead to a leak. It's not hard for someone in the know to beef it up (Ducpainter has done it many times), but does take welding gear and care to do right.

+1, Silde Panda points out what I missed.  I should amend my statement
"basically, it's about prioritizing and scheduling the replacement of all fossil derived substances on the bike" 

Of course, I think the brake fluid is glycol based, and doesn't fit into the above category...
Oh Well, do what you need to to keep yourself and the bike safe, and Enjoy!!!