We all pretty much know if you buy a 10-15 year old car with low mileage, the assumption
is there will be some work to be done on it... well, there might be some corrosion, or the engine might
need a little work, better change the oil, and check the antifreeze... So the car is purchased knowing full
well some money will have to be thrown at it to make it 'driveable, safe and road worthy'.
For some reason, in the motorcycle world a 10-15 year old bike should have preserved perfectly over time...
it's a seemingly common misperception (one I had as well on a 8 year old bike) that takes people by
surprise more often than not.
What I've learned, is that a motorcycle is more maintenance intensive than a car, a bit more to operate
than a car and its maintenance, if ignored, could cost you your life. I recently 'tallied' my total cost on
my 2006 Concours, between farkels, maintenance and repair, and I've almost tripled my purchase price
in just under 4 years (total spent w/purchase).
A motorcycle ain't cheap... not by any means. The prospect of having a shop do all the work I've done
would skyrocket that figure. Working on and riding my Connie is the labors and rewards of the love of
motorcycling, and Sport Touring... every penny spent was worth it 10 times over, every hour spent
turning a wrench, time well spent, because it all went to something I REALLY love doing...
To me, it's not the time/money spent as much as the return on investment.

So don't sweat the money... it's spent on your enjoyment
and safety... if it isn't... you've chose the wrong hobby.