Bike resurection, 20+ years?

Between the state of my local used bike market, and it's status as a family heirloom bike, I'm once again looking at reviving my 1983 Suzuki GS650G. It was parked in '93 or 94 with a charging system failure, stored outdoors since '99. I'm thinking first step is to get it to a shop to see if the engine is seized up. Second is to address the electronics that parked it in the first place, rec/reg, stator, and battery. Then fuel system, carbs and petcock. Lastly is the chassis. Full Progressive suspension rebuild, tires, and whatever work the brakes need. So far my shopping cart at Dennis Kirk has most of the parts and is coming out to a little under $1000.

Good idea? Bad idea? Advice?

How was it stored? If it was just pushed into the backyard after the battery died, with fuel still in the carbs, that would be more of a challenge. I've heard that getting the small fuel passages cleaned well can be tough if they're all varnished up.

Start simple and cheap in a progressive way before spending a lot of money. I'd first assess to see what's left, get the engine to run again, then address the charging system, then move on to the brakes, suspension and tires.

For step 1, pour a bit of marvel mystery oil in the cylinders to soak for awhile, see if you can turn it over.

If the tank is rusty, drain the nasty gas and fill it with vinegar while you work on everything else. That way it will be clean by the time you work on the fueling system.

Definitely check the tank before anything else - if water got in the tank there's a likelihood that you need to at least seal it if not find a new one. I spent several days scrubbing the inside of my K1100LT's fuel tank - that bike had been laid up for 10+ years with no prep also, and the fuel system was nasty. You may also want to check if you can get a replacement tank on ebay just in case.

Some diesel or MMO down the bores and let it sit for a few days. I'd just pop the clutch cover off and see if you can get at the nut on the crank, then try to turn it over. No point in paying a shop to do that for you.

XLR99 makes good point regarding varnished carbs. If you're lucky a good soaking in carb cleaner and running them through a ultrasonic cleaner can work, but a friend of mine ran into issues even with cleaned carbs on a Honda CB500T that stood for a long that. In the end he had to buy another set of carbs.

Evaporust for the tank. It will not mess up the paint, if it sloshes on the outside and its reusable. As for charging. I start with getting it running 1st to make sure your not wasting $$. Then go to Oregon MC parts He's the #1 go to for charging help. If you don't need it he will not sell it to you. he will help you do it once and right. Never meet the man in person but very pleased with parts and info I've gotten from him as are others I've sent there. once you have it running nd charging then go to brakes and suspension rehab.

Never understood why people on some of the bike forums I frequent start with bikes that have sat outside and corroded. Why got thru that hassle on a bike not worth much. I bet you could buy a "parts bike" with no title for less than $400, swap out the good parts (motor if needed) to your titled frame and be far ahead.

I just bought a 1980 Yamaha XS400 for my wife with title for $450, found a parts bike for $80 that I bought for the mag wheels with disk brakes and the motor looks fine. I bet I could swap carbs from the good bike to the parts bike and get it running if needed.