75 MKIII Sitting A Long Time

Not a rebuild (I hope), but I have a 1975 MKIII that I bought new in December of 1976. Due to various life moves, jobs, etc., I have been able to keep the bike, and garaged, but have not used it much. It has a little over 3,000 miles total. Any recommendations, lists, guides, on what to do in such a situation, to go through what needs to be done for a bike that I assume is mechanically sound but likely has other items that need tending due to simply sitting for such a long time? I don't want to sell it. I am retiring the end of June and want to get it running. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum.

Since you are retiring, you SHOULD (might?) have sufficient time to to a "re-commission" (refurbish) and REALLY enjoy the bike once it's done properly.

Easy stuff, in no particular order:
Tires, tubes & rim strips
Battery (AGM or other maintenance-free)
Complete gasket set
Isolastic rubber gaiter set
Fork seals
Fork boots / gaiters
Shifter & kicker rubbers
Footpeg rubbers unless in good shape
Replace any frayed, nicked or kinked cables
Pair of carb overhaul kits including viton tipped needles and "stay up" floats
Pair of extended carb tickler buttons if not already equipped
New brake hoses
Brake caliper seals (all)
Brake master cylinder rebuild kits with new weather gaiters
Weather boot for front brake hose outlet @ master cyl
13mm master cylinder upgrade
Brake discs blanchard ground (and drilled if desired) DBR (Disc Brake Rebuilders are the best)
Primary chain
Cam chain
Drive chain
Heavy-duty electric starter cables
Light bulbs as required
New fuel taps (and perhaps in-line sediment filters)
Oil & filter
Points & condensers or electronic ignition unit w/ modern coil(s)
New spark plug wires & caps
New Sureflex clutch friction plates & "stuffer" plate to achieve optimal clutch stack height
Crankcase breather one-way reed valve (many options)
Exhaust crush washers (at the head)
Air filter element
All new exhaust rubber mounting buffers
New top steady rubber mounting buffers
New seat buffers as required
Battery tray rubber isloator sheets

Those would be the basics. (I'm sure I'm forgetting a handful of items as I'm not looking at the parts book at the moment)

I'll do a list of refurbishing tasks next.

Yes, it's a lot to think about.

Coincidentally, I'm about to start a complete restoration on a client MkIII in the next few weeks, I'll post up a complete list of the above with part numbers when I get it done.

Refurbshing task list, in no particular order:

Overhaul carbs (1-gallon can of Berryman's Chem-Dip or Gunk brand equivalent is recommended)
Flush transmission, inspect and re-fill
Flush primary case, disassemble clutch stack, inspect (replace parts as required) & re-fill
Flush top end, inspect & adjust valves
Flush crankcase, clean sump screen
Flush oil tank & lines, clean pickup screen @ oil tank, replace filter
Flush forks, inspect, replace seals & boots
Lubricate swingarm spindle w/ heavy OIL (NOT grease)
Flush gas tank (remove petcocks), inspect & replace fuel taps
Inspect entire wiring harness, repair faulty connections as required
Remove wheel bearing covers and re-pack w/ grease (remove if obviously rusted/dry, and replace)
Inspect rear shocks for evidence of fluid leakage, replace if no damping
Inspect steering bearings for free, smooth movement thru range of motion
Inspect and adjust control levers & pedals, lube & adjust as required
Disassemble throttle twistgrip, clean and lube with dry graphite
Inspect main isolastic assemblies and replace as required (if centers are not concentric with housing, or if dry/cracked)
Overhaul brake calipers
Overhaul brake master cylinders

I may be forgetting a few other tasks...

Thank you GrandPaul. Excellent list and advice. Greatly appreciated.

Agree with both lists. Both lists will eat into retirement funds but that is what retirement is for , to keep busy with fun projects.