well, update, got 'er plated with "c" plates (antique), so limited to 70km/h roads, but being that i'm riding in the country, for now it's not to bad. discovered the bikes no longer charging, had checked, but it looks like the brush leads have succumed to 19 years of corrosion and the vibrations of running again. didn't really leave me stranded, just waiting an hour for a trailer ride home. have put about 2 hours of riding on it, considering the battery wasn't charging, that's pretty good
still needs some tuning, hesitates at part throttle, but i suspect that might have something to do with the low battery, as it got worse the longer i rode.
was still a nice ride, beautiful weather and nice roads, the bike has lots of power despite the misfires, which i feel are related to the lack of charging, will have to verify. handles pretty well, soaks up the bumps well too, better than i expected anyways, what with over 50k on the clock and having spent nearly 20 years outside. feels tight, tosses into the corners easily, quite the pleasure to ride, especially after the wait.
have some new brushes on order, i'll post results when i have 'em, i have a feeling there's still carb work to do, as the plugs looked lean, i backed out the mix screws a bit and they look much better, but i will have to solve the charging problem before being able to continue tuning.
does feel good to finally be riding though