Seems like some counterweight is needed for the complaints about early SFs. I've owned one for 20 years and had virtually no trouble with it. Had to adjust the shift selector once. Lost electrical because of corrosion in the fuse holder once. Carburetion issues caused by an air leak in one intake manifold when the inner edge of the o-ring channel broke and allowed the o-ring to get sucked partway into the intake tract. I did have some trouble with the exhaust system, but not the header pipes and cross-over. The trouble was the single bolt attaching one of the silences to the frame vibrated out and the silencer fell off onto the road. Now it's safety-wired. That's about it. I'm still running points, last adjusted maybe a decade ago. If you're building one up from a pile of parts or trying to rescue a bike that's been well and truly bodged there will certainly be challenges, but once put together properly these bikes are about as bullet-proof as anything ever made. Huge fun, too. One other thing: save yourself a lot of frustration and just fit the open bellmouths on the carbs, as the factory intended. I installed an air-cleaner several times (both the early factory one and the one Wolfgang sells with foam filter element) and could never get it to run well at the top end.
