XT350 rebuild

[Snook]

I recently picked up a 1986 XT 350. The bike came to me partially seized. I pulled it apart and its not too bad, needs a piston and a bore for sure, but I'm a little concerned about the head. I have read on the forums that the head is susceptible to failure. The bike has 15,000 miles on the odometer. So to all of you mechanics out there who have seen more than a few of these bikes in your shops, how deep do I go into the head rebuild. New cams, valves, the whole shebang? Or can I get away with just lapping the valves? Is this a good time to try and wake the motor up? Or is it more reliable in stock form? I want the bike for a commuter and to teach the girlfriend to ride. She is a lil scared of the cr250.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[QKENUF4U]

leave the bike stock
bore the cylinder and put in next size piston
put new valve seals on
lap in valves
(if ya can have someone bead blast the chamber/valves to clean the carbon off them)
just look at the cam and make sure its not flat, gouged/scratched , blued from heat etc.