A machine is only as good as it's designer and its mechanic.
The design of the SOHC4 is well proven and reliable. Which leaves the mechanic/maintenance of the machine as the dominant variable.
I gotta say, if you expected to buy a 30-40 year old machine and not do any corrective maintenance on it, the fault is yours.
If you assumed all the maintenance that was done to a bike (that looked to be in poor condition) had survived unscathed since new, I'd say you had the wrong expectations from the start.
If a bike looks bad, the outward signal beacon is that the bike was NOT well cared for. The fact that someone got rid of it rather than doing or paying what it takes to make it good, should also have been a clue.
You clearly (in retrospect) paid far too much for the bike. (I've gotten bikes for "free" that I paid too much for, btw.) And, it is your examination before purchase that is at fault. I mean, if it superficially looks bad, and you do only a superficial pre-purchase inspection, can you really expect to find a 30-40 year old diamond hidden under the ragged skin?
No machine "loves" it owner. It is not treating you badly. It is doing everything it is capable of under the laws of physics. It needs what it needs to operate reliably and you either meet those requirements, or abandon it. ANY feelings associated with the machine are yours, which you either control or experience as they arrive.
If you are unable to work on it yourself, then you should expect to pay a "living" wage to whoever does the work for you and without complaint as to "costs". This fact alone is why these bikes are available. Someone didn't want to pay for it's upkeep and care anymore, and you assumed those chores when you acquired this machine example.
"Was it a dumb idea to buy a SOHC4 bike?"
Fundamentally, no.
Was it a dumb idea for YOU to buy a SOHC4 bike with the assumption that it was in equal condition, under the skin, to one off the showroom floor? Yes!
Was it a dumb idea for you to assume that obvious external neglect didn't extend inside the machine under it's facade? Oh Yes!
Part of what you buy in a vintage SOHC4 is the discovery process of all the good and bad things that have been done to it since it was new, and most of them don't have a maintenance record book that notes it all before purchase.
When I acquire one, I do my best to make sure all the new things done to it are a step toward restoring toward the famous reliability it had when new.
I can love them. I don't expect them to love me back. If it breaks or wears out, it's simply my job to force the machine back into submission toward it's design.
I've had machines (and still have one) where the whack-a-mole game is in full play. Fix one problem and another one comes up. I call it the "drama queen" because it is never 100%. And, you just never know when something else is going to go bad that you simply didn't expect (not anything close to routine maintenance). The good news is that the assemblage of parts does seem to make it to wherever it is pointed. Just not with any peace of mind for the driver. Much of it stems from the designer's lack of insight regarding reliability and the pervasive lack of concern for it's operation past the warranty time limit.
Still, it's my fault for picking my projection of what I thought it should be over what the machine actually is. One day I'll get tired of yet another correction to it beyond routine, and sell the thing to the next person that will let it all deteriorate to dust, or keep up with it's foibles. Today, I can only say, that when it works, it danged fun. But, enjoy the moment, as it will certainly pass, if past behavior is any means for prediction.
Finally, I have to question if you bought the bike to be seen with it, or to fully experience ownership of the vehicle's operation traits. If the former, make it look pretty and take lot's of pictures for the photo album for later nostalgia, and then sell it off. If the latter, find a different hopeful example, or bend this one to your will of making it "like new" by repairing what's been done to it over the years, the things that you didn't know about before purchase.
Cheers,
