Great read.
I am a complete novice on mechanics but decided that now with time on my hands it's about time that I should get my hands dirty. I bought a bike to get back on the road (it had been standing for about 5+ years), hoping that I won't need to be having to get too involved for my first attempt, but finding one thing leads to another. God I hope that I don't have to delve as deep as you have as I am a complete novice who has entered into this as a part of a learning curve.
By the way, your bike looks great, and as others have said you just don't always know what you are getting !