Well, you have a 74, and aside from having 4 cylinders, bikes don't get much easier to work on. I got my 78 when I was 19 or so, and it seems like it is daunting at first. I didn't even have a worthwhile manual in the beginning. Then I got a clymers, which when I look back, still wasn't worthwhile. The work itself is actually fairly simple, it just isn't always straight-forward. For example, rebuilding the front brake. It is easy to do, just isn't easy to do right the first time, unless someone tells you certain things to look for. But once you know those things, no problem.
The same is getting you here. Best thing you can do is get the manual here. Go through the baseline tuning steps, then go through troubleshooting steps. These 2 things can weed out a number of problem but either fixing them, or bringing them to light so you can fix them now instead of finding out about them later.
You also have to think of it this way, you bought a 42 year old bike. Now, how old are you? Good chance the bike is as old, or older, than you are. Many of these bikes get some care, many don't. So, you are now working against age, and a PO that didn't really know what he/she was doing.
However, once you get done doing the work, you will look back and wonder why you were worried in the first place. You will be a more than a leg up over all the riders who just get a bike and don't even know how to change their oil. And that feeling is awesome. You will be part of a diminishing group of riders that also knows how to fix their bike.
So now after the wall of text, lets go to the beginning.
Oil, unless you have too much, won't stop the engine from starting. So, lets look at fuel and spark.
First, we need to make sure your carbs are getting gas. Simple, hook 4 pieces of clear fuel tubing to the drain nipples under the float bowls. Turn them up so the end is above the fuel bowl and there are no kinks. Now, turn the petcock on to run/normal. Open the drain screws then. Each tube should fill to about the same level, and it will usually be just below the top of the fuel bowl. But each tube should have fuel levels similar to the other tubes. If they don't fill, try turning to reserve. If levels are really uneven, then setting float height is needed.
If fuel fills the tubes good, then you should be getting fuel to the carbs and thus to the engine. But, if in doubt, get a can of "Start Ya Bastard" also known as starting fluid! Pull the airbox off and spray in TINY spritzes of fluid. It is extremely volatile! If the engine still does not even fire slightly, we know it is electrical. If the tubes do not fill, then something is blocking fuel flow, likely in the tank.
First step is to find out what ignition system you are running. You WILL need to know this. With those aftermarket coils, my bet is going to be a dyna system of some sort. Regardless, I doubt it is points and so the manual won't help for those settings, but manuals are available for whatever ignition you may have. However, occasionally you will find aftermarket 5 ohm coils and points.
We will stop here. Make sure fuel is getting to the carbs and that you know what ignition system you have. Once the above has been done, we can move forward.
The ride IS the adventure. The destination is just to get gas!
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