I'd agree with the above comments.....nice bike, iffyl stem and would be wary of triple clamps on that frame.
When I first started riding, my friends and I all rode what was available - mainly XC bikes, in a small size with tough bits on them. The bits tended to outlast teh frames! I friend had a King Kikapu of similar vintage and it cracked around the headtube. I would stick to a nice pair of single crown forks.