Is a vintage motorcycle a smart buy, like a 1970s honda?

it depends on the owner and how well he took care of his machine.
i've seen some owners of older bikes having their bikes looking waaaaaaay better than some guys with decades newer machines.
it's all about how well the person took care of their stuff.

if ur ready to spend double the amount for maintenancee of ur vintage bike than that of the newer bikes..then u can surely think of buying it bcoz..older bikes a lot of oil..!

CB750s are pretty bulletproof if you can find one that is running now you should be able to keep it running with a modicum of technical knowhow, but overall (and generally) they will require more maintenance than new bikes and although there is a supply of engine parts body work is scarcer.

I would love to have an old CL350 or a CB750. The hard part is finding a good one and finding a source for parts. Buying toys like bikes, hotrods, boats, snowmobiles, planes or whatever is never smart but they make life a lot more fun and as long as you're having fun and the wife and kids have shoes and food, go for it!

Hmmm…35 year old bike that is extremely heavy, hard to find parts for, handles like crap, and has terrible brakes. I can't think of any reason not to buy one.

Think about this. If you got a cb750{i used to own one), for say $500. The tires were ok electrical was good. I am in nc. A complete overhaul shouldn't cost more than $1000.00 to $1200.00. then depending on cosmetics you could have a killer bike for around $2500.00,with basically a brand new motor hence ease of maintenance worrys. But it all boils down to budget. If you should find a cb750 and it runs buy it drive the wheels off it and get a new one rock n roll

I have been restoring CB, CL, SL350's and CB750F Super Sports for 20 years. I don't sell them unless they are running as good as new or better. I have sold many of them to Guys in Belgium, Germany and across the USof A. I have never had a complaint. You're not going to break any speed records. You're going to give up a lil' comfort over the newer bikes, along with handling and maybe some gas mileage. You're going to have a lil' knowledge about the mechanics of the bike as there are very few shops that will work on them. But then again you have a lil' nostalgia and something different in the neighborhood. You will pay about $3800.00 Plus for a mint CB750….and a little, (not much), less for a mint CB350…….