[Miss Mercedes]

Depends on where you live, but I think your budget is very realistic. I got a GL1100 for $950, a GS850G for $500, and routinely see mid range Hondas of that vintage under $1k. It really all depends on how much you want it to work and how pretty you want it to be before you start your project. Running ones with cosmetic issues could be had for like $500-$800 and so on. You could even complete your cafe project with money to spare depending on how much work you're willing to do yourself.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

You aren't likely to find super detailed step by step videos for every engine. Like UK said if you ever need an engine rebuild it'll probably be cheaper/easier to just buy a parts bike for a couple hundred dollars, swap in the engine, then sell what remaining good parts are left to possibly break even.

The main reason (at least to me) that a rebuild is difficult is that the person doing the rebuild would be trying to return an engine to factory specs and tolerances. If they screw something up (even a small thing) or cut corners, that engine may never run "right" ever again.

My two daily bikes are a 1982 Suzuki GS850G and a 1980 Honda GL1100. Online forums will be your saviour with these old bikes.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Alright thanks a lot. How about the safety of these bikes? Obviously over the course of almost 50 years there have been huge safety improvements, so just how dangerous is a 70s bike in comparison to a new one, and what should I watch out for?

In my dailying two early 80s bikes I noticed two big differences between them and the comparatively modern bikes that replaced them:

1. They aren't as nimble as a modern equivalent. - Some of these bikes earned nicknames like "Widowmaker", "Evil", and "Wicked" because they sometimes were fitted with engines that could easily outrun the rest of the bike's capabilities. Having modern tyres does help a lot with making the rest of the bike's tech catch up to the engine, but don't expect a 70s or 80s bike to outhandle something new. Some of these bikes can also get a bit top heavy and that alone can change how they feel compared to a modern bike.

2. The powerful ones are less forgiving to mistakes. - A consequence of that first bit, if you screw up it may be harder to recover from it than if you were riding something modern.

With that said, if you're a responsible rider you'll be fine and have tons of fun. Both my '80 GL1100 and my '82 GS850G turn heads and appear to be awesomely reliable. The GL1100 was in storage for a whole year before I bought it. The owner's dad didn't even bother with fresh fuel. It started up without issues with no more than a carb cleaning. I've since cleaned out all the old fuel and it's running even better.

I'm currently looking at getting a Yamaha RD200 or some other 2 stroke road bike for a winter project.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

My most expensive old bike is my GL1100. It was $950 and it had a recent paintjob, modded carbs, and some other tasteful changes. It only needed minor electrical work (turn indicators and maybe a new turn signal switch bank). My GS850 was only $500. It doesn't look great but it runs fantastic. You don't have to look too hard to find similar bikes that run well but look a little worse for wear.

I took another evaluation of the GS and have decided to move forward with my repainting. Despite my efforts to seal the paint it continues to peel and fall off anyway. :shrug: