Charlotte, my side hustle: CB350G
 

“Wanna discuss mods for your old Honda CB?”

I have a laugh when the read me listed this, as why this section exists. Well… yes… I guess I would…

My current other bike a CB350G - a stock, original, complete-when-I-bought-it 1973 CB350. I’ve been Jonesing for a Classic ‘70’s Honda since… the 70’s. Probably since ‘73.

I was cheated out of some things, in my childhood.

Swindled. Robbed.

Earlier this year I found this ‘73 about ~100+ miles / 200km from me. I’d already looked at a variety of late model Honda twins - I know I wanted a twin and not a four, for reasons of… simplicity. And I had realized I wanted a ‘73 as it was the year with the front disc brake - brakes seemed important.

No dreams of a cafe racer. No dreams of some amazing show quality bike. A bike to take out and ride every day. Something rideable. Reliable. I wasn’t worried about stock, original complete so much as things like… health of the bike.

This one… sounded like it might be it. Long trip to see it, no plans to actually buy it. Seller was my age. Sound story for how he bought it, why he had it for… a dozen years. He knew the history of the bike for the last 30ish years. I looked at it all - carbs matched, exhaust even matched, clean for rust except for… inside of tank, of course. Bike seemed healthy, complete, all there. We shook hands and made plans for me to come back with cash and a trailer.

As the bike has been owner maintained for… 30+ years, and is going to be owner maintained how the next (x) years, I took it to a local one-man Honda Guru to give it a deep look, for its sake and my own. Fuel tank failed; I’ll feel to find a solution for that (solutions welcome, I have a stock in one fire on this that I’m happy to discuss). Original seat has a tear - I have a local seat… artist willing to create something out of my seat pan, but I’m in line for whenever they are willing / have time.

But… bike is back home now. Time to tack the clipboard to the wall and start the list of things to check.

here she is.

Looks good! :tup: My first bike was a CB200.

I would love, love, LOVE to have a CL as a trail bike. Like, a CL175 or a CL200. That would just be it. Of course, if we could have an EFI version of that… I’d know I’d have died and gone someplace…

Years ago I had a '74 CB350F1 4-cylinder in Glory Blue Black Metallic. It was a smooth fun bike to ride, my wife used it as a daily commuter (weather depending) to her job 4 miles from home. Sadly, I never took any pics of it while I owned it.

Last bike BC(Before Children)was a 71 CB500. I both miss and do not miss that bike, though I probably would not walk away from another restorable CB500/550.

I skipped that generation of Honda two-cylinder bikes. Went from a silver '67 305 Scrambler to a '80 CB400 Hawk, like this one. Same color. That was a sweet little bike.

Edit: Added pic of a CL77, 305 Scrambler.

Kids today: What do you mean, you don’t have a picture of it?

Bring home another one. See what happens.

“You gonna ride that?”

“Every damn day.”

“What ‘bout them other ones?”

“Them too.”

Man… look at those lines. And they say nothing good came out of disco.

Oh, Lordy. I just checked, and there’s a ‘69 CL125 for sale in my city, asking price US$1250. Shiiiiiiiit.

(Checks pocket for loose change…)

I get that all the time when folks go into my shop for the first time...

I hear, "You can only ride one at a time!"
My answer, "You golf right? Do you go to the golf course with only one club in your bag?"

The cord on my phone wasn't long enough for me to take pictures of the bike in the driveway...:lmao:


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/9167/NczMQK.jpg

I had a '74 CB750K4 as well as a CB550 but i cannot remember the year of the 550. I want to say it was around a '75 or '76. If i were to pick up another motorcycle to replace the Harley that was repoed earlier this year i would prob look for a CB of some type at this point. Likely a 550 or 650. Unless i stumbled upon a CB700 NightHawk.

Been trying to stay a little obscure with the new bikes I'm shopping for. I'd love to add a 350/4 to the collection. Gotta finish the other two first.....

I know the feeling. I just stumbled across a 72/73 Wankel powered Arctic Cat sled. I'm forcing myself to ignore it because I have other crap that needs to be done first.

Whoa, whoa, whoa… that implies “finishing” one…

Nice looking CB350 McQueen. That is indeed one bulletproof engine.

Three Hondas in my past, that I remember.

1974-ish CB400F supersport, in red
It had the narrow coffin tank with matching long narrow seat with a stylish chrome bezel, a rather heavy, but cool four into one original exhaust. Very low miles and never wrecked. I think the redline was like 11000. Maybe 10500. Six gears, close ratio. It might have made only 16 hp but what range and endless gear choices...and sounded FABULOUS!

1980-2 XR500R. It had an automatic decompression valve that the kick start transiently engaged for easy starts. 5 speed dirt bike. I managed to plate it even though no turn signal or horn. I am not sure if it even had a battery. I had money on the companion XL500 but the dealership sold it on me just before I picked it up. Gee.

Lastly, a 1972-4ish CB450 with DOHC in green with nice chrome trim on the tank. This bike ran great. I bought it from an Air Force guy in Albuquerque complete with base parking sticker.

I think I sold it to buy a GS850 shaftie. That thing had a bad stator. It kept draining the battery. That was an Achilles heal of the early GS series. It was a 3wire AC stator. Sold it and bought a fantastic GS 1100 TSCC 16V in Candy apple red with close color-matched narrow cafe fairing with tallish narrow dark smoked windscreen (Cheetah, as I recall)... Muth styled tank. That was a real flagship!

Oh, what were we talking about? Oh, Hondas, yeah!

Sorry, I got side-tracked :hi:

DON'T DO IT CHEESY!!! FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3HBAvkc4a0

I rode a 1971 CB350 as my main means of transport, all through high school. Fog, rain, blistering CA sun, it just kept going regardless of how my youthful foolishness abused it.
Oh, it leaked, stumbled on occasion, would "run on one" for no particular reason when it felt like it, and of course, the electric start never worked.....but I never had to push that bike.

And driving it produces an entirely different kind of smile…

Dorito:hehe:

No worries now, 2LZ. I inquired and the seller had neither a title nor the will to sell the sled based on his asking price.

New seat, who dis?
 

So, bike has been back for a couple of weeks, holidays have been here, and I’ve been getting my ass handed to me by the respiratory thing going around - not COVID, but not nice.

Got the call from New Church Moto that it’s time for my original seat to be rebuilt, so I pulled that off and prepared it to be boxed and shipped. Weeks earlier, I had ordered a replacement seat from Texavina, as it seemed like they might be the only ones around making seats actually fitted for specific models. Low and behold, I moved over the hardware from my original seat to this Texavina one, and it mounted right into place. It was a Festivus miracle! It should hold me over while New Church Moto does her magic and makes me something amazing.

I still need a solution for my tank. Raretromoto sent me info with sizing for one of theirs that might be close to what I am looking for - need to break out a tape measure and see.