Yesterday, I dragged (literally) my old '69 Honda CL350 cafe bike out of the lawn mower shed. I built it in about 1974, but it has been parked in the back of the shed for the last 20 years, unmoved. The CV carbs had bad diaphragms and there were no replacements available back then. I had my ironhead Sportster at the time, so the poor old Honda was forgotten. Anyway, I finally got up the courage to pull it out into the daylight and it looked pretty bad... The fork lock was rusted in the locked position, so I had to free it up with some liquid Wrench and patience. Luckily, I found my old ignition key. Then I hosed it off to see what sort of mayhem 20 years worth of moisture and grime had done to the paint, chrome, and plastic. It actually looked pretty good after I cleaned it up. The header, handlebars, carb tops, various fasteners, and a few spots on the frame were rusty, but that's about it. It needs a thorough gas tank & carb cleaning, new tires, battery, carb diaphragms, chain, and numerous other small items, but the motor, clutch, and transmission are free, so I'm encouraged.
The unbelievable part is the "Black Bomber" tank. While they may have been reasonably priced in '74, they can be worth a small fortune now. Check these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1965-68...Parts_Accessories&hash=item27e5727178&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-65-68-...Parts_Accessories&hash=item2593b79071&vxp=mtr Just wanted to warn you before you decided to hammer in knee scoops or something stupid. Or you might want to find another style and sell that one to fund other farkels from Dime City. Not trying to be rude or anything, although I'm no fan of the Cafe scene. The bike sure did clean up well! For tank reference, here's a pic of my original Bomber.
Believe me, I know what the tank is. No plans to do anything to it other than make sure the inside is clean and put a good wax job on the original paint. The chrome panels are in fine condition, too, under the white paint. No sanding or anything was done to them, just a light coat of primer and the paint. I'm not part of the current café scene and don't plan on buying farkels from Dime City, whatever that is... I built this café from a wreck 40 years ago (during the last café fad), so no OEM parts were harmed. I think I paid about $35 for the Black Bomber tank at a salvage yard in1974. Anyway, I know where you're coming from, and the tank is safe with me. I hate seeing nice survivors hacked up and painted flat black in the name of café racers. Nice motorcycle collection, BTW. I've seen a lot of your pics on this site.
Wow, that cleaned right up, never would have known that bike looked like it does under all that dust and grime!
I wouldn't change anything on it, except maybe the tires. But even those, you can get new/period correct stuff. The fact that it was built 40 years ago is brilliant, it's authentic, the real deal and most importantly ( to me anyway ), it hasn't been hacked to pieces, with large pieces of frame lopped off here & there. The 450 tank makes it look like the bike was built that way in the first place. Just ride it, it's what it's why you built it in the first place.
The old Ironhead knows it's still top dawg around here... But...I've had the 350 since it was new in '69, so we have a bit more history.
Op nice bike I'm looking at a 74 scrambler 350 with six thousand miles. Bikes in descent shape Cromes nice and shinie and didn't see any motor oil leaks.She runs but it doesn't idal . Is their anything I should look for before I buy said motocycle ? Thanks in advance .
I'd guess it will need fresh tires & tubes and a good fuel system cleaning at the least. Check the oil to see if it looks new, look at the chain and sprockets for wear, and check everything electrical to make sure it works. Test the steering and suspension for smooth operation, make sure the brakes work. I'm just now getting back into the 350 scene, so I'm probably not the best person to ask...
hello again went to pick up the 350 Honda today and the title was jacked . Out of state and the #s on back said 2002 but somebody marked it out and it said 2014 . Guy selling said bike had not signed title . Any Ideas to get this classic back on the road . Or should I weight for the next motorcycle ? Thanks again ��
Wait for another one. In my state any marking up on the title would instantly void the title and the DMV clerk would destroy it right there.
Move to Kansas. Any bike 35 years or older just needs a bill of sale to get a Kansas tiltle. Vermont is a possibility as well. You could also go the lost title route, but that costs a bit more in most states. A lost, missing, or adulterated title isn't necessarily a deal breaker; it just makes the purchase more of an adventure. The only thing that would be a deal breaker is if the jacked title is not in the seller's name. In that case I'd want the seller to pay for getting it all straightened out, offering to pay half the cost if the result is a transferable title.
Op , that's a nice bike and would like to know how you took your bike out of hibernation after all that . K-mo , the bike in question has a Kansas title without the sellers name ; just someone from Kansas . My question is if someone purchased said bike in Missouri how could it be legit to get back on the road ? First time dealing with this kind of debacle. Thanks in advance.
It's not out of hibernation just yet. Needs a lot of work to get it running again, but at least it looks like it's worth saving. Speaking of titles, mine's too old to need one, so all I have to do is go to the courthouse and register it again. What's neat, is that I can register it as a vintage vehicle and use a license plate from 1969, which I have. I may do that this week.
