Topic: Three CB350f's, two projects, and one chucklehead (me),

[Jheart]

Hey, I'm brand new to the forums, I just posted a "hello world" over in the newb forum.
LINK--http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=35486.0

I am the proud owner of three awesome bikes, three 1972 CB350 fours, two running well, one runs(ish). 12k, 11k and 22k miles respectively. I paid 950 for all three in from two buyers. I'm wicked happy with the deal, and I am stoked to get to work on them on tuesday (the fourth). The kicker is that I have never owned a motorcycle before. My dad's a bike buff, and I know my way around a two stroke, I know that with enough staring and scratching, I'll be able to pick this up eventually. I have bought shop and owner manuals, as well as a parts list.

I want to turn the two good bikes into a cafe looking thing for me, and an original restore for my brother, PFC Lucas Haskell, serving in Afghanistan, for when he's home. I'm going to start with my bike, because I'm less concerned about original parts, and once I get my feet under me, start alternating between them. I have a good chunk of time, and some money put away, a full shop of tools, and now, you guys. This post will serve as the build log for both projects.

I already have a few questions, and I'm sure a whole bunch more will come up.

What is the general take on this bike? What do you guys think of it in terms of power, smooth ride, finicky parts, etc...
and
What is the one thing owners of this bike think I should know before I dive in?

I know everyone loves pics, so I'm including a few of them, as I bought them. The one not pictured has the green tank that I prefer.



Thanks in advance, and I'll update as often as I do something important.
-Jackson

[kghost]

If thats your parts bike peeking out of the garage.....its got a pretty cool mag wheel on the front.

Does the back match?

And welcome....saw your intro...answered here

Good luck thier fun bikes.

[75modrat]

Well, unfortunately I have no real input to offer. I have a cb750K and my last bike was an 82 goldwing. But it looks like you got a great deal. I got paid almost that for one bike that used bolts as fuses and more zip ties than can possibly safe for riding!

Just wanted to say "welcome." And that it is great that you are making one for your brother.

Frank

[hoodellyhoo]

Speaking from experience (just got my license last fall), the 350f makes a good first bike. Light enough weight, smooth power, and can go 70+mph on the freeway. Looks like you got one heck of a steal with those 3.

[kslrr]

Welcome.  The 350 is a sweet machine, I have had mine since the late '70's.  It has a great sound, akin to a sewing machine, is smooth and powerfull enough to be fun.  I have reached 100 mph (the ton) on mine before I started the mods 25 years ago (I am not finished yet).

[heffay]

maybe its because i already replied to your newbie thread as to why i'm responding w/ this but...

i have parts if you get in a pinch.   

welcome!

[fixahonda]

Welcome to the forums. I'm pretty new here myself. I think you would be hard pressed to find another place with the knowledge and community of this one.
Nice find with the three. They do seem to multiply. I started with one '73 and two months later found another pair to add to the collection.
I think they are great all around bikes.  Good for beginners or not. They handle well and have enough power to have fun. Parts don't seem to be all that hard to come by either.

[mattcb350f]

Welcome Jackson,

  Great score 

  My 350F is my first and only motorcycle.... and I love it.

  They're nice to work on and only a few parts are becoming scarce..... like the original exhaust system.

 Looking forward to the build (s),

 Matt.

[Hush]

Big Hi from New Zealand, we have some guys over here with very pretty CB350's and they will know a lot more than me cos I'm a bunny and keep making howling mistakes with my CB650 rebuild so listen to them lol.
This site is "the find" of the century for anyone playing around with these quad cylinder super bikes, I've gained sooo much from just chatting to other owners on here and when things don't go right in the shed I can just jump on here and vent until someone tells me the error of my ways.
Welcome and happy rebuilding, you lucky lucky guy those 3 bikes are genuine finds...............Hush.

[750goes]

I saw a couple of exhaust systems on ebay here in OZ - you might want to look at them just for the headers ??

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150251542914&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150251544698&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

[loonymoon]

Good to see another 350F enthusiast.

The 350 was my first proper motorcycle (I bought it in 1999) and still is my only motorcycle (I've had scooters before and since).

I love it, it's a gorgeous looking little bike, takes people by surprise when they see what looks like a small bike from the front and then see the 4 pipes at the back (I managed to find aftermarket 4-4 pipes for mine which makes it look GORGEOUS).

It's an easy bike to ride, very friendly but is up for a bit of fun too.

Enjoy.


You can see and hear mine in this thread http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=34870.0

[troppo]

I saw a couple of exhaust systems on ebay here in OZ - you might want to look at them just for the headers ??

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150251542914&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150251544698&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

You should have a look at his other items, he has a collection of model engineer magazines from about 1942 until 1952, interesting stuff

[Jheart]

loonymoon, that was an awesome video. That made me so anxious to get to work. Where did you get your 4 into 4 aftermarket? And did it cost an arm and a leg and some toes?

[okie]

Send me your left arm for a deposit (to be followed by either leg) and I can make your dreams of 4 into 4 exhaust on the CB350F become a reality.  

Seriously, I just can't seem to get enough of these things.  I sold two of them last month and within 10 days I bought another one.  As others have said, replacement parts are reasonably available and the bikes are easy to work on. I am sure you will appreciate yours more every day.

[loonymoon]

Hi jheart.

I got my silencers from MIVV. You do have to have the OEM downpipes though as they are just the end cans.

http://www.mivv.it/en/prodotti_apri_silencer.asp?cs=403

I think they were about £200ish I ordered them through David Silver spares. That was  2-3 years ago now though.

Okie got some I believe but he had to wait ages for them to show up. Worth the wait though.

[Jheart]

Alright, I jumped headfirst into the bikes today. I..
-Cleaned one complete set of carbs, labeling everything. Everythings drying as I type.
-Fixed and balanced the throttle cables
-Bought and charged a new battery
-Began cleaning one of the tanks
-Rebuilt the petcock

But... As I went through the checklist on the bike, everything checked out, lights, signals, horn, etc.. except now it won't start. I really need some help here, because I don't recognize the noises the bike is making. The starter motor cranks over, and sometimes it souns like it's getting compression, but no hint of catching. And a couple of times, It's made this loud CLUNK noise, that scared the bujesus out of me. It sounded almost like a half inch bolt got caught in the engine. My crazy neighbor assured me this was okay, but he reads the paper in his underwear on the porch, so after hearing this noise twice, I stopped trying to start the bike. I'm kind of worried, and I don't want to do any (more) damage.

Before it made the noise though, I could see the carb sucking gas, the choke was out, and the carbs were supposedly just cleaned before I bought it, but it still wouldn't catch. I'm a little baffled as to what to do next.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow after work, and try to get a video up too, so you can all hear it. PLEASE HELP!!

[fishman_Phil]

Have you checked the position of the KILL switch on the right side of the handlebars. I may seem like a silly thing to overlook but I got caught briefly recently with my CBX400F.
Cheers ... Phil in NZ