Topic: '72 cb350k4...stage 2

[johnspeck]

original project thread: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52010.msg559634#msg559634

the bike as of now:





quick recap of work done so far:

engine top-end rebuild
>honed cylinders/new rings/gaskets
>valve job
>new cam-chain tensioner assembly
stainless fasteners on engine
rick's stator/rectifier-regulator
hondaman ignition/NOS points plate assembly
mikuni vm30's/k&n filters
shorty reverse megaphone mufflers (with re-wrapped baffling)

tapered steering bearings
hagon shocks
avon roadriders
new chain
15 wt. fork oil
euro handlebars
new bump-style seat foam/cover on stock pan
fender undersides cleaned/painted
lucas-type tail light


the engine is in great shape, around 5k miles before the top-end refresh.  really good compression, and i've got the carbs jetted pretty close to right.

with the addition of the new seat shape, i've been seeing the lines of the bike slightly different.  i was initially thinking of ducati monster bars, or cb400f bars (lower than my euro bar rise, but not a drag bar profile).
just to see what it would look like, i took my bars off yesterday, and flipped them upside down.  i actually like this look and feel, compared to a brand-new set of clubmans i have sitting in the garage.  the upside-down euro bars don't put your hands as far forward, clear the tank, and give it a bit of a boardtracker vibe.  i'm pretty critical aesthetically, and they don't look as goofy as stock high-rise bars flipped upside down, at least not as bad as i'd imagined.

here are some pics of the bars test-mounted:
(please ignore the messy garage floor, i've been busy)


(the flash lets you see the bars better)





what do you think?  i can adjust them to approximate clubmans, or to reach up and back a little more (like i have them in the pics).

this ties into the next step.  one of my fave bikes of all-time is the cb400f.  i love the styling and the way the bike rides.  i especially like the positioning of the footpegs.  they sit right around the swingarm pivot point.  they're a little further back compared to the stock position on my pegs, same relative height, but not as far back as rearsets (using the passenger peg locations).

i work for a small steel fab shop (with a gearhead boss), so i can easily cut and weld in extensions to the stock pegs that would look almost factory and locate them at the swingarm.  i've thought the process through and bounced ideas off my boss.  by extending the stock peg brackets back around 3 inches, i utilize all the stock linkage.  all i have to do is shorten the gearshift lever and weld on a new tip, and the brake lever can be heated and bent back and up a bit, then cut and weld the end back on.  it's subtle enough that the brake should still have good leverage, as it's pretty easy to lock up.

the next step is the front end.  i like the stripped down look, so i'll be removing the fork covers, rebuilding the front end with straight-rate springs and possibly emulators if i can fit them.  i'll fab headlight mounts and put some gaitors over the springs (although the exposed springs look pretty cool).  i'm actually thinking about a combination headlight mount/tach mount bracket.  i made a small bracket to center the tach, but i think i can clean up the levers and controls eventually, so i could incorporate a few switches into the bracket as well and look really trick in the process.

i'll finish up test-mounting the bars today.  i don't want to drill the bars again for the other side, so i'm modding the housings to run the wiring outside.  a travesty if they were mint, but they weren't, and i'll be rewiring the bike to reduce/relocate most of the bar controls.
i don't have turn signals, i can locate a horn switch on the left bar standalone and just mount an MX style lever.  the run/kill switch can be located on the tach bracket i'm designing, as well as a three-way light switch (off/on/hi).  i could mount a starter button standalone on the right side to match the horn button, or make it stealthy.

i'm relocating a smaller horn. also thinking of mounting the ignition up there between the bars somewhere.

whew!  a lot of stuff, but i'm feeling pretty inspired by all the cool bikes at a show this past weekend, and i've got the tools and capabilities to get it done for relatively low $$$ (free steel stock, free help from the boss for any welding stuff i can't handle, use of the shop), plus i have a lot more tools since i started the work on this bike when i got it this spring.  i'll be carefully cleaning up any welds, painting and making it look as 'factory' as possible.

more pics as i progress...

[johnspeck]

ok, so...the bars are on as a sort of test-fit.  i'm riding with them to get a feel, then i'll likely fab up something similar that has a cleaner look, not so much "those bars are upside down".

i have a set of brand-new clubmans i never got around to using anywhere else, so ic ould go that route, but they put my arms too far forward.  these are perfect because they're wider than the clubmans, they pull back just a bit, and they work pretty great with stock footrest locations (i'm not totally contorted bent over).

some pics:









i've also been thinking about my original idea for moving the footrest and controls back towards the swingarm ala 400f.
i'm leaning more towards a rear-set idea, but not as far back as they normally get placed.  after some butt-on-milkcrate-in-garage brainstorming, i'm thinking i could utilize the forward part of the passenger peg brackets, cutting off most of the rear part, except enough for a tab to mount the exhausts.  i've drawn it out in silver to visualize:



the hole to mount the pegs could be located where i'm pointing:


i would weld the rest of the bracket to the frame, and fab an arm for the footpeg that comes down as well as out.  i could modify the stock controls pretty easily to work in this spot.

this is still just bouncing ideas around...i want to think things through before i hack anything off.  but it's coming together from the idea i have in my mind.

also, since i had to mess with the cabling at the bars, and having taken the bike on a long-distance ride this past weekend, i went through and did a full tune-up.  points, timing, re-torque cylinder head, set valves, new plugs, oil change, readjust clutch and front brake, sync carbs and reset idle...wow!
this bike has run pretty great, no complaints, but right now it's like a little swiss watch.  really tight and running like a champ.  it's been a total blast to ride around town, and the weather is looking great for the weekend.

[johnspeck]

mounted clubmans just to see how they feel.  i'm going to ride them around this weekend and figure out if i want to keep them before i shorten any cables.

[johnspeck]

pics w/ clubmans:







the clubmans aren't as uncomfortable as my past experiences on other bikes.  maybe a shorter wheelbase?  but i think they definitely look better with the seat, the styling is a little more in character.

a friend is sending me some plastic sheathing for a new wire harness.  i'm going to build a new one from scratch with factory wire colors, but split it into a couple harnesses instead of one big one, and route it a little differently.  this will tie into a smaller gel battery and cleaning up the area under the seat.

as mentioned, also on the list is taking the fork covers off and re-doing the front suspension.

finally, when the weather is coldest here, i plan on stripping it all down and repainting the frame and going through the little bits of hardware.

so we're making progress!  the bike is running like a dream since it cooled off, the slightly rich condition is now perfect.

[johnspeck]

starting the new year off with a few changes.
a drunk backed into the bike when it was parked, slightly tweaking the clubmans and the front brake lever.

just to be on the safe side, i want to loosen my triple clamps and take any tweak out of the front end, although everything seems fine.

since it's going to get cold here tonight and for the next few days, i figured i'd dive in to fix the stuff that needs it, and change a couple things i've been thinking about.

first off, the seat (jokingly known as 'j-lo' for the big ol' bump on back) is fun for a while...but with clubmans being removed it looks out of place, and honestly, the aesthetics bugged me.

my fave bike style is sort of flat/street tracker inspired.  lots of the great bikes out of japan from gravel crew, m&m, bratstyle, etc...also the wrenchmonkees out of denmark.  lots of neat stuff out there!
but the lowered suspensions and oldschool tires aren't practical for this bike, my daily rider.

so, i'm going to tweak it a bit to get it closer to the vision i have for the bike in my head.

here's today's progress:

[johnspeck]

seat removed




original seat




cover off




starting to take shape



i was using two standard kitchen bread knives (serrated) and a handsaw with a fine-tooth blade on it.  i started by sawing through the foam to get the big stuff off, then drawing the blade across the foam in varying angles to get the results i wanted.


placing it on the bike to eyeball



i barely used a marker to draw it out, i just looked at it long enough to visualize what i was going for, and took my time.

[johnspeck]

another look






you can see where it needs to be evened out




just testing with the old stock cover in place...squint and you can see it make sense (at least in my mind's eye)

with the clubmans off, euro bars on




at this point, i used spray adhesive and mounted the foam to the stock seat pan.  from here, it'll be final shaping, so i don't want it moving around at all.

here's the seat after gluing the foam; it'll sit overnight to dry












all in all, very messy, but lots of fun!  it's cool to see it take shape.  i'm looking forward to getting it to the upholsterer, and seeing it tricked out.

next steps are to get some headlight brackets, remove the fork covers and lower the light a bit.  clean up the underseat area and reconfigure the electrics...

i've decided to keep the stock mid-controls.  way more comfortable for my riding needs.

more pics as the bike progresses.

[hahnda]

Did that bump seat come off eBay from Vietnam? B

[johnspeck]

Did that bump seat come off eBay from Vietnam? B

yep.

[hahnda]

Did that bump seat come off eBay from Vietnam? B

yep.

Always kinda wondered what one of those looked like mounted. Here's a 350 I refurbed and sold it as soon as I finished it. Nothing to radical, just a nice running and clean bike.

[traveler]

Looks good.

Glad to see you are doing it your way, versus following a trend.

We need more "trend setters".

Anyway...do it your way and enjoy it!  That's what is important.  Thanks for sharing.  It gives everyone ideas on things to improve on their own bikes.

The twins are cool little bikes.

~Joe

[Zaipai]

Yes I agree looking very nice .. Good work.

[johnspeck]

Looks good.

Glad to see you are doing it your way, versus following a trend.

We need more "trend setters".

Anyway...do it your way and enjoy it!  That's what is important.  Thanks for sharing.  It gives everyone ideas on things to improve on their own bikes.

The twins are cool little bikes.

~Joe

thanks for the kind words, fellas.  when you have one bike, it's easy to get pulled in different directions based on mods, styling, etc...
as i posted in another thread, i'm picking up two more 350's for dirt cheap.  since this one is pretty clean and mostly stock, up to this point i've been wanting to keep it relatively unmolested, and also keep it running and on the road.

still need to clean up the frame and get it powdered or painted, clean up the underseat electrics and build a new harness.  i want to route as much as possible so it looks really clean and cool.

i'm looking for a couple alloy rims, and i'll put some bigger dual purpose tires on it.  probably redo the brakes and clutch at the same time.  modded aluminum fenders, lowered light, clean up the bar controls...the only paint on the bike will be the original on the tank, but rubbed out and cleaned up.

i'm still debating whether to pop for a cool exhaust.  stainless 2-1?

thoughts?

[Zaipai]

Looks good.

Glad to see you are doing it your way, versus following a trend.

We need more "trend setters".

Anyway...do it your way and enjoy it!  That's what is important.  Thanks for sharing.  It gives everyone ideas on things to improve on their own bikes.

The twins are cool little bikes.

~Joe

thanks for the kind words, fellas.  when you have one bike, it's easy to get pulled in different directions based on mods, styling, etc...
as i posted in another thread, i'm picking up two more 350's for dirt cheap.  since this one is pretty clean and mostly stock, up to this point i've been wanting to keep it relatively unmolested, and also keep it running and on the road.

still need to clean up the frame and get it powdered or painted, clean up the underseat electrics and build a new harness.  i want to route as much as possible so it looks really clean and cool.

i'm looking for a couple alloy rims, and i'll put some bigger dual purpose tires on it.  probably redo the brakes and clutch at the same time.  modded aluminum fenders, lowered light, clean up the bar controls...the only paint on the bike will be the original on the tank, but rubbed out and cleaned up.

i'm still debating whether to pop for a cool exhaust.  stainless 2-1?

thoughts?

I say follow your gut, its been working out VERY well for you so far.. I would add one vote for a beefer exhaust.. Keep the pics coming in as the work progresses.

.: Scott :.

[johnspeck]

I say follow your gut, its been working out VERY well for you so far.. I would add one vote for a beefer exhaust.. Keep the pics coming in as the work progresses.

.: Scott :.

thanks!
funny you mention the exhaust...the cb gods have both cursed and blessed me.
i was giving the bike a once-over at the gas station, on my way to a vintage meet yesterday, when i noticed my right muffler mount had cracked where the bracket attaches.
when i got to the meet, a pal there let me know he was getting rid of all his 350 parts (a bunch!).  i showed him my latest discovery.  no problem, he has a vintage hooker 2-1 for me.  i'll need to do a little fabbing to get it mounted the way i want (i need more cornering clearance, so i want the muffler angled upwards at the swingarm pivot point), likely just a piece of pipe mandrel bent so i can weld it up.

more pics asap...

[Zaipai]

I say follow your gut, its been working out VERY well for you so far.. I would add one vote for a beefer exhaust.. Keep the pics coming in as the work progresses.

.: Scott :.

thanks!
funny you mention the exhaust...the cb gods have both cursed and blessed me.
i was giving the bike a once-over at the gas station, on my way to a vintage meet yesterday, when i noticed my right muffler mount had cracked where the bracket attaches.
when i got to the meet, a pal there let me know he was getting rid of all his 350 parts (a bunch!).  i showed him my latest discovery.  no problem, he has a vintage hooker 2-1 for me.  i'll need to do a little fabbing to get it mounted the way i want (i need more cornering clearance, so i want the muffler angled upwards at the swingarm pivot point), likely just a piece of pipe mandrel bent so i can weld it up.

more pics asap...

That was a stroke of luck.. er or the gods smiling!! Can't wait to see em..