Topic: mattcb350f's........CB350F Project/Restoration (DONE)

[mattcb350f]

Thanks everyone 

Looks Awesome Matt. How's she ride? Much more power?

BTW, how did you do the seat trim?  I can't seem to get the plastic chrome to go on smooth and stay on.

Keith

She rides nice, and while I'm limiting the RPM to below 5k for the break-in it still pulls well up to 5k. With the cam and porting, the real magic should happen up above 6k, but I'm going to have to wait to find that out.

So, the seat trim.... you've also discovered that chrome trim doesn't make corners 

I cut my chrome down to a strip just as wide as the plastic on the seat; about 9/16" or something, I can't remember now and 70" long.

I marked the chrome in the middle as well as the very back of the seat and started there. I kept the chrome trim tight along the top side of the seat as I laid it on and pulled it down over the sides and worked my way forward.

However, As the chrome made the corners at the back, it rippled on the bottom since I kept it tight on the top where it's easily seen. A trade off I'm going to live with. Looks good from the top and better than the old stuff  but mine wouldn't go on smooth either except for the sides and top.

 Matt.

[fishman_Phil]

Congratulations Matt on the completion of your project ... she looks real good. Gives me some more pics to look at for my project.
Cheers ... Phil in NZ

[fonzy]

truly one nice build matt.

hate it during break-in.. patience, patience 

i assume that's you on the video.

 

[snarferer]

Man oh man gorgeous 350four.  Maybe I'll get mine to look like that some day.  Any plans on going with 4 into 4 exhaust?

[mattcb350f]

truly one nice build matt.
hate it during break-in.. patience, patience 
i assume that's you on the video.
 

Thanks,.... yea, that's me on the vid. Had to prove it ran you know after all I did to it 

Man oh man gorgeous 350four.  Maybe I'll get mine to look like that some day.  Any plans on going with 4 into 4 exhaust?

Thanks too, I would go 4-4 if I found a "reasonably cheap" set of OEM pipes, but only for the value it would add to the bike. Since there are no such pipes, It will probably stay as is for a long time 

 Matt.

[Koonendez]

one word...unbelievable.
i only wish when my bike is complete it'll look that clean...and idle properly
i could use another brother who just happened to paint as well.
i'll worry about cleaning all the oil and grime off mine and then much much later down the road...much much later...come ask you some questions about painting the engine case. really love the bike a lot.
even inspired me to do a 350 down the road when I'm done with my 550. keep up the good work

[snarferer]

I have OEM 4 into 4 pipes on mine, that are a little rusted through.  I didn't know the pipes were valuable at all.  The baffles are good, I guess I shouldn't use muffler paste to fix the holes and have them patched? (total newb :-P)

[mattcb350f]

....So, My bike decided that the chain needed a little oil all on it's own today:



Of course everything went together so well, something had to give 
I was extremely happy when I discovered that the leak was caused by the Oil Pressure sending unit and not any of the seals I installed

I either bumped it when I put the starter in and cracked it, or it just decided its had enough. Either way its toast.



I took me 30 minutes to replace the sending unit and about 2 hours to clean the oil off the back tire     

 Live and learn 

  Matt.

[neil young]

congrats Matt.
very nice job.looks great.

[mattcb350f]

congrats Matt.
very nice job.looks great.

Thanks Neil, we'll have to get together one day for a ride eh'

 Matt.

[mattcb350f]

620 miles on the trip meter as of tonight 

Bike's been working good. No mystery leaks. Rode it in the rain... no electrical snafu's.

                   SO,

Last night I went over the points, valve clearances etc, just to make sure they're all good...........

........ OK I'm really bored now that this thing is done. Riding is awesome but I miss building it!!!!!. I'm already scanning the local classifieds looking for another (a 750 perhaps  )

So, I gave it a tune up to keep my tinkering appetite satisfied 

I checked the point gap, one was off about a thou. So, I better reset them both right... and the timing.

Since I did that, I might as well check the valve clearances too. So I did that.

Then topped it all off with a carb sync. 


After all that, I saw the speedo needle swing overtop the 90 mph mark on the test ride.    I don't know how a stock 350F performs, but mine hits a sort of two-stroke like powerband between 7000 and 10000 rpm. Has great mid range too, but above seven I have to be ready to shift 

 Matt.

[kghost]

Great Matt,

That RPM range is definitely the sweet spot

[fishman_Phil]

Hi Matt ... I was rather hoping you could tell me if you noticed the difference with the bike after porting it, but it sounds like you may not have ridden it previously. Also, did you not rework the cam, I can't remember. I work like to try porting my next 350F engine to see how they compare. If anyone has reworked the camshaft, is there anything that needs to be changed or modified. I am not fully up with the play inside these engines, but when I had a cam modified for a 1958 Holden car in my youth, I had to tap the valve guides down an 1/8th inch to get correct adjustments on the rockers.
Cheers ... Phil in NZ

[mattcb350f]

Hi Matt ... I was rather hoping you could tell me if you noticed the difference with the bike after porting it, but it sounds like you may not have ridden it previously. Also, did you not rework the cam, I can't remember. I work like to try porting my next 350F engine to see how they compare. If anyone has reworked the camshaft, is there anything that needs to be changed or modified. I am not fully up with the play inside these engines, but when I had a cam modified for a 1958 Holden car in my youth, I had to tap the valve guides down an 1/8th inch to get correct adjustments on the rockers.
Cheers ... Phil in NZ

I must have missed this post a while back, sorry Phil 

No I'm not sure how big of difference the cam and porting made on the bike. It didn't run well enough for me to get a feel of it before I took it apart to do the work. I removed quite a bit of material from the exhaust side port next to the guide, and part of the guide too. On the intake side, I just 'flushed' in the port to the seat on the floor of the port to help with flow. Left the intake side rough and smoothed the exhaust side.

As for the cam, I got a Web Camshaft grind #2 for the 350/400 fours. There is a more aggresive cam profile but for that you'd have to modify the bore/pistons to provide clearance. I wanted to stick with the stock displacement  .  As per Web Cam's recommendation I put heavier valve springs in too, also bought through Web Camshafts.

I hope to one day find a stock 350F out on the road so wee's can compare performance. Old SOHC/4's seem to be fairly scarce in these parts so it might be some time 




NOW, I've put 2600 miles on this summer since May and finally, yesterday the girlfriend decides she's ready to go for a ride 

I'd never had a pillon on this bike before but I have to say, besides looking silly the little bike really handled well with two of us.

Here's a pic of her laughing at me while she tries to figure out how to take the helmet off 



Now she wants to learn how to ride  .......

I have to say, durring our short trip I couldn't take my mind off the fact that my 'Cheng Shin' rear tire was only 10 lbs under it's rated load 

 Matt.

[kghost]

Very cool matt..

Way to go

[fishman_Phil]

Thanks for the info on the cam and polish Matt. Appreciated.
Thats the way to go. Get the girls interested in the bikes so they do not take them away from you later on.
I have still yet to put in some big miles on my bike due to our bad winter but the outings I do have are really enjoyed.
Cheers ... Phil in NZ

[hoodellyhoo]

I've taken my girlfriend for many rides. I even added the backrest just for her and she still has no interest in learning how to ride. Consider yourself lucky.

[mattcb350f]

I've taken my girlfriend for many rides. I even added the backrest just for her and she still has no interest in learning how to ride. Consider yourself lucky.

Well, she took out my XL80 around the yard for tour a while back. She got the hang of riding really quickly  However, she doesn't feel compelled to go all the way and get her own bike.

A few weeks ago I picked up a backrest at a flea market for 8 Bucks

It wasn't designed for the 350F, it was just the pad and chome pipe. I think it was designed to snap onto an aftermarket luggage rack. All I wanted was the pad.

Today, I dug out a spare grab bar, cut up the backrest with a hack saw and with the help of a grinder and welder I had and welded the two together:






I added the little luggage rack with the spare chrome pipe that was left over which is just big enough to hold an extra gallon of juice.



The original grab bar was not harmed in the making of the backrest  . The grab bar I used actually already had some welding on it and the chrome was so-so.

This is the original bar, with the pieces left over from the original backrest.



 Matt.

[hoodellyhoo]

Sweet deal. I got my backrest off ebay for something like $12 shipped. It was missing some hardware, had surface rust, and the pad was pretty dirty. I cleaned up what I could with steel wool (it's hard to get in the nooks and crannies) and soapy water. A couple trips to the hardware store got me what I needed to get it hooked up. The back is connected with two tubing mounts bent together and a new hole drilled for a nut and bolt. The sides just needed longer bolts and some large washers because the gap in the "fork" where it goes around the bolt was kinda large. In the end I was surprised how sturdy it was.

[HondanutRider]

[img]Hello Matt.

I just joined this group today after seeing your wonderful project.  I also live in Ontario and I also have a 1974 CB350F very similar to yours.  However, mine is fairly original with just over 5,000 miles on it.  The real coincidence is that my frame serial number is just 53 digits less than yours.  Our machines were probably assembled on the same day and likely arrived on Canadian soil off the same boat.  Maybe next spring we can get them together for a reunion and romp together.

Bob R.

[mattcb350f]

Hello Matt.

I just joined this group today after seeing your wonderful project.  I also live in Ontario and I also have a 1974 CB350F very similar to yours.  However, mine is fairly original with just over 5,000 miles on it.  The real coincidence is that my frame serial number is just 53 digits less than yours.  Our machines were probably assembled on the same day and likely arrived on Canadian soil off the same boat.  Maybe next spring we can get them together for a reunion and romp together.

Bob R.

Very cool Bob, and a great looking 350F you have there 

53 numbers off eh'  these bikes are rare enough but I think we have two in the same geographic area that probably did ride the boat together. We should get a pic of them together for Sparty's book (A member here is writing a book on SOHC/4 bikes).

 Matt.

[HondanutRider]

Speaking of coincidences...I also have restored a little 1964 C105 - a SuperCub model that was extremely popular and numerous at the time.  A chum of mine that I rode around with at that time (the mid 60's) on little Hondas just like this one, who now lives in Vancouver and also collects old Hondas, also has the identical model of SuperCub - 112 digits away from mine!  You can find out more about this SuperCub at: http://www.dirtygirlmotorracing.com/articles/honda-cub.html

[mattcb350f]

It was a great season with the lil bike, but sadly I think I gotta put it away for the winter.

Total miles (May - Nov. 14th 2008) - 3,098

I had a great year riding the bike to college, which was a 60 mile round trip. I never did any long trips with the little bike since they never really came up, but wouldn't hesitate to next year.

To do list - I'll have to address that pesky oil leak at the cylinder head gasket. It's hardly leaking at all but I'm a bit of a perfectionist. But that's it. Everything else is good.

Today I put some Sta-bil (s.p) fuel conditioner in the tank and gaver the last run up and down the road run it through a bit. I'm going to wait a week or two before I really put it away (pulling battery etc, oil change etc), if a decent riding day comes along I don't think I'll be able to hold myself back 

 Matt.

[fishman_Phil]

Hi Matt ... mine has a very very slight weap out each side of the head gasket. Looks more like fume more than wet, as just leaving a little brownish mark. Bike is running really great and just come back from our local classic club's run. We a shed visit around New Plymouth and covered around 60 miles. Next week it is off to the NZ Classic Rally. Let us know what you find with your gasket. Like, will it mean a light shave off the head, etc.
Cheers ... Phil in NZ

[mattcb350f]

Well...I don't really have any more to add to this thread except that I think I've got about 4000 miles on it now since the resto It's working great and the pesky head gasket leak hasn't changed at all so I'll leave it till this winter.

What I really wanted to post was I'll be more than a little busy with a new job over the next little while so I won't be on here as much as I'd like. I got a job with a small airline which I started today. 

If anybody's got something to ask me, just PM me.. and I'll get back to ya. Just won't have much time for cruising the threads for the next little while.

 Cheers, Matt.