1968 CL350 Restoration

brianwilsonsdog

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2026
Total Posts
25
Total likes
9
Location
Detroit
Just put a new battery in today and to my surprise the headlights, neutral light, turn signals, horn and starter are all working. No blink on the right front turn signal and no light on the left rear but otherwise not too bad.
https://imgur.com/a/1Lmwl2V
 
I checked for spark a few weeks ago and looks like all I needed was new spark plugs because I was able to get it sparking. Didn't actually get the engine running just yet. Points need to be cleaned and adjusted but that's a problem for another day. I also got the gas tank off and it's looking pretty alright. I took the exhaust and the carbs off today. Only thing is there's a metal strip that connects the two carbs and I sort of bent that **** out of shape. I'm not sure what shape it's supposed to be or whether I should replace it so open to suggestions. On the plus side no parts of the exhaust seem to be rusted through.

Also one question since I'm not mechanitician I can still try to get the thing to start even without carbs and fuel tank right? Like I just need to spray the engine full of that starter fluid stuff right?

12706.jpg
 
That choke connector doesn’t look very bent, so it will probably still hook up ok. It is necessary, because it synchronizes the choke plate positions and keeps both in place when open. Without it, the right hand carb plate is free to seek its own position the entire time the engine is running. The connector should look something like this, but it will work ok when bent as long as it isn’t twisted.IMG_0578.jpeg
 
1969 CL350 said:
That choke connector doesn’t look very bent, so it will probably still hook up ok. It is necessary, because it synchronizes the choke plate positions and keeps both in place when open. Without it, the right hand carb plate is free to seek its own position the entire time the engine is running. The connector should look something like this, but it will work ok when bent as long as it isn’t twisted.View attachment 55525
Click to expand...
Awesome thanks guys. I'll be cleaning the carbs out tomorrow hopefully and then tackling the throttle, clutch and brake cables after that. The throttle is totally stuck and barely pulls the cables and all three cables are decrepit to the point of needing replacement.
 
brianwilsonsdog said:
I checked for spark a few weeks ago and looks like all I needed was new spark plugs because I was able to get it sparking. Didn't actually get the engine running just yet. Points need to be cleaned and adjusted but that's a problem for another day. I also got the gas tank off and it's looking pretty alright. I took the exhaust and the carbs off today. Only thing is there's a metal strip that connects the two carbs and I sort of bent that **** out of shape. I'm not sure what shape it's supposed to be or whether I should replace it so open to suggestions. On the plus side no parts of the exhaust seem to be rusted through.

Also one question since I'm not mechanitician I can still try to get the thing to start even without carbs and fuel tank right? Like I just need to spray the engine full of that starter fluid stuff right?

View attachment 55517
Click to expand...
Well part of me wants you to set up multiple cameras and record while you fill the cylinders with starter fluid and crank the engine over and have a live feed to whatever tube you want cause I figure two things will happen .... you won't have a bike to restore and you will get lots of hits and memes ......

So then my shop teacher brain cells kick in and will tell you in no uncertain terms not to do this. Can you hear my teacher voice? Good. Now go clean those carbs and don't play with starter fluid .... it will mess up lots of things ....
 
Those carbs look to be model 350A carbs ..... hard to find parts for and if you do they will be expensive .... especially the floats. Be careful.
 
Boomer343 said:
Well part of me wants you to set up multiple cameras and record while you fill the cylinders with starter fluid and crank the engine over and have a live feed to whatever tube you want cause I figure two things will happen .... you won't have a bike to restore and you will get lots of hits and memes ......

So then my shop teacher brain cells kick in and will tell you in no uncertain terms not to do this. Can you hear my teacher voice? Good. Now go clean those carbs and don't play with starter fluid .... it will mess up lots of things ....
Click to expand...
I can hear your condescension and I think your answer is really obnoxious. There was a point in time where you didn't know everything yourself and had to ask stupid questions. Leave that bs unc talk in the 20th century where it belongs.
 
"Like I just need to spray the engine full of that starter fluid stuff right?"
Nope, that's a good way to ruin something. I use gasolene, in an old squirt bottle, for priming engines. Better yet, some 2cycle oil/gas mix, to help the rings out with that first dry startup.
 
mike in idaho said:
"Like I just need to spray the engine full of that starter fluid stuff right?"
Nope, that's a good way to ruin something. I use gasolene, in an old squirt bottle, for priming engines. Better yet, some 2cycle oil/gas mix, to help the rings out with that first dry startup.
Click to expand...
I'll give that a shot thank you. If it's warm out today I might be able to get enough work done to get it running.
 
Hi folks I'm cleaning and rebuilding the carburetors and I can't seem to get this butterfly valve (I think that's the name) open. It is supposed to open right? I've tried pb blaster and cleaning the surrounding parts as much as I can. Any suggestions?13150.jpg
 
Judging by the way the cable holder is bent, I have a feeling someone took the carbs apart before and misaligned the butterfly plate and now it won't rotate freely. The top of the plate looks like it was bent. You could try to loosen the two screws and jiggle the plate to see if it will align better and allow the plate to rotate. The screws are dimpled on the back side so they don't come out easily, but as a first step just loosen them to see if you get any movement.

If the butterfly frees up and rotates, check that the fit in the bore is even all around. Shine a flashlight from the other side an d look at where the light is coming in around the plate.
 
damn those screws feel like they don't wanna budge one bit they just wanna strip. I definitely see a little crack of light through the top when I shine a flashlight. What is the cable holder supposed to look like? I guess probably like a mirror image of the one on the other carb unless they're both bent. I will try drowning it in stuff and see if that makes it open up.
 
The cable holder should be 90 degree bracket. A slight crack of light at the top is not bad. I would focus on submerging the shaft in a mix of acetone and ATF as LDR suggests.
 
i used heat gun + pb blaster to free my seized throttle shaft. i think heat was the key.
 
Alright so the past few days I've thrown everything at this thing, PB blaster, WD40, heat. Finally tried the acetone and ATF thing and it worked like a miracle. I soaked it overnight, hit it with a heat gun this morning and could tell that it had made significant progress so I put it back in the acetone ATF mixture and after another couple of hours it seems to have cleaned the rest of the gunk out of the carburetor, didn't even need to use the heat gun again. I'm going to start putting this stuff in my morning coffee it's so good.
 
I did some work on the bike today and tried to start it. I got this really weird doink noise. What does it mean? Something good I hope. Anyway could someone tell me what's going on here based on this video? Someone also said that my starter clutch is slipping and I still haven't started working on that.
https://imgur.com/a/5tsf3oc
I also found these tools in a little hidden compartment so that was cool. 655583898_1881767155863459_6317223815897360282_n.jpg
 
I think that noise is because you are turning over the engine without the carbs on, and I suspect without the exhaust pipes.

I also noticed that the eccentric valve adjustment cam looks to be oriented with the tick mark facing inward, it should face outward.

Nice find on the tools!
 
boddy said:
I think that noise is because you are turning over the engine without the carbs on, and I suspect without the exhaust pipes.

I also noticed that the eccentric valve adjustment cam looks to be oriented with the tick mark facing inward, it should face outward.

Nice find on the tools!
Click to expand...
lol thank you for clarifying that. I thought something else was wrong with it. For the valve adjustment cam you're talking about those bolts with the little notch in them right?
 
Correct, not good. Do you have the Factory Service Manual (FSM) if not ask one of the admins for a copy from our library. I would adjust the valves and cam chain tension as part of your first steps to getting this bike running.

That closed end wrench in your toolkit should be used to remove the tappet covers, although they seem pretty chewed up and the wrench may no longer fit.
 
boddy said:
Correct, not good. Do you have the Factory Service Manual (FSM) if not ask one of the admins for a copy from our library. I would adjust the valves and cam chain tension as part of your first steps to getting this bike running.

That closed end wrench in your toolkit should be used to remove the tappet covers, although they seem pretty chewed up and the wrench may no longer fit.
Click to expand...
Yeah unfortunately a different idiot other than myself must have roughed up those covers. I ordered some replacements that should be here this weekend. I do have the factory service manual. I'm planning on going over the valves, cam chain and working on the points this weekend. Unfortunately a bunch of basic maintenance items are locked behind screws that previous owner seems to have stripped so I'm going to be replacing them with allen bolts. I was also wondering though about the starter clutch, how can I fix the slipping issue? Should I just get a rebuild kit?
 
I would wait until you have the starter clutch apart to see what the issue is. It may be more that the rollers, springs and caps. Sometimes the screws work loose and the the clutch housing becomes worn.
 
boddy said:
I would wait until you have the starter clutch apart to see what the issue is. It may be more that the rollers, springs and caps. Sometimes the screws work loose and the the clutch housing becomes worn.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much 👍 hopefully once I'm in there the issue will be more apparent to me
 
brianwilsonsdog said:
how can I fix the slipping issue? Should I just get a rebuild kit?
Click to expand...
It isn't always as convenient, but with these old engines it's best to wait until things are disassembled before ordering parts because you just never know how the prior work was done and what additional *ahem* challenges you might be facing courtesy a PO.
 
Well I finally took some time to work on the bike today after ages of letting it sit. I replaced the throttle cables, got the choke linkage all hooked up and my freshly cleaned and bench synched carbs. Got the throttle synched or whatever on the carbs and I decided to go through the cam chain tension, valve adjustment and points one more time and test for spark again just because I wasn't too confident in the work I did previously. Both cylinders have spark. After I was sure everything was set right (at least I hope it was), I decided to see if it would start up just for a second. The starter clutch is no good but I kicked it once and it immediately tried to start so I decided to slap the exhaust back on real quick and see if it would idle.

It needs a couple squirts of starter fluid to get going but this is what I got


https://imgur.com/a/4Pyazf2

it looks like the tachometer isn't working, some insight into how to fix that would be much appreciated. If you can't tell the exhaust pipes aren't really attached properly. I didn't let it run long like this and it doesn't really want to run long anyway. I just wanted to see if it would start after all this work before I kept going.

As it stands though I think my next steps are to get the exhaust cleaned up and restored as much as it can be and reattached properly, get the bike in general clean as it's still covered with dust, dirt and rust, replace the brakes and cables, get the tach working I guess go through whatever maintenance the shocks need, new chain and sprocket and get some new tires on it. Other than cosmetic stuff is there anything else I ought to be doing? Right now the tank has 2 stroke and seafoam in it, that's what I had laying around. There isn't a ton of it in there so I was thinking I'll just burn through it before I put some regular gasoline in, unless that's bad for it please let me know. If you can't tell already, and I can't stress this enough, I have very little mechanical knowledge and experience so please if there's anything obviously idiotic here going on that I'm blissfully unaware of don't hesitate to tell me. Also when I signal to go right, the front turn signal doesn't blink it just stays on, and the back one doesn't turn on at all. Any idea on where to start with that?

1780368718212.png



One more thing, I noticed this rubber... thing fell off and so I guess I need another one. Does anybody know what these are and where I can get them? Thanks.
 
Last edited:
You have already downloaded the factory service manual, correct? If not, it's here.
  • The motor sounded like it was holding a high idle, probably 2000–2500 rpm. You can probably back off the idle adjuster screws a bit. I usually set them about a half turn in from where they first sit on the stop as a starting point. Eventually you'll want to check for air leaks if you can't get that idle under control.
  • Use the wiring diagram in the FSM to follow wires around. You may find something with the turn signal relay, e.g., it's missing, not wired correctly, or worn out. Similarly, the rear turn signal bulb may have a broken filament or might not be wired up correctly.
  • The tachometer cable is connected to the motor at the right cam bearing as well as at the backside of the gauge? You might try lubing the spindle where the cable connects to the gauge. I recently had to open one up to clean out old grease that was preventing the needle from moving smoothly. That's a bit of work because the gauges were not really meant to be opened and you will have to pry back the crimp ring holding the two halves together and then crimp it back into place afterwards.
  • The rubber pieces should fit into the seat pan and their function is to support the seat from below — the fact that they are rubber means they absorb vibrations and do not conduct electricity. You can see the circle where it was in contact with the frame. You can probably find new ones in a variety of places like Partzilla, eBay, or CMSNL. The Honda part number is 77204-286-020.
  • That red waffly thing in the picture is an original selenium rectifier. It may work just fine along with the voltage regulator, but, then again, maybe not. A modern rec/reg combo unit (e.g., from Sparck Moto) would not be a bad idea. Once the beast is running, a working charging system is important for keeping it running!
I guess the premix won't be too bad, but gas would be nice. I would try to get the idle a bit lower before running it for any length of time. What is the status of the oil? If old or unknown, I would drain it and replace with fresh motorcycle oil, cleaning the oil screen and centrifugal filter at the same time.
 
I assume you had the tank off to adjust the valves and do the carbs, so I'd check the throttle cable spiltter (where the two cables from the carbs go into a junction box and connect to the single cable from the handlebars), sometimes one of the cables from the carbs gets pulled out of the splitter inadvertently during removal of the tank. That can cause a high idle regardless how you might have adjusted the carbs.

1780401943225.png
 
Does anybody know where I can get the graphite exhaust gasket that goes into the muffler side of the pipes (not the engine side) and what the dimensions are? Mine seems sort of toast.
 
Last edited:
The past couple weeks I've been very busy with the bike. I got the tubes, tires and brakes replaced along with the cables. I also replaced a ton of gaskets and bolts everywhere and did some light polishing on the rims and exhaust, nothing too hardcore. Had a leaky carb but fixed that by adjusting the float height. I decided to give it a shot around the block today and that was probably the most thrilling ride I'll have at 15 miles an hour. However I still have some issues I was wondering if somebody knows about.

-pretty sure something isn't right with the air/fuel mixture. It basically chugs until I get up to speed and then more or less rides like normal but feels like it tops out when it could be pushed a bit further. I will check the manual on how to adjust the carburetors but if anybody has some extra insights that would be much appreciated.

-My clutch is still engaged even when I pull all the way down on it (or disengaged?), that is to say the bike still moves even when I'm clutching it all the way. I think this means I need to tighten the cable maybe. I followed the manual's instructions for adjusting the clutch bolt thing that's down on the clutch case.

-One of my pipes turned goldenish colored after a short ride, but not the other. Idk if maybe I have an air leak somewhere. I also saw smoke coming up from the bike but I have spilled so much **** on it over these past few months I'm not sure if that's the stuff burning up or if exhaust gasses are leaking out or something.

-I'm having trouble finding neutral. It might be that I'm not used to the bike, maybe part of the clutch issue, might just be that I'm just not good at it.

That's really it for now. I'm gonna take a stab at these problems tomorrow most likely and hopefully get the bike in a condition where it can be reasonably ridden around town and really open it up. On the plus side I didn't have to use starter fluid to get it running and the thing kicks over really easily. Just need it to idle better and the power delivery to be right. It might be helpful for me to get the tachometer working, I still haven't taken a look at it yet.

-
 
I would guess from everything you wrote that the clutch adjustment at the case is not correct. The fact that it's creeping is almost certainly related to the fact that you cannot find neutral easily. The clutch rod does not have enough throw at the moment and that is affected by the case adjustment.
  • Verify that you have the clutch actuator assembled correctly, including the small ball bearing.
  • Turn the cable adjusters at the lever and going into the case in to fully relax the cable.
  • Perform case adjustment according to FSM. Thus requires a little touch because it's all based on when you feel resistance as you turn the adjuster.
  • Adjust the cable at the case and at the lever to get the correct free play at the lever and leaving room for adjustment at the lever.

The mixture issue is harder to advise without more input. Important components:
  • float height setting
  • throttle cable synch
  • baseline mixture setting
  • clear idle circuits
  • diaphragm function
  • no air leaks at the boots
  • air filter style/condition.
Good luck with your work tomorrow. Report back or check in as needed.
 
Hey folks

So I got the clutch issue fixed just by redoing the adjustment. There's only one thing really in my way now. I'm trying to adjust the carbs per the fsm instructions and having trouble.

I can get the bike to run on just the right cylinder but the left will not do it and it's not really even close to starting. As I said before one of my pipes (the right one) has developed a gold hue at the header and it also seems to be running much hotter. The left cylinder doesn't seem to really respond nearly as much to changing around inputs on the carburetor. I'm pretty sure it is running. I tested for compression, spark and I can also feel the air pumping out the tailpipe. Pretty stumped as to how to get these carbs tuned. I may very well be completely misunderstanding the instructions or there could be a deeper issue I'm unaware of.

To top it all off my tach doesn't work so I'm trying to do this by ear. I tried rehabbing the cable but I think it's shot so another one is in the mail. I know the little thing it plugs into is turning so I should be getting some kind of reading. What should I do?
 
I might have missed it in scanning previous posts but did you perform a comprehensive cleaning of the carbs? That is to say, removal of the jets (especially slow jet) and confirm no obstructions with a magnifying glass (a loupe) and strong light? Especially since one carb seems unresponsive to your changes.
 
Tony Clifton said:
I might have missed it in scanning previous posts but did you perform a comprehensive cleaning of the carbs? That is to say, removal of the jets (especially slow jet) and confirm no obstructions with a magnifying glass (a loupe) and strong light? Especially since one carb seems unresponsive to your changes.
Click to expand...
I did go over the carbs pretty hardcore although not with a magnifying glass. Should I go ahead and take the misbehaving carb off and take it apart again you think?
 
brianwilsonsdog said:
The left cylinder doesn't seem to really respond nearly as much to changing around inputs on the carburetor. I'm pretty sure it is running. I tested for compression, spark and I can also feel the air pumping out the tailpipe.
Click to expand...
If you have that bike idling, lift the throttle arm on the left carburetor. If it's running on that cylinder you should be able to feel a big change in the exhaust pressure and hear the motor speed pick up. Try it on the right. You know the right is running, so if there's a big difference it points to something in that left carb (because you have spark). If it's not behaving, yes, I would clean it again.

If you post video/audio I can figure out what your idle speed is from the audio (mathematically). Happy to do it if you're curious.

brianwilsonsdog said:
To top it all off my tach doesn't work so I'm trying to do this by ear. I tried rehabbing the cable but I think it's shot so another one is in the mail. I know the little thing it plugs into is turning so I should be getting some kind of reading. What should I do?
Click to expand...
I recently purchased used gauges on eBay and they were really sluggish to respond to input. I took them apart and cleaned old grease off the bell shaped part inside. This got them going, but the downside is that the chrome crimp ring will never look the same. You can try to protect it with tape and work on the bottom facing side, but it's hard to do without causing a little cosmetic damage.
 
Last edited:
So here's my update:

I got the tach working just by replacing the cable. I took apart the left hand side carburetor and cleaned it really good, didn't see anything out of the ordinary in there. I also double checked the float height. Everything looked good so I went and threw it back on the bike. Started it up and same issue.

Here I have a video.

https://imgur.com/a/jKMlTmw

When I pull the throttle on the left hand carb you can't really hear it but it does a low humming chogging sort of sound and on the right hand side it behaves as expected. Left hand pipe is still cool enough to touch while right side burns me instantly. both pipes are puffing out exhaust. I gave the air filter on the left side a little spritz of starter fluid just to see what would happen and it responded strongly, rpms jumped for a bit. idk what that means but maybe that helps narrow it down.


So what's the deal?
 
Last edited:
brianwilsonsdog said:
I gave the air filter on the left side a little spritz of starter fluid just to see what would happen and it responded strongly, rpms jumped for a bit. idk what that means but maybe that helps narrow it down.
Click to expand...
👍 I think you're answering the question here. It's not getting fuel on the left through the idle circuit and can't transition to the main because it's swallowing too much air.

You cleaned the right hand carburetor, but not the left? Did I read that correctly? The left is the one that needs it. Need to spray something through all the idle circuits to made sure they are clear.

Maybe that's a typo. If you cleaned the left carb, was there gas in the float bowl when you took it apart?
 
Lol i meant the left side. Yeah both have been cleaned and the left side got cleaned twice. there was no gas in the float bowl which I thought was peculiar. I checked the float height which seems to be in spec. I thought maybe it was the way I routed my fuel line so I tried routing it differently but tbh this way doesn't look right either.
 
brianwilsonsdog said:
Lol i meant the left side. Yeah both have been cleaned and the left side got cleaned twice. there was no gas in the float bowl which I thought was peculiar. I checked the float height which seems to be in spec. I thought maybe it was the way I routed my fuel line so I tried routing it differently but tbh this way doesn't look right either.
Click to expand...
No gas in the bowl is the next clue. Did you check the inlet pipe and spray through there? It wouldn't hurt to remove the float needle to clean it and the seat. Check the supply from the tank as well.

Once you get some gas in there things will be much improved.
 
brianwilsonsdog said:
I did go over the carbs pretty hardcore although not with a magnifying glass. Should I go ahead and take the misbehaving carb off and take it apart again you think?
Click to expand...
Yep

I use a little different method than a lot of folks, not that my method is better, but I disassemble the carb and look through all the jets with magnification and a strong light before I spray any liquids or air through them. That way if I see an occlusion, and that shortcoming is gone after cleaning, I know there are reasonable odds I saw a problem and fixed it. Spraying liquids first is fine, but without confirming there was a problem that spraying could fix in the first place, and then not confirming one's jets are clean, it's making the problem more difficult than it needs to be.

Pictured is a loupe, a magnifying glass, and a selection of guitar strings. That's MY method, Also, a lot of crap can flow from the tank through the carbs when resurrecting old motorcycles, so this removal and recleaning may need to be repeated one or several more times, it's good to do it in a way that leaves no doubt, we have enough head scratchers with these ancient contraptions

Loupe.jpg
 
Alright so I just double checked that there is nothing impeding the flow of gas into the bowl and yet it remains completely dry. Am I correct in assuming the issue is likely either with the floats or the float needle? Gravity should be filling the bowl until the tab on the float presses down on the needle and shuts off the flow right? Doesn't seem to be happening and I'm certain the gravity is the same for both carbs.
 
Last edited:
I want to add this, the float needle is sort of wimpy feeling/doesn't spring back well. It is easily depressed by the weight of the float tab and I think it might be getting stuck. Could that be the cause of the issue?
 
brianwilsonsdog said:
Alright so I just double checked that there is nothing impeding the flow of gas into the bowl and yet it remains completely dry. Am I correct in assuming the issue is likely either with the floats or the float needle? Gravity should be filling the bowl until the tab on the float presses down on the needle and shuts off the flow right?
Click to expand...
Remember that on the bike, the float needle must be pushed up to close the fuel inlet. The float rises with the fuel level until that tang lifts the float needle into the needle seat.

Can you post a picture of your components, including the carburetor?

brianwilsonsdog said:
I want to add this, the float needle is sort of wimpy feeling/doesn't spring back well. It is easily depressed by the weight of the float tab and I think it might be getting stuck.
Click to expand...
It could definitely be sticking closed. Did you set the float height on each carburetor? To what value?

If you hold the carb upright and gently lift the float, when you release it, the float needle should move with the float.

In this situation, you probably should test the float/needle function off the bike and with the bowl removed so you can be certain that it works before reinstalling it. You should be able to manually use the float as an on/off switch for the gas.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom