1973 CL350 Restore

Dave Swanson

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Total Posts
173
Total likes
160
Location
Rockford, Illinois, USA
At least 15 years ago I rolled a 73 CL350 home from a neighborhood garage sale for $250. The bike is in decent shape with a correct exhaust that almost could have passed for NOS so I figured it was worth it. :) I stored the CL inside of the house all of these years so there has been no further deterioration. Many other bike restorations have come before it. One major hold back to spending money on the CL restoration has been it's lack of a title. I never wanted to bother with pursuing a salvage title. Recently I decided to get serious about getting a proper title for the CL and used Saint's Title Service. They provide a wonderful service for a reasonable fee. I am happy to report that I am finally in possession of a title and have already started ordering parts for the bike.

My end goal will be to bring it back to as close to showroom condition as possible.
 
If the look of the tank in your profile is any indication, you're off to a decent start. Looking forward to lots of pictures along the way so we can follow along and offer advice and suggestions on what we see.
 
ancientdad said:
If the look of the tank in your profile is any indication, you're off to a decent start. Looking forward to lots of pictures along the way so we can follow along and offer advice and suggestions on what we see.
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That is not my tank. Just something I grabbed from the web. My tank isn't horrible, but it has a couple dents and a few paint issues. The side covers were not in very good condition so I ordered a set from Retro CB. I will be bringing the 3 pieces in soon for paint. I am blessed to have a top notch motorcycle painter about a mile from my house. Fantastic quality painting at a reasonable price.
 
Dave Swanson said:
I am blessed to have a top notch motorcycle painter about a mile from my house. Fantastic quality painting at a reasonable price.
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I know that feeling well, except my top notch painter did all my work for free since he was my father. :) Good that you have that resource available. Are you going to have him make it like original?
 
ancientdad said:
I know that feeling well, except my top notch painter did all my work for free since he was my father. :) Good that you have that resource available. Are you going to have him make it like original?
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I really like the stock 73 tank graphics so it will be original. My end goal will be as close to this CL I saw at the Davenport AMCA meet a few years ago.

 
Excellent, we're all in for an enjoyable journey following you along the way... again, lots of pictures! (y)
 
I also dig those 73 tank graphics. Can we see what your bike looks like now, so we can observe the differences as you go along?

I used to live in Rockford as a kid in the 80s - my family lived in a subdivision really close to Jefferson High.
 
Like so many of us I learned to ride on a CL350. My buddy had a 69 CL350 which was the envy of us all. He taught me to ride it in about 15 minutes and we promptly headed to the DMV for my road test. The test was a piece of cake back then. Hard to believe that was 50 years ago. Unfortunately he was cut down in an armed robbery when he was 24 which makes the CL350 all that more special to me. For a long time I thought I would look for a 69 CL but when this one fell in my lap, I said "close enough".

I am very stoked to finally have a good title for it.
 
Dave Swanson said:
Like so many of us I learned to ride on a CL350. My buddy had a 69 CL350 which was the envy of us all. He taught me to ride it in about 15 minutes and we promptly headed to the DMV for my road test. The test was a piece of cake back then. Hard to believe that was 50 years ago. Unfortunately he was cut down in an armed robbery when he was 24 which makes the CL350 all that more special to me. For a long time I thought I would look for a 69 CL but when this one fell in my lap, I said "close enough".

I am very stoked to finally have a good title for it.
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Sad story, but nice sentimental value for you just the same. I'm one of the fortunate ones with respect to the motorcycle license, when it was enacted here in Florida I already owned a bike (was probably on my 4th or 5th bike by then) and I was grandfathered in, no test other than the standard driver's license test. I made sure to keep the endorsement even when I did not own a bike for almost 20 years. I did, however, ride the Tampa Police training course during one of the many 2 week training classes for State Troopers, County Sheriffs and Tampa Police that I attended in a maintenance role as a City of Tampa motorcycle mechanic. I'd watched all the cops ride the course with the City-owned Harleys and Kawasakis but had never ridden it, and one day the Lieutenant in charge told me I had to ride it... with zero practice. I chose the KZ1000 to ride the course and only dabbed once.

Glad you have it titled now, you can get started on it in earnest.
 
Dave Swanson said:
I decided to get serious about getting a proper title for the CL and used Saint's Title Service. They provide a wonderful service for a reasonable fee.
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Do you happen to know if this service works in any state? And does one need anything other than the bike/frame, like a bill of sale? Just curious because I've never considered buying anything without a title, but this could change my policy.

EDIT: I looked them up. Sounds like you send a notarized bill of sale with a VIN photo and they return a clean TN title (and bill of sale, if requested). They say it's good for all 50 states. Bike must meet certain eligibility requirements, e.g., no salvage title, etc. Good to know.
 
stl360+450 said:
Do you happen to know if this service works in any state? And does one need anything other than the bike/frame, like a bill of sale? Just curious because I've never considered buying anything without a title, but this could change my policy.

EDIT: I looked them up. Sounds like you send a notarized bill of sale with a VIN photo and they return a clean TN title (and bill of sale, if requested). They say it's good for all 50 states. Bike must meet certain eligibility requirements, e.g., no salvage title, etc. Good to know.
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I am glad you found the link. It is a legit and easy process as long as your VIN is clean. I have had a 71 HD SX350 laying in the back room for longer than the CL without a title. I have started the process to get a title for it also.

https://www.saintsengine.com/services/title-service/
 
My tank and repop side panels from Retro CB are at the painter. Craig (Paintworks, Loves Park, IL) does amazing work and is quite reasonable.


I have been impressed with the condition of the exhaust on this bike. Here is what it looks like cleaned up.

I have always suspected that the exhaust might be newer than the bike. What do you think of the paper Honda parts tags still being intact? Could this possibly happen if there since 1973? I don't think so. My theory is that the bike was mothballed not long after a new exhaust was purchased.





 
Exhaust is in amazing condition. Hardly ever see one that good.
 
I think your theory is correct, there's no way the paper stickers would have lasted and there's just a bit of rust from a bracket on one of the exhaust studs.
 
Nice lift, I have a similar one by DirectLift from Derek Weaver with the drop-tail feature. The really stout front wheel clamp is nice
 
That is a great bike. I’m always impressed by the workshops ( and the quality work) that people have. A great space to enjoy your work on the bike.
 
Nothing new to report on the build. I had a bit of a surprise during my morning mile swim a few months ago. I had an odd chest pain during laps and went to get it checked out. Very soon after I ended up with a triple bypass. I was a bit shocked as I was fit, trim, always had low cholesterol, low BP, no family history, didn't smoke, no diabetes, etc, basically no risk factors but it got me anyway. I am now completely back to even better than before, and am ready to tackle a motorcycle project.
 
Dave Swanson said:
Nothing new to report on the build. I had a bit of a surprise during my morning mile swim a few months ago. I had an odd chest pain during laps and went to get it checked out. Very soon after I ended up with a triple bypass. I was a bit shocked as I was fit, trim, always had low cholesterol, low BP, no family history, didn't smoke, no diabetes, etc, basically no risk factors but it got me anyway. I am now completely back to even better than before, and am ready to tackle a motorcycle project.
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Wow, that's quite the story. I couldn't swim a tenth of a mile myself so it's amazing that you somehow had an issue there despite being in that good a shape, but certainly glad you got things taken care of and are back to full health again.
 
Firstly, good on you for actually getting the pain checked out. A lot of us are stubborn and would just pass it off until its too late. Great to hear you are all fixed up and better than new :)
 
The major risk factor is that we're all human.

I try hard to stay in shape, strong and trim, but about 5 moths ago I ended up in the ER with atrial fibrillation. It just felt weird and after a while - days - I just decided to go. They got things back in service and nothing since, but three months later after an MRI the doctor told me I had a stroke with the afib! WTF? No symptoms, no reason to suspect anything, I was already back at the gym and at my previous condition. So just carry on, take care of yourself, and make sure you tell your family where you hide stuff.

And get to work on that old Honda. It's still a kid at heart.
 
My first 2 questions for the group.



My cam dimensions are 1.560 for both intake lobes, and 1.563 for the exhaust lobes. My problem is the Shop Manual states the cam dimension should be 1.451 - 1.453. My lobes are .110 larger! How can that be?

I also have some pitting in 3 of the 4 lobes. Do they look usable? Here is the typical pitting.

 
Dave Swanson said:
My first 2 questions for the group.

My cam dimensions are 1.560 for both intake lobes, and 1.563 for the exhaust lobes. My problem is the Shop Manual states the cam dimension should be 1.451 - 1.453. My lobes are .110 larger! How can that be?

I also have some pitting in 3 of the 4 lobes. Do they look usable? Here is the typical pitting.
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The Late FSM was published in 1971. You should have the latest 070 cam with a horizontal drive pin for the points, 050 cams were in use when the FSM was published which had the perpendicular pin. IIRC my NOS 070 cam read the same as yours.
The pitting on the cam needs to be addressed by regrinding. I'm due to check up on Oregon Cam later this week to see if he's ready to accept work. Your rocker will probably need refinishing also.
 
LongDistanceRider said:
The Late FSM was published in 1971. You should have the latest 070 cam with a horizontal drive pin for the points, 050 cams were in use when the FSM was published which had the perpendicular pin. IIRC my NOS 070 cam read the same as yours.
The pitting on the cam needs to be addressed by regrinding. I'm due to check up on Oregon Cam later this week to see if he's ready to accept work. Your rocker will probably need refinishing also.
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Excellent information! Here is the drive pin for points. Not knowing what each variation look like off hand, is this the "horizontal drive pin"?



Let me know what you find out from Oregon Cam. I would like to give them some business.
 
That's the one he was referring to as horizontal, yes. The earlier version points out away from the small shaft where the advancer unit sits, 90° to the shaft instead of parallel like yours.
 
Here's the cam followers. 2 are pretty bad. Salvageable?

I have watched a number of Honda 350 restoration videos that seem to have the same approach. Before teardown the restorer gets the engine running and takes the bike for a short ride. If the engine seems to run well the engine is not torn down and a high dollar restoration is undertaken. I am sure if I got this one running it would have seemed fine....

 
Yes, it would have for a while, maybe longer... but it's inevitable that those pits are only going to get worse. As you know, LDR is working on a new source for refurbishing rockers and followers so if you're not in a hurry you might want to wait before either looking for good used rocker arms to replace yours or sending them out. MegaCycle Cams can refurbish your rocker arms but they'll be $100 each if you send them there, others like Delta Cams can do them but the results might not be good.
 
I talked with Gary at Rocker Arms Unlimited late Friday and it sounds like he's all set up to do the 350's. He'll bring them back to stock pad thickness rather than just grinding more material away or if the cam is being ground he can add more material to compensate for the grinding. IE; cam ground .030" to get a clean surface means adding .015" material to the cam pad. http://www.rockerarms.com/
I also talked with Ken at Oregon Cam https://www.oregoncamshaft.com/ He has received the blanks for making master of the early Fat cam and later Skinny cams. He'll be copying the 050 and 070 cam numbers since those are the only new ones I could find to work with. He should be set in a couple more weeks. He's really backed up with work right now.
 
LongDistanceRider said:
I talked with Gary at Rocker Arms Unlimited late Friday and it sounds like he's all set up to do the 350's. He'll bring them back to stock pad thickness rather than just grinding more material away or if the cam is being ground he can add more material to compensate for the grinding. IE; cam ground .030" to get a clean surface means adding .015" material to the cam pad. http://www.rockerarms.com/
I also talked with Ken at Oregon Cam https://www.oregoncamshaft.com/ He has received the blanks for making master of the early Fat cam and later Skinny cams. He'll be copying the 050 and 070 cam numbers since those are the only new ones I could find to work with. He should be set in a couple more weeks. He's really backed up with work right now.
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Thanks much for the update.
 
Dave Swanson said:
They are the original Japanese made Bridgestones from late 1972!
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They deserve to be hung up like a museum display if they're truly from when the bike was new. You just don't see that era Bridgestone tires around anymore for obvious reasons.
 
Dave Swanson said:
This morning the cam went out to Oregon cam, and the rockers to Rockers Unlimited. Thanks guys for your help and guidance!
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Good deal. Please be sure to post plenty of pictures of the cam and rockers when they come back, this will be our first experience with both of them AFAIK
 
Sure does, excellent work. Is that a triangular reflection on the middle of this side of the cover on the right?
 
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