1976 CB360T Project Log

saffy

saffy

Member
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Jun 28, 2020
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Location
Colorado
Thought I'd make a thread for our 1976 CB360T. The plan is to just get it back to looking stock. My dad got it for $750 around this time last year, while I was at school out of state. When 'you know what' hit back in March, I came home for the rest of the semester and I've been home since then, working on this bike and another bike.
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Overall we got it in great cosmetic condition... paint looks great, no rust, gas tank near immaculate, etc. the reason it was priced low was because it was missing many many parts, as you can tell from the picture: headlight, headlight stay, master cylinder, brake lines, caliper + pads, front and rear turn signals + stems, mirrors, reflectors + their brackets, more stuff, and LOTS of small little pieces I had to track down on ebay and partzilla. Needless to say I've spent my fair share of hours on CMSNL's part diagrams.

First thing I did was remove the carbs to take a look at them. They'd probably been sitting for at least 10 years is my guess, because the gas had solidified and crystalized literally everywhere, they were by FAR the worst carbs I'd ever seen. I tried cleaning them for the better part of a day and hardly made a dent, so I got a pair of used Keihins on ebay that came off another cb360t.

Next I tracked down all the parts I needed to complete the front disc brake assmebly: caliper, pads, hard line, 2 soft lines, banjo bolts and crush washers, the 3-way joint that also functions as the screw-in for the front brake pressure switch (bought it used on ebay), and master cylinder. Once I had all that stuff I installed the brake system, bled the system with DOT 3 and called it good.

Electric start wasn't working initially, but after installing a new solenoid it's working.

Next headed to 4into1.com to get turn signals and stems. Bought the rear turn signal grounds/mounts on ebay.

Bought like 2 dozen small rubber pieces and hardware from Partzilla and my local Ace after consulting CMSNL part diagrams and figuring out every little piece I was missing around the bike.

Bought new switchboxes, and after sorting through a sea of wires figured out the wiring, they look great.

Headed to those guys in Houston.com to get a headlight bulb+bucket kit, bought a used stock headlight stay on ebay. Installed the headlight and turn signals today. Here's a thread that documents some troubles/questions I had with the process, lol: https://www.vintagehondatwins.com/forums/index.php?threads/970

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I'll get better pictures tomorrow of what the bike looks like now but here it is. May not look like much progress, but one thing I've learned is that tracking down what parts you need, buying them, installing them, etc. takes way longer than one would think.

Onward...
 
safayan said:
one thing I've learned is that tracking down what parts you need, buying them, installing them, etc. takes way longer than one would think.
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Yes it can... I spent probably 50 hours or more in front of my computer in between tearing down and starting work on my 450 looking for stuff, but it's part of the joy of vintage bike ownership - and the best part is yet to come when you can actually ride it, and then when you stop somewhere the inevitable conversations that will happen pretty much every time. (y)
 
ancientdad said:
the best part is yet to come when you can actually ride it, and then when you stop somewhere the inevitable conversations that will happen pretty much every time. (y)
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Definitely getting close to riding it! Here it is after putting on the tank + carbs. If you look real close and compare to the first pic you can see all the things I've installed.
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Threw on the air filters as well, and started it up. Sounded good, but the rpms began climbing as soon as it started, so I shut it off after 3-4 seconds. My current guess is that there's a vacuum leak between the intake manifold and the carbs, I may not have shoved the carbs far enough in to create a good seal, the rubber is pretty stiff. Maybe hit them with a heat gun for 5-10 seconds to loosen em up?

I bench synced the carbs with guitar string a few months ago so I don't think that's the culprit, wouldn't hurt to re-sync them, though.
 
Here are some pictures of the CB360. Basically everything is installed; took me about 2.5 months to complete everything. Unfortunately had to head back to school a few days ago, so I had to leave it at home. Had a lot of fun with it this summer, though. Hope to completely finish it over winter break.
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Shame you had to leave it at home. It's looking good, paint looks to be in nice shape and the mufflers too considering their age.
 
Alright ... 4 years later. My dad and I have gone through probably 10 70s Hondas since I last posted on this thread, and this bike slowly made its way to the back of our barn, until last week! We pulled it out from behind all the junk that had piled up over the recent years, and it started right up.

Only thing is, the left cylinder was not running. This bike was kind of my first vintage motorcycle project when I first started this hobby in 2020, so I don't think I even noticed this issue 4 years ago. I determined the issue was not electrical or compression related, so I went to the well-known-to-be-finnicky 360 carbs. Cleaned them all out, checked for clogs, put them back on the bike, no change. Weirdly enough though, the left cylinder would only run when I turned up the idle speed to at least 2500 RPM. I then realized I forgot to bench synch them before putting them on the bike. So I took them back off.

I tried to bench synch them ... but I couldn't! The adjuster bolt kept bottoming out and I couldn't quite get the right carb's throttle plate to match the left.... it was noticeably more open than the left. I made the mental connection that it made sense that the left would not be able to run at low RPMs (throttle plate is too closed off) and can run at higher RPMs (throttle plate opens up more). I then noticed that the metal bracket between the 2 carbs that holds the bolt that allows for the synching of both carbs together was BENT. So I bent it back into place (by looking at a different set of CL360 carbs), which allowed me to properly bench synch both carbs. And that did it! My bike was not running properly simply due to a physically bent bracket.

Anyways, I'm going off to med school in 3 months so I have to sell of some of our bikes, including this one. I just sold a 1979 CB750L Limited Edition, which I returned to looking 100% stock. This made me sad to sell such a rare bike, but I sold it to a guy who bought the same exact bike back in 1979, so I am happy knowing it's going to someone who appreciates the bike. I am keeping a couple of my favorites, though: a 1967 CB450K0 black bomber and a 1990 NX125 with 800 miles.

It was cool to return, 4 years later, to a bike that was my first vintage motorcycle project during COVID.

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Great to see you back again, even if only for a while. The bike turned out beautifully. Don't be a stranger. I'm pretty sure there are other doctors who ride besides Steven Kiley from Marcus Welby MD :)
 
ancientdad said:
I'm pretty sure there are other doctors who ride besides Steven Kiley from Marcus Welby MD :)
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Talking of fictional doctors, House (Hugh Laurie) rode a CBR1000RR in a few episodes.
I still get messages from a doctor I helped with a 360 around 10 years ago (possibly longer?)
He's with Doctors without borders spends a few months in Africa every year
 
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One of the pathologists I worked for was a born again biker. He'd had various sports bikes as a medical student, then did the married / family / kids thing. When I got my Hornet his interest was sparked again, and he got a Yamaha 650 vee twin cruiser thing, followed by the 1100 variant, Dragstar. To be fair, he rode it to work almost every day, in all weathers. He had a dodgy back and bike was easier on his back than his car.
 
Surprisingly, a lot of doctors ride. (or used to)
I once bought a CB550F2 from a doctor I knew, sight unseen.
I knew he had an accident on it and only broke his ankle so thought it couldn't be too bad.
Turns out, he ran into a van head on but bailed before getting too hurt. (just come off a 72 hr shift)
Bike embedded itself in front of Commer then went into an embankment backwards (with the van, driver had a heart attack which is why he was on wrong side of road).
He ended up doing psychiatry in Bridgend, moved to Scotland and was youngest department head in Edinburgh.
 
Only pic I can find of his 650 Dragstar, parked with my bike outside WRH back in 1999. The 650 got written off following a freak incident when some road debris punctured the oil pan, presumably damaged the engine beyond economic repair. He used the insurance money to 'upgrade' to the 1100 version. Not my cup of tea, but he liked it.

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