ProjectMat
Member
In 1983 I was 17, in Grade 11, and growing up on the east coast of Canada. Against my mother's wishes, I bought a 73 CB350 G and had the time of my youth on that thing. Armed with a Haynes manual, I tuned and cleaned as best I could at the time. I remember doing the standard tune-up procedure in the manual I had, likely nearly the same as found in the FSM. I remember replacing the mufflers, rear tire, and both sprockets. I was learning. I had my older brother check things over and got the thumbs up on soundness. It was the Purple Iris (I think that was the name for '73) but the tank had some good dents. I prepped and filled the dents and then rattle canned it gloss black and the air filter covers too; I was 17; what can I say? Anyway, I thought it really popped with the chrome at the time. I sold the bike at the end of the riding season of 1984.
I have thought of that bike over the years often, and then, in the summer of 2024, I saw an ad on FB Marketplace. It was advertised as a '74 CB 350, and it looked intact. Being suspicious of the year, I saw It was a virtually complete '72 CB350K4 in Gentle Maroon Metallic when I got there. I bought it on the spot for $800 CDN. A steal, I realized later. Here is the cool part. It was last registered in 1984, the same year I sold my 350 G! I had initially thought I owned a '71 but only recently realized it was a '73 I had. As we all know, memories seem to have skewed over 40 years, but I do remember a front disc and the center indicator light panel of that year. My brother has since confirmed this by scanning a 35mm slide of me on the bike in 1983! (pictured below, as well as my profile pic).
This bike, the 72 K4, has a story. The only thing missing was the two front turn indicators, as it was fitted with a Shoei fairing. Everything else was present, down to the owner's manual and the tool kit. Now, the storage was horrific. I bought it from a gentleman who bought it from, I think, an estate sale. It was in a leaky building with other vehicles. It appears it was parked on the side stand, fuel not drained, with a tarp thrown over. PERIOD. It was a mess, but complete. A genuine "Barn Find".
The paint is original, except for the fork ears. I tried to keep most things in stock. Notable exceptions are things that made sense to me, like deleting the shifter linkage, modern rectifier voltage regulator, LED bulbs, and such. I fell in love with a shiny new chrome headlight bucket. The original black one has a crack (perfectly salvageable and repairable). I did everything down to powder coating the frame; top end rebuild—0.5mm overbore, new wiring, etc. Everything.
This forum has been the most helpful resource out there, so thanks to the folks who make it happen and all who contribute. Also, there's a member who lives not far from me in Calgary, Alberta, and he's a great resource. I haven't been super involved in conversations, but I have done lots of reading. I made some mistakes, learned along the way, and still have some bugs here and there.
I thank everyone here!
Here are just a few pics and a YouTube video of my first ride of any distance. It was quite emotional as I love this bike as much as I remember loving the one I had 40 years ago!
I have thought of that bike over the years often, and then, in the summer of 2024, I saw an ad on FB Marketplace. It was advertised as a '74 CB 350, and it looked intact. Being suspicious of the year, I saw It was a virtually complete '72 CB350K4 in Gentle Maroon Metallic when I got there. I bought it on the spot for $800 CDN. A steal, I realized later. Here is the cool part. It was last registered in 1984, the same year I sold my 350 G! I had initially thought I owned a '71 but only recently realized it was a '73 I had. As we all know, memories seem to have skewed over 40 years, but I do remember a front disc and the center indicator light panel of that year. My brother has since confirmed this by scanning a 35mm slide of me on the bike in 1983! (pictured below, as well as my profile pic).
This bike, the 72 K4, has a story. The only thing missing was the two front turn indicators, as it was fitted with a Shoei fairing. Everything else was present, down to the owner's manual and the tool kit. Now, the storage was horrific. I bought it from a gentleman who bought it from, I think, an estate sale. It was in a leaky building with other vehicles. It appears it was parked on the side stand, fuel not drained, with a tarp thrown over. PERIOD. It was a mess, but complete. A genuine "Barn Find".
The paint is original, except for the fork ears. I tried to keep most things in stock. Notable exceptions are things that made sense to me, like deleting the shifter linkage, modern rectifier voltage regulator, LED bulbs, and such. I fell in love with a shiny new chrome headlight bucket. The original black one has a crack (perfectly salvageable and repairable). I did everything down to powder coating the frame; top end rebuild—0.5mm overbore, new wiring, etc. Everything.
This forum has been the most helpful resource out there, so thanks to the folks who make it happen and all who contribute. Also, there's a member who lives not far from me in Calgary, Alberta, and he's a great resource. I haven't been super involved in conversations, but I have done lots of reading. I made some mistakes, learned along the way, and still have some bugs here and there.
I thank everyone here!
Here are just a few pics and a YouTube video of my first ride of any distance. It was quite emotional as I love this bike as much as I remember loving the one I had 40 years ago!
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