Honda CB/CL 350 Twins
My third ever bike was one of these. It was a CB bike with CL pipes on it. On these bikes, this pipe swap was probably enough to scrap the idle. I bought it from a guy for $125.00 and had to rebuild it soon after. It had been apart before and who ever did the work had fucked it up royally. There were partially blocked oil galleys, the chain tensioner wheel was installed upside down and there was assorted other errors that made taking the little twin apart a joy. The bike went back together fine and in no time I was cruising the streets of Minneapolis on a bike I rebuilt. The rebuild held for a long while. I eventually scrapped the bike when one of the screws that holds the choke butterfly valve to its shaft worked itself loose and was sucked into the intake valve, holding it open. It sounded terminal and I auctioned the bike off. I was really sorry to see that one go.I had another parts bike for the same bike that I found in someone’s back yard that was living next to a friend’s apartment building. He wanted big money for it and it was junk. I gave him an offer that two years later he took me up on. I think it was $50.00. Not bad for a bike with a title. I sold that one at auction as well.
I had a third one of these things. It was the one that came with the Buffalo. The motor in this one was stuck and it had some pretty bad cosmetic damage, so I never did anything with it. I still love these bikes and when I get more storage space in my garage (by selling old projects) I have my eye on a yard monster a few blocks from my house. Café racer anyone?
I've rebuilt one of these bikes engines. It was quite an experience. If you want to know more about keeping one of these little gems happy, check out the Tech Tips I've written on these bikes.
