Considering a motorcycle - cb350 - Pics added 9/22

[slag]

Let me preface this post by saying I've never ridden a motorcycle on the road. I'm 37 and have ridden an old yamaha 80cc dirtbike when I was younger and am putting together a 1970 Honda SL100 dirtbike in my garage, but have never ridden a bike on the road.

My neighbor down the street has a Honda CB350 bike that looks great. It sat for several years, but it will fire up and run, just not correctly. I'm sure it needs the gas drained and possibly tank cleaned, carbs gone through, and points adjusted. It does currently start though after a friend of his "worked on it" for a few hours. At that old of a bike, the tires probably need replaced also.

I spoke with him and he thinks its worth between $300 and $500.00. At around $1 a cc, thats probably fair imho.

Sounds like a good starter bike for me, something to get my feet wet on, and another fun toy to have. I honestly don't know what I'd use it for, and to be honest, I'd probably flip it next spring, but for now, sounds like fun. What do you guys think about the CB350 bikes? Any good, easy to learn on? Consensus on google is that there are a ton of them out there, parts are easy to get, and they have a loyal following.

Get it, or not?

UPDATE: $600.00 will get me the bike. YAY or NAY? My wife is on the fence, but supports me either way, as long as I get her more charms for her Pandora bracelet

 

[satyajitmenon]

If you can do your own work, and don't mind tinkering around with it - then go for it. Should be a fun project bike.

 

[manimal]

Old CBs are decent first bikes. I would look for. 550 from that vintage if you weigh more than 170 lbs or are taller than 510


Remember that the brakes suck and the overall bike
Will need a few hundred in parts the first year. Look for a 800 dollar rebel or something with front discs.

 

[manimal]

I just sold my dr350s 91 with low miles
For 900. Look for those they are a hoot dual sport.

 

[hanoverphist]

i gave my brother his first bike, it was a 69 cb350. i loved that bike, i rebuilt it and got it all original and rode it for a long time. he did the same thing, but also learned how to ride on it. it was a great first bike for him, but he was also about 140 and 5'9". a much better fit than me at 220 and 6'3". he eventually graduated to a vulcan, and i already had a few other bikes to mess with so it disappeared when he decided to be an idiot and get it towed.

those bikes are easy to work on, fun to ride and easy to learn on. just dont expect it to roast the tire or actually race anyone. what year is the one you are looking at?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Great bikes. Pretty bulletproof too.

I'd jump on it.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

All I have to say is

 

[crackerjacks]

Disc brakes or drum brakes? I fixed up a CL450 a couple years ago and the drum brakes always made me uneasy on the highway. Of course I've been riding nothing but street and have always had disc brakes so it was just different.

For putting around town and stuff, it's a good bike. check the tank for rust, swap out the fluids and use a can of carb cleaning cleaning out the carbs and a sync and you will have a pretty good bike.

 

[desy]

Get it running proper and you will have no problem selling it.
A 350 is light for extended highway trips but more than adequate for about town.
The biggest thing about dirt bikes to street is the weight, esp when just starting to move and stop it will catch you off guard sometimes

 

[JulesMaximus]

Get it running proper and you will have no problem selling it.
A 350 is light for extended highway trips but more than adequate for about town.
The biggest thing about dirt bikes to street is the weight, esp when just starting to move and stop it will catch you off guard sometimes

That and on the street you want to use your front brake as it does most of the stopping.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Disc brakes or drum brakes? I fixed up a CL450 a couple years ago and the drum brakes always made me uneasy on the highway. Of course I've been riding nothing but street and have always had disc brakes so it was just different.

For putting around town and stuff, it's a good bike. check the tank for rust, swap out the fluids and use a can of carb cleaning cleaning out the carbs and a sync and you will have a pretty good bike.

Agreed and it'll be drum, and imho unsafe on 65mph highway.

 

[Sluggo]

Funny you should mention it, I was just looking at this last night on CL. Just a pipe-dream probably, my wife would shoot me if I drug home anything else on wheels.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/mcy/2557160999.html

 

[slag]

Funny you should mention it, I was just looking at this last night on CL. Just a pipe-dream probably, my wife would shoot me if I drug home anything else on wheels.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/mcy/2557160999.html

I'll try to get a picture of the bike tonight to compare to yours. The guy feels like he owes me a favor, although he doesn't. I rebuilt a starter for his old pontiac (1940's era iirc), and tuned up his john deere lawn tractor as well as other things, just being neighborly. Sounds like his estimate of worth may be a little low, but I also might have to sink a couple hundred in the bike to get it road worthy.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

You're probably looking at about a grand total. If that doesn't scare you off then I say go for it. Should be loads of fun and you can probably get your money back if you wanted to down the road

 

[JulesMaximus]

You're probably looking at about a grand total. If that doesn't scare you off then I say go for it. Should be loads of fun and you can probably get your money back if you wanted to down the road

I doubt it will be anywhere near that much...especially if he does most of the work himself.

My sister and her husband have a Kawasaki 550 motorcycle my Dad has owned since the mid 80s. He hadn't ridden it in over 10 years (he passed away last December) and they're looking at around $800 for all the work to get it into a safe rideable condition and that's paying someone else to go through the bike from top to bottom-it's a non-runner currently.

The 350 the OP is looking at runs at least. Tires, battery, some fluid changes and possible carb cleaning sounds like all this bike might need.

$100 battery
$200 tires (not supersport rubber we're talking about)
$100 other misc fluids/filters etc.

 

[twinrider1]

Might need to add chain/sprockets to that list. Still, sounds like a great project. Can't wait to see pics.

 

[hanoverphist]

dont forget to check the brakes. those old drums are decent for city, but when they sit for a while you may have to get them cleaned/ turned for effectiveness. the pads on mine got hard over time when i took a year to put it back together, and pretty much was like using two coffee cups to stop that sucker. mine was the dead stock set up, had the ugly bracket taillight on it still. i changed it out with a modded harley light at one point, as well as added bobber tanks to it. the stock seat looked kind of funny with the other stuff i did to it, but i never did find a seat i wanted to use on it. those things are cheap as hell to keep running, you should have a good time with it. i paid $250 for mine. found it in a guys barn down in gilbert back in the late 80s.

 

[JulesMaximus]

dont forget to check the brakes. those old drums are decent for city, but when they sit for a while you may have to get them cleaned/ turned for effectiveness. the pads on mine got hard over time when i took a year to put it back together, and pretty much was like using two coffee cups to stop that sucker. mine was the dead stock set up, had the ugly bracket taillight on it still. i changed it out with a modded harley light at one point, as well as added bobber tanks to it. the stock seat looked kind of funny with the other stuff i did to it, but i never did find a seat i wanted to use on it. those things are cheap as hell to keep running, you should have a good time with it. i paid $250 for mine. found it in a guys barn down in gilbert back in the late 80s.

My neighbor has a '71 Harley he just bought (making 2 total in his garage) and it has drum brakes front and rear. He says you really have to plan your stops out carefully and well in advance because the brakes are so bad on that bike. Still, he rides it on the freeway.

I'd bet the drum brakes on this Honda are much better plus you have so much less mass to slow with them.

I'd recommend going through the braking system anyway though. Shouldn't cost much, it's a pretty basic setup and parts are cheap and plentiful. E-bay is a good source for old Honda parts for this bike. Old bike barn.com is another you might try.

 

[slag]

If I can get the bike, I do plan on going completely through it. Remove the tank, flush it out, check for rust, and, if there is any, por15 it. Clean out the carb(s) and possibly put in a new needle and gaskets. New spark plugs, check the wires for cracks, clean and check the points and gap, possibly put in a new condenser (but since it sparks, sounds like it might not need it), and once it starts and runs, then work on the brakes, chain, etc. Probably wouldn't hurt to check the valves either and put fresh oil in it. As old as it is, I'm assuming this is a 6 volt system, right? Batteries are relatively cheap.

 

[Father Torque]

..

 

[bobdole369]

Let me preface this post by saying I've never ridden a motorcycle on the road. I'm 37 and have ridden an old yamaha 80cc dirtbike when I was younger and am putting together a 1970 Honda SL100 dirtbike in my garage, but have never ridden a bike on the road.

My neighbor down the street has a Honda CB350 bike that looks great. It sat for several years, but it will fire up and run, just not correctly. I'm sure it needs the gas drained and possibly tank cleaned, carbs gone through, and points adjusted. It does currently start though after a friend of his "worked on it" for a few hours. At that old of a bike, the tires probably need replaced also.

I spoke with him and he thinks its worth between $300 and $500.00. At around $1 a cc, thats probably fair imho.

Sounds like a good starter bike for me, something to get my feet wet on, and another fun toy to have. I honestly don't know what I'd use it for, and to be honest, I'd probably flip it next spring, but for now, sounds like fun. What do you guys think about the CB350 bikes? Any good, easy to learn on? Consensus on google is that there are a ton of them out there, parts are easy to get, and they have a loyal following.

Get it, or not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31HFKyp2hmE

As long as you aren't Dean Hodes, np.

 

[slag]

I'm going to go talk to the guy tonight. I've been busy the past few evenings and not made it over there.

 

[slag]

 

[slag]

tank has a dent and the cap doesn't work right. Rear blinkers don't work. Blinker switch needs to be replaced or cleaned up, bike has 11k miles. Needs new rubber, very hard to start, carbs need gone through, needs new seat, normal maintenance items. One of the front blinker stalks is bent also. Needs some rubber on the kick start, foot peg, chain cleaned or replaced.

Its a 1972 which makes it a CB350F I believe

 

[KGB]

tank has a dent and the cap doesn't work right. Rear blinkers don't work. Blinker switch needs to be replaced or cleaned up, bike has 11k miles. Needs new rubber, very hard to start, carbs need gone through, needs new seat, normal maintenance items. One of the front blinker stalks is bent also. Needs some rubber on the kick start, foot peg, chain cleaned or replaced.

Its a 1972 which makes it a CB350F I believe

I can't see your pics but a CB350F is a four cylinder engine. Is it a four banger?