Advice on restoration of 73 Honda CB350 (ride, custom, bike, Japanese)

[tiresidedown]

I have an old Honda that's been in the family since new. <8k miles and mechanically great - however, all the seals and rubber are mostly shot. I'd like to find a place to get it brought into fully roadworthy condition.

I think it's mostly labor and rubber parts needed - the dealers I have been to look at it like an artifact they wouldn't know what to do with. Ideas?

I'd like to have the old girl runnin for summer. She'll start, but I don't feel she's safe at speed.

Thanks

[Linson]

a dealer is not the place to go to get it fixed. take it to a hotrod shop or a brake and muffler shop that does custom exhaust and suspension work.

[Roaddog]

Sounds like fun, you should be able to pickup the parts either from e-bay or do a search for them, good luck and have fun.

[GregW]

Look on the net for New Old Stock Honda parts. I had one of these and it was great fun.

[Swampmonster]

I agree with the above posters...THE DEALER WILL HOSE YOU.Ask around and I'm sure you'll find a bike mechanic willing to do it for you(Talk to a Honda mechanic from the dealer and ask him in private if he does"side work" at home,chances are he'll do it if you keep it quiet)

What about getting yourself a Clymer manual and doing it yourself by buying the parts off of Ebay...that would be a great experience for you.VERY rewarding.The major pain on those heifers is adjusting the carbs,if you don't need that done then

[M3 Mitch]

What, really, needs doing on this bike? Is it leaking oil?

If the tires are old, yeah, you need new tires, you can get tires for this bike from any bike parts aftermarket outfit (Dennis Kirk, Competition Accessories, Chapparal, etc.)

If you know what you are doing, mounting these tires is not that tough, use the correct lube and push the tire bead well into the middle of the rim (narrowest point, smallest diameter), use a plastic rim protector and a proper tire iron, no problem. Mounting tires, particularly bike tires, is more about technique than about brute force.

A lot of leaking seals can be "revived" with new oil, particularly oils that have "seal swell" additives. But the original seals on these old Japanese bikes are excellent, and you probably just have a few that are leaking.

Completely dis-assembling the bike and replacing all the seals would be a lot of work. And probably unnecessary.

Probably a change of all fluids (which is oil and brake fluid IIRC) and a couple of new tires/tubes will get the bike back on the road in good shape.

With you being in San Diego, hunt around, you can find a bike restoration shop, probably not cheap but should be good.

[M3 Mitch]

Excuse me for replying to my own post - but I finally remembered the name I was hunting around for: Carl Nelson. He's a BMW (car, mostly) restorer with a really excellent reputation. I forget the name of his shop but in San Diego he's pretty famous. See if he'll tackle the bike. If he does not want to tackle a Honda for whatever reason, he will probably be able to refer you to someone who will do right by you.

Although: just dropping an old vehicle off at a good restoration shop and saying "gimme the works" can easily result in a bill well into 5 figures. And, of course, a vehicle that is essentially the same as it was on the day it was made. So, too valuable to use. Izzat where you want to go with this?

Speaking of oils with seal swell additives - a good one that's reasonably priced is the "green jug" Castrol high-mileage. Run a couple of loads of this thru the bike, wash the engine (better to do this with the engine cold, S100 is an excellent de-greaser) (know what you are doing, don't get water where it does not need to be, dry the bike with a blower or exhaust from a shop vac, even compressed air, WD-40 is your friend here) and I think after a little use and an oil change or 2 you will be able to identify the seals and/or gaskets that are actually leaking.

Drive Chain. You want to take a hard look at the drive chain and sprockets, using a baleful and malevolent eye...or just replace them with high-zoot new ones pre-emptively. Broken chains can lead to broken crankcases or at worst wrap around your rear wheel, locking it up. Which can result in a dirt nap for you if you don't catch it right away.

Take a look in Walneck's Classic Bike trader, you can find restorers and people who cater to old Honda bikes.

This is a great old bike, make it safe and ride it!

[GregW]

All these are good advice. I will add the idea that you should change the sprockets and chain set and new tires and tubes anyway. Then give it a good wash & wax, some fresh oil and ride it locally. Then only fix what needs fixing. I would not try to "restore" it but just get it to be safely ridable.

IIRC the 350 is a nice little bike. A bit buzzy but nice anyway.

[spankys bbq]

Sorry to dig up such an old post.....

If you find an online retailer that sells the gaskets and seals, please let me know. I'm in the middle of a 1971 CL100 restoration and I'm stuck looking for gaskets. The shop that I had it at several years ago is a little pricey and they have a HUGE backlog of work to be done (so much that some of the stuff they have is rusting). That and I like getting my hands dirty. Satisfaction of a job well(?) done and knowing that you can take pride in the bike because you did the work. Such a nice feeling.

My list of things to do on this bike.....repaint everything, rebuild engine/carbs, new tires, polish wheels, new shock boots, remove dents from tank, find new air filter cover, and about a thousand other things. So much to do and so little money. lol


Best of luck with your bike.

[M3 Mitch]

Offhand, Spanky, try these guys, they are in UK but will ship to the US:

David Silver Spares - HOME

You may be able to find some parts bikes, also check out Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader, they have both shops and spares suppliers advertised.

Good luck.