1973 Honda CB350 Twin
This story is about a 1973 Honda CB350 Twin that somehow became a 4 year journey to what I have at the current date of 1/24/2021. A LOT of things have happened in the world since I decided begin this scrambler build. But in the end it is a story of success and pride. Come along with me and gather some insight or some comedic relief depending on your style. We all have our own ways of doing things and getting to the end we desire, however sometimes we need some inspiration to get us started or advice on how to take another step. I know I reached out to so many resources during this build, so I find it only fitting to pay forward the information I was able to obtain during my search for ideas and technical data.Deciding to build a café racer, OEM restoration, scrambler, or any other style is a very personal decision, and one that must take into account, budget, riding style, end game, but most of all your creative desire and what you want to be able to claim as your art. To me it is art. There are some beautiful bikes out there but weather we like it or not, is not a concern of the builder, what matters is if they love what they have created. Have fun! Do your best and enjoy the process.
"What makes a design, is that inner voice, that takes your accumulated knowledge and arranges it into something uniquely yours"
RTD
Cognito Moto GPS Speedo
So the speedometer I chose for this build is the “Cognito Moto” GPS Speedometer with the large tach and smaller speed gauge. I also opted for the black background instead of the white. This was a hard decision for me as this can really add too or take away from the look of a bike. But I had a few considerations that directed me here.Since I am spending a ridiculous amount of money on what will absolutely be only a 350cc motorcycle, I decided that the “speed” was not the main actor in this show. There would be very little movement on the gauge and the information I really wanted to see quickly would be in a very small location within the gauge.I also did not want to run the OEM tach and speedo lines to help keep the bike minimal. So the idea of the GPS and ignition style tach was perfect.This is an expensive item coming in at $400, with a 4-6 week wait time which ended up being over 2 months for me. My only regret with this setup is there is no neutral indicator within the unit. Other than that I love my choice. There are a couple items I want to share even if they end up being notes for myself that I can refer to at a later date if needed.The directions are a 2 page copy that are not very helpful. It is a basic wiring setup for the indicators and such but when it comes to the YELLOW tach wire..!! The included directions give you 4 options for setting this up basically for cars. Nothing for 2 cylinders or EXACTLY where it should go. Many suggestions but nothing that said… connect yellow wire to X wire on your motorcycle and do this in the settings…. NOPE! nothing.I contacted the actual manufacturer as not to bother the guys over at Cognito with my issues and got nowhere. He basically told me the same thing these faded sheets paper were telling me. So I finally reached out to Cognito with my issues and they got on the phone with me and went over my current wiring config and told me exactly how to wire it up and all is good now.So there are a couple little issues with this unit but it looks good and I ran my own green LED up to the same location and put it in the speedo mount for my neutral light as well as a space for the programming button.
A Bit of History
Ill go through a quick history of the different motorcycles and attributes I learned to love as I progressed, that will eventually lead to this build and design.
My story starts with a 1970’s Kawasaki KD-100. This was my first motorcycle and the beginning of a journey I am grateful I was able take. Not having had any other motorcycles at this time and no reference to its prowess this one was mostly for me to learn how to ride, have my spills, become educated on how the mechanics of the thing all worked together. It also was a lesson in humility and patience when it didn’t run right or I would lay it down in front of friends…
Once I had physically grown out of the little 100 I decided to move up to a bit larger bike. Thinking I had mad skills on my KD-100, I got a bit full of myself and moved right up to an IT-175. I purchased my first one from a neighbore who had bailed on the project and it was in about 6 boxes when I picked it up. I mean every bolt was out of this thing. SO!! This was where I learned everything I needed to know about the mechanics behind this machine I had not even rode.Once this 2 stroke monster (for me) was alive I was amazed and all the new power and suspension I had to learn how to use. I was HOOKED! I owned about 6 of these and entered several 175 class races locally.
The CR250 was the bike to own when it first hit the dirt. I got one and kept racing. Once again gaining more power and more suspension my skills had to improve to manage a now well defined track eater. Still being humbled when needed from time to time I kept moving up to bigger races and larger gaps. Utah had a TON of space and amazing cross county long distance races to go as far as you, your bike, or your wallet could take you.
Some time had gone by here graduating from High School and getting into life in general. After getting married and moving to the Mid-South I decided to give a go at a street bike and bought a used KZ650. It was a good motorcycle and I found out I loved the street riding as much as the off-road stuff I had left behind me. The Ozark mountains gave me plenty of winding, not so crowded roads to enjoy as I once again began the learning process of becoming a good rider on the streets.
Totally on a side note… While working for a show as a lighting designer, I spent some time with a group of guys that rode small 100’s in a big steel globe as part of the show. SO I spent a summer learning how to ride with them inside this insane metal ball of death and had a blast. Ended up doing two shows with them as the 3rd bike in the globe.
Now that I had the feel for the road riding I decided to move up to a different style and tempo with 1990’s ZX-9R. This was another HUGE move forward in performance and power. I felt like I was starting all over once again with a new machine, new style and posture. Again a NEW love for riding and I had been upgraded and I was unstoppable. These bike were built to flat out move. Move with precision and speed. I went through several of these as they progressed in years as well as the Honda CBR900RR and CBR954RR.
After many years and many iterations of Kawasaki and Honda 900-ish bikes I sold everything and gave it up. I figured I was still walking and alive and I had a good chance at coming out ahead in this long list of 2 wheeled adventures.
R.I.P. – Randy We miss you!After just a few years I started itching for getting back on the road and decided with new back injuries that the sport bike was no longer the right choice and decided to go pick out a new “cruiser” style motorcycle that would allow a more relaxed riding position and be a good choice for a weekend warrior. I left the Honda dealership with a beautiful burnt-orange VTX1300 with custom D&D exhaust. I thought I was going to love this one and keep it till I was old and grey!
As you can see in the picture I got the coat, the boots, I got everything I could for this “final” step, in my riding progression. The riding position for my particular L-4 back injury was SO much worse for me than the sport bikes. I didn’t like the power curve, the cornering was terrible for me. About 6 months later I sold the VTX and that was it!
The Decision
I thought I would give a brief overview of how I came to my decision to build a scrambler. After the last few year of not having a motorcycle the “itch” I am sure you all know, started winding its way back into my soul.I had been noticing the trend of taking old and making it new again pushing its way to the top of many searches. Two styles quickly became forefront in my mind as I researched the many different builds. The scrambler and the cafe racer.
If you read my history post, you may remember I started with dirt bikes then progressed through to high performance street bikes. Having a love for both types of riding I quickly saw the opportunity to combine the two. Next on my checklist was to look at all the models available and had the support need to complete a nice build without needing all custom parts if I decided to change the design. Changing the design was for sure on my list. I wanted to build a bike that had many of the qualities of both riding styles which lead me to the Scrambler eventually.
I have never liked the Enduro style motorcycles as I felt they were not good at either off-road or street riding rather a week step-child of both. The minimalistic features of the scrambler builds with enhanced tires, wheels and suspension really was what I was looking for. I almost went for the Cafe-Racer style but just felt with what I had in my head I would have much more headroom to get the features I needed for my build.So down the rabbit hole I went, looking at literally hundreds of makes and models that builders were converting into amazing Scrambler builds. And then there was the topic of cost and how much was I willing to sink into this mid-life critical project. I kept coming back to the Honda models seeing something through outdated colors, over sized seats, and extended blinkers, and bad suspension. The frame had the right bones for what I wanted to do and it was one the most sold motorcycles in history, so parts would be readily available.So I landed on the 1973 CB350G. The 73 CB350G (Model K) had a front disc brake which was a mandatory check on the list.
The images above are just stock images I found. Below is the actual bike that I purchased for $350 from a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere mid-Missouri. The wheels were not on it, wasn’t sure about any of the hardware or mechanics but was focused on the title and frame for the bones of my project.
It had begun!
I had committed to a project that I had no idea of its scope. I would soon learn how much dedication and thought would need to go into carving out what I hoped would be a elegant cross breed of all the features I liked throughout my motorcycle riding career.
The Dismantling
One of the main reasons I selected this model was the space I knew I could free up where the air filters, tool and battery boxes were located. I wanted to make this a “feature” on my build as well as the new location for a mono-shock. Layers and layers of factory fodder was flying off like a wood-chipper handling a new sapling. A ridiculous amount of chrome, bloated seats, exhaust, fenders and about a mile of wire were all stripped off and landed in a “may not return” pile.
Come to find out… This was the easy part. Bolt after bolt, decorative cap nuts, rusted this rusted that… all gone!
The Frame
So here it was. Was it going to be the frame I hoped it would be? Would I be able get all the components into the new found spaces. I think so! So, strange to find out… NOTHING on this frame was symmetrical! Strange how Honda jigged this for sure. But now I could see for sure the spaces I needed to change and I felt my decision was correct.
NOT SURE WHAT?
First of all I had to take about 6-8 inches off the back end of the frame. I plan on converting to a mono-shock so the shock mounts have to go. The helmet lock had to go as well as the current tool box and battery box mounting tabs. The tabs for the seat hinge needed to be cut off. I didn’t like the ridge along the spine of the center column, so that has to go. A new support system for the back of the seat and rear fender will need to be created. The swing down center stand would be going away. This was just at first glance. All of this would now allow for a nice window through the center which would show off the new mono-shock once the build was complete.
The Mock-Up
TBD
The Paint
So lets talk about the paint for a post! This to me was one of the hardest or THE hardest decision I made building this bike. As we all know this decision makes or brakes your build. The original bike as you have seen had a dark purple or dark blue with a stripe.That was obviously not going to work with the new build. So… what do you do???? I spent months thinking about what I wanted to do so I just went to the basics. I had decided long ago my motor was to be red, black and natural metal. So I decided to go for the same look with the tank and fenders.I have a painter that does all my work and would trust nobody else. So I call him up and show him a couple of photos and he says he’s got it. He is amazing and I am glad to call him a friend!So the tank is done… The fenders match the raw aluminum on the motor and I love the transition from the seat to the tank. Well done!
Working on a final checklist
I am pleased to announce that today I begin to create the final checklist for the completion of the CB350 project.I know… I know… There will NEVER be a FINAL checklist, but for the sake of conversation and a happy marriage lets roll with it!Okay, so the bike has been started. It took a test run up the driveway and back. There were some obvious shortcomings at this point that were noted and some directly taken care of like motor mounts coming loose. She wasn’t meant to go far but I did want to see if all the math on the suspension and such was working as planned and we didn’t have any further structural issues to deal with. As you can see in the photo I have suspended the swing arm so I can get to the rear-sets. I am unhappy with them so-far. I will work on those next.We all know that NEEDs to be right.So now the list.1 – Rear-sets are not right yet. Linkage is off, pegs don’t feel strong.2 – Chain has to be adjusted again after ride up the hill. (may have to look into why)3 – Front seat mount needs to be fabricated4 – Rear fender is being painted and will need to be added.5 – Every single nut will need to be tightened or thread-locked for safety.6 – Still waiting on front brake lines and connections.7 – Rear shock is awful!!!! I built the bike around this thing and I hate the way it looks. I need to have it rebuilt or buy a new one out of the box. It is kind of the feature.Well that might be it. I am sure I have forgotten a couple items but this is a tight list of the to-do’s so stay tuned to see how they each go!
About Us
TBD
Thank You
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