1973 CB350G Canadian Noob Build (Gotta start somewhere!)

Love the updates. Shooting for the same goal of next weekend! How scary was it (is it..?) with the looming postal strike! Suddenly I am paying extra attention to how things are being shipped.

I ordered the same brake line kit from Revival for my rear brake... did they give you a better idea of why you couldn't get it together? Any tips?

I've got a chain breaker if you need one. Let me know!
 
FYI, the only tool needed to break a chain to shorten it is an angle grinder. Seriously. I have a top of the line tool and I found it better to use an angle grinder. Just grind the heads of and push out the ground link. Done.

O ring or X ring chains are great fr bikes that do a lot of miles but for weekend warriors, a non oring chain saves weight and loses less power through friction - a classic "twofer". Yes you are right in your video that a no O ring chain requires more maintenance but not a whole lot more. I fit O ring chains to bikes I am selling and non-O ring on my own bikes.
 
Really nice work so far. Great job researching and persevering through!
Just wanted to call your attention to the kinematics of the new rear brake set up you have. If you remove the shocks and move the rear suspension through its travel, you will see the brake pedal moves up and down. This will have the effect of the pedal pulsing up and down under your foot when you go over bumps. If you are braking when you hit bumps, very likely you will encounter a lot more and less braking than you intend as the suspension moves. This is extremely unnerving if you ride hard and use the rear brake in corners! Factory set ups avoid this problem by placing the pivot between the pull rod and actuating crank arm very close to the swing arm pivot. You will see that your own factory linkage has this pivot very close to the swing arm pivot and along the line between the swing arm pivot and the rear axle. This set up also provides a very small bit of interaction between the suspension motion and the brake kinematics, but it is so small that you don't notice it. This will not be the case with the way you have your brake set up. Most mechanical rear brakes that can no longer use the original brake pedal use the original pivot and crank arm with a linkage to the new pedal or eliminate this issue all together by using a cable.
 
I like cable on a rear drum. Easy to set up and looks nice too- with a nice swooping line from pedal to lever.
 
Hey bud, you got a nice build going.
But, front tire looks backwards.
double check the direction of rotation arrows.
 
trek97 said:
Hey bud, you got a nice build going.
But, front tire looks backwards.
double check the direction of rotation arrows.
Very nice observation! It is indeed backwards. I did not fit the tire onto the rim but will be taking it back to the mechanic that did as soon as I can. I noticed this months ago. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Hay Tone, the tyres are meant to be opposite directions. I thought this when I got mine back. Google it and there is a science behind it. Better displacement of water apparently. Keep wrenching"
 
Andyp said:
Hay Tone, the tyres are meant to be opposite directions. I thought this when I got mine back. Google it and there is a science behind it. Better displacement of water apparently. Keep wrenching"
Serious bruv?! Damn son. Thanks for the heads up Andy!

Interesting article on that: http://cyrilhuzeblog.com/2009/08/23/tires-directional-arrows-explained-by-avon-tyres/
 
teazer said:
FYI, the only tool needed to break a chain to shorten it is an angle grinder. Seriously. I have a top of the line tool and I found it better to use an angle grinder. Just grind the heads of and push out the ground link. Done.

O ring or X ring chains are great fr bikes that do a lot of miles but for weekend warriors, a non oring chain saves weight and loses less power through friction - a classic "twofer". Yes you are right in your video that a no O ring chain requires more maintenance but not a whole lot more. I fit O ring chains to bikes I am selling and non-O ring on my own bikes.
although I disagree with the opinion on using standard roller chains over O/X ring chains I whole heartedly agree with breaking a chain with an angle grinder. those over priced specialty chain tools are worthless.

Psy

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk
 
Psycrow said:
although I disagree with the opinion on using standard roller chains over O/X ring chains I whole heartedly agree with breaking a chain with an angle grinder. those over priced specialty chain tools are worthless.

Psy

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

Good stuff!

O/X ring does last longer for the commuter ride and less trouble, ( I buy what is best for the app) but if you keep a chunk of spare chain around to have that continuous loop swap and a pair of gloves, pull the chain toss it in the bucket of parts cleaner of choice... go relax eat dinner then go out for a beer and while enjoying that, douche out the crap blow it out with air and pull it back in... hose it down with Maxima and yer ready for beer #2 :eek:
 
Things have really been heating up in the old Saturday's Wrench workshop (read: my parents garage :D). This heat has really been hard to work through with most days being 35-40 degrees with the humidity in the tiny garage. I've been taking a lot of days off work and putting in 12-14hr full days and just completely busting my ass to get through the home stretch and have some exciting updates coming down the pipe. This really is the home stretch and I am definitely feeling it! (exhausted) This has been nothing short of the most challenging and most time encompassing project I have every under taken but I'm enjoying every second and I can't wait to fire this beast up!!!

Firstly though I wanted to share this video I made of me going through my custom wiring diagram if you're interested. Again, a special thank you to Stefan at Revival Cycles for guiding me through the process of creating my own wiring diagram. Hopefully it will help you out if you're planning to fit an M-Unit or any other Motogadget components.

https://youtu.be/1cpdUm4xRcM

The wiring process has been tons of fun!! I am thoroughly enjoying making the proper wiring connections, building secondary harness' and just making everything look as neat and organized as possible. I will have a 2 part electrical update coming in the next wk or 2 hopefully! Just have to edit them up.

Wiring has been completed and I am currently waiting an M-Lock RFID key switch I ordered at the beginning of June! You know something is in demand when it takes more than 2 months to receive it! I have everything hooked up and ready to go except I can't turn the system on without a key switch. My savior Rob from Bullit Custom Cycles was nice enough to send me one in the meantime until the one I ordered shows up. Rob, you are a gentleman and a scholar. So that's in the mail and should arrive by Friday.

The other wall I hit was when I went to install my custom exhaust and found out that the spacer inserts that sit inside the cylinder head were too short!! It seems that I need the longer inserts that come on the 68-70 CB350. Chad Williams, a fellow CB350 enthusiast and all around awesome dude from the forums here who helped me get the exhaust was nice enough to sell me an old pair he had lying around and those should show up next wk sometime. I guess I could fit on the stock pipes to fire her up in the meantime but I highly doubt I will. I really just want to wait until I have this custom exhaust on for the full effect!! Excited to show that off as well in the next couple updates.

So as she goes right now everything is ready except for those 2 items. The tank showed up from the painter and is looking cool. Emblems are cleaned and repainted and everything is looking sharp! Really reall close!!! Pics to come...
 
So for the next part of the build I needed to clean up my harness I got from Sparck Moto and generally set all the electrical components up so that when I go to install everything it will be more or less a plug and play. Here's is the latest video I made of me doing just that. You may see me make a few mistakes here and there but keep in mind this is my very first time every wiring a motorcycle. If you have any suggestions on how I can improve please don't hesitate to tell me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27d3xCaD6IU&feature=gp-n-y&google_comment_id=z12dtzujlpfxffnbl04chjjhulqpepn5qmg0k

The guys at Sparck made me a really nice harness but there was a few things I needed to clean up and add to it before I could install it. I really do wish I tackled this harness on my own as I had quite a lot of fun making the connections and secondary harnesses. I added ferrules to all the input and output connections for the m-Unit. I also had to make a secondary harness on the right side of the bike for the coils and electronic ignition modulator. The wire diagram I made was SUPER helpful in getting this process completed as it served as a really great guide while I was doing all this work. I also had to make all the connections for my tachometer so that I can simply plug it in when I am ready. After all this I drilled into the bars for the control and signal wires and got everything set up nicely. I made nice ground strap and starter motor cable and removed paint from the upper rear engine mount so I could have a solid metal on metal connection. It was pretty time consuming getting all the wiring done just so I would be ready for install but I really did enjoy it a lot.

Next I will install all my components into the custom battery box I made and get the harness installed on the bike with the headlight and bucket.. exciting times! Hopefully get to that update next week!
 

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Great update as usual mate your build is surgical mate you're like a bike doctor ,so precise loving it as ever can't wait for the big day when you fire her up and you wont stop grinning gonna be worth every penny and blood sweat n beer's haha keep up this class build mate
 
yorkie350 said:
Great update as usual mate your build is surgical mate you're like a bike doctor ,so precise loving it as ever can't wait for the big day when you fire her up and you wont stop grinning gonna be worth every penny and blood sweat n beer's haha keep up this class build mate
Cheers Yorkie! Almost have her complete. Will take some time to get her tuned up but she's pretty close. Thanks for the encouragement.
Saturdays Wrench said:
So for the next part of the build I needed to clean up my harness I got from Sparck Moto and generally set all the electrical components up so that when I go to install everything it will be more or less a plug and play. Here's is the latest video I made of me doing just that. You may see me make a few mistakes here and there but keep in mind this is my very first time every wiring a motorcycle. If you have any suggestions on how I can improve please don't hesitate to tell me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27d3xCaD6IU&feature=gp-n-y&google_comment_id=z12dtzujlpfxffnbl04chjjhulqpepn5qmg0k

The guys at Sparck made me a really nice harness but there was a few things I needed to clean up and add to it before I could install it. I really do wish I tackled this harness on my own as I had quite a lot of fun making the connections and secondary harnesses. I added ferrules to all the input and output connections for the m-Unit. I also had to make a secondary harness on the right side of the bike for the coils and electronic ignition modulator. The wire diagram I made was SUPER helpful in getting this process completed as it served as a really great guide while I was doing all this work. I also had to make all the connections for my tachometer so that I can simply plug it in when I am ready. After all this I drilled into the bars for the control and signal wires and got everything set up nicely. I made nice ground strap and starter motor cable and removed paint from the upper rear engine mount so I could have a solid metal on metal connection. It was pretty time consuming getting all the wiring done just so I would be ready for install but I really did enjoy it a lot.

Next I will install all my components into the custom battery box I made and get the harness installed on the bike with the headlight and bucket.. exciting times! Hopefully get to that update next week!
 
It’s about time to get you guys up to speed about what’s been going on with the build. Been a bit slow on the updates due to the fact that I’m trying to time them with my editing process. That’s the price you pay when you decide to document your entire process!

Here is my latest installment of the video series for my build. It’s a bit longer than I wanted it to be but the wiring process actually took a lot of time! In it I finish up all the electrical work on the bike including installing the wire harness and all the electrical components in the bike. Check it out when you get some time on your hands:

https://youtu.be/51SVcZ553RE


I would say the electrical process went pretty smoothly but was quite time consuming. It took me some time to prepare my custom battery box for the install as I had to drill out a few mounting holes and cut away a space for the reg/rec wires so I could easily route and hide them inside the box. If I were to ever do this again I would pay more consideration into the mounting points on the box to the frame. The way mine were set up are not very ideal at all as they hang down from the two crossover support pieces in the middle of the frame. This made tightening the nylon nuts I used quite difficult as my electronic components were in the way on the top of the battery box. So my advice to others attempting a custom electronics tray or something like this would be to really measure accurately and think about all aspects before going forward and really create something that mounts on quite easily and out of the way of the components you plan on fitting inside the box.

After prepping the box I started to add my components. My alarm and solenoid are sitting in the bottom of the box underneath the m-Unit shelf. I used 3M Velcro strips to hold those in place. I designed a space for the excess wires to sit in a neat bundle and a little window in the shelf for the wires under there to be able to connect to the battery and m-Unit. I carefully used zip ties to bundle the alarm wires so they would sit neatly in between the battery and the space behind the reg/rec. After mounting the m-Unit onto the top shelf I installed it on top of the other components inside the box and tried to group the negative and positive wires together for easy battery connection.

Installing the headlight bucket and controls were pretty easy since I had prepped all the wires into the bars first. I used double wall heat shrink over the areas of wire that were making contact to the edges of the holes I drilled into the bars so that the wires would not chafe and cause potential short hazards. After running all the wires into the headlight bucket, everything connected up really easily. My diagram was a huge help in setting this all up. I also had to run an extra wire into the headlight through a secondary loom I made for the RPM input on the tach from the ignition modulator. This unfortunately did not come with my wiring harness but it was easy enough to set up and run it side by side with the main harness along the frame into the headlight bucket. I tried to run the harness along the top part of the frame in order to distance it from the spark plug wires as I did not want the high tension cables to interfere with my electrical wires.

I wrapped the starter motor cable with Super 33 electric tape then heat shrink wrapped all of the exposed parts of the wire under the engine and inside the chain compartment. I was warned that a short on the starter motor wire was one of the greatest causes of motorcycle fires and really just wanted to take the time and effort to make sure nothing like that would happen on my bike. If you are fitting an after market wire for this application like I am i would strongly recommend taking the time to protect and shield the wire as much as possible. You’ll notice the stock cable has a pretty thick jacket over it and this is for a very good reason as I have learned. Common knowledge to most of you guys but overlooked by a few.

The ground cable was attached to the upper rear engine mounting bolt after paint was removed in that area to ensure solid metal on metal contact with the frame. I used 6 gauge wire for this particular application and again protected the wire with double wall heat shrink.

After everything was in place I double checked every single connection and took a volt meter to the battery to make sure it was ready to go. I took an extra long couple of deep breaths and connected the positive leads first then the negative leads. High five for not blowing anything up! I saw the m-Unit light up and got pretty excited. I waved the master key of the m-Lock over the fob and saw the lights race around the m-Unit then go off… I thought I had a short in the system but then realized I needed to ‘teach’ the other keys by holding them up to the fob after waving the master key.

The first wake up of the system went well! I was pleased nothing exploded or melted but have to admit that I was about ready to crap myself. 1st time ever attempting to wire a motorcycle and had already made some pretty rookie mistakes on this build, if something were to happen it would’ve been an expensive and time costly mistake. All is well though! The lights and horn all function as expected. Pretty happy about moving forward on this beast!!

My next steps will be to find a proper spot for the m-Lock key reader and get the exhaust, chain and clutch installed. I will also need to install my fuel lines before I can start this bike up. That should be coming up really soon. I actually finished this wiring process a few weeks ago but have since been away the last few weekends on some trips I booked months ago. I am looking forward to getting back into the garage this week to finish up. Hopefully things continue to go smoothly.

Enjoy some pictures for now and I will hope to be back with an update soon. Thanks for your interest.
 

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Fantastic update as usual mate and the work you got done with the "lectricary" is really clean I know that crossed fingers feeling when you go for the key first time getting close mate getting close, keep it up loving this build shame for us its gonna be complete one day ??? look forward to the ride video tho
 
yorkie350 said:
Fantastic update as usual mate and the work you got done with the "lectricary" is really clean I know that crossed fingers feeling when you go for the key first time getting close mate getting close, keep it up loving this build shame for us its gonna be complete one day ??? look forward to the ride video tho

Cheers Yorkie! Ran into some more problems as you will see in the next post but getting really close!
 
Had a frustrating night in the garage recently, here's the latest.

So I went in to set up the gas lines and install the exhaust in hopes that I would actually be able to start the bike but ran into some more major setbacks unfortunately. I've been assured that it's pretty normal to run into problems but I am beginning to think that karma does NOT want me to ride this season (or at all??). Either way a lot of guys who have undertaken the task of a motorcycle rebuild will say it's a long road, one in which that can get pretty dark & dusty sometimes. I can definitely attest! I'm on the ropes over here but I'm not giving up! I feel like Clark Griswold in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation when his family tries to leave after the dog chases the squirrel around the house.

Here are my latest frustrating conundrums in list format (FML):
- gas tank has a pin hole leak which is causing the paint to bubble (yay!)
- spark plug threads are damaged on the right cylinder, plug will not torque (woo!)
- 2 threads on the left cover are also damaged, heli coils have been installed but bolts still won't torque (woohoo!)
- Custom exhaust will not fit on with the center stand! Need kick stand fabricated (probably a blessing in disguise)
- Battery over-discharged and cells are wickedly unbalanced (due to poor storage since I purchased that battery about a year ago and left it in the box in the house.. rookie move)

Fortunately I am working on some quick solutions! I don't know why I didn't think I needed to seal the tank but that is what's going to happen asap. I remember thinking that I didn't need to seal the tank after the beautiful results I achieved with the Metal Rescue and the fact that both me and the painter had gone over the tank with putty to make sure the problem areas were taken care of. I am using the epoxy tank sealer from Caswell as I have been assured it's one of the best and easiest products to work with for this application. Painter has already agreed to do some touch ups on the paint.

For the broken threads I am going to leave them to Jeff Busch, the experienced mechanic that helped out on the engine rebuild. He's assured me that he can handle it with no problems.

Rob over at Bullit Custom Cycles is being a major major bahd by taking care of a few things for me. He's going to make me a kick stand mount, a license plate holder and a bracket for my tach. My goal was to install the tach into the headlight bucket, but that is going to happen over the fall.

I recharged the battery but was getting some weird flashing sequence on the dedicated charger that was not explained in the manual. I put it on charge and checked it with the volt meter to make sure the volts were going up. When it was done I tried to hook it back up on the bike but when I did I got some sparks and the horn sounded! The m-Unit does this when the battery is faulty to warn you of cook off... Love having that thing in my corner. After speaking with the manufacturer about what was going on they told me that my battery has been in an over-discharged state and needed to be balanced and recharged in a specific manner. They don't put this in the manual for whatever reason but emailed me the instructions and they seemed to have worked out well. I left the battery and charger on "Store" mode for 24 hours to balance the cells then recharged to just over 14 volts. I haven't tried to hook it back up but I'm not getting the error lights on the charger anymore so I am feeling positive :)D) about the whole thing.

Getting closer. Climbing Mt Everest! But getting closer.

Stay tuned.
 
Ouch man. That really stinks. Been following your build for a while now. Set backs are part of the journey. Take them as an opportunity to make things better and learn. I can relate to a few of your setbacks. Keep at it man.


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