'73 CB350G: Project Sakura

Rimmy

Been Around the Block
Well, here it is, my first build thread!


Background:
About a decade ago I inherited a '66 Harley-Aermacchi Sprint 250H from my uncle. My intent was to get it running then cherry it up. While I was online looking for parts I came across a few websites that showed these bad boys turned into cafe bikes. This is where it all began. The stretched out look of a CR style tank, clip ons and all the other cafe accoutrements made this bike look ridiculously uncomfortable yet ridiculously awesome. This bike had no downtube either so it was all just exposed engine, a real testament of two-wheeleed beauty. Though, sadly, after I entered college I neither had the time nor the money to build it up to what I wanted it to be, so I ended up getting rid of it.


Now a few years later, I'm still in college (grad school) and still don't really have the time or the money to build a bike to what I want it to be, but whats life without some sleepless nights and ramen noodle dinners? In fact, I've come to realize that with the right DIY attitude it doesn't take a lot of cash to build the bike I want. Thats right, not the bike that has the best marketing, not the bike that can run circles around the competition, but the bike that I want. I wanted to build a spirited small cafe bike. After some researching I found the CB350 to be the perfect candidate. There's a ton of them, they're a solid platform to start on and there is a ton of aftermarket options for them. Also, some researching led me to to some forums (DTT in particular!) where a ton of people congregate that are willing to help others in the building process.


The bike:
I picked up a semi-running '73 CB350G, the one with the front disc brake. The front brake rotor was shot, the PO only had one break pad in... It would start after a lot of coaxing and starting fluid but would choke out after a while and wouldn't rev very high at all. The turn signals weren't working apparently and there were a few other problems, but that's to be expected with a bike that's older than me...


Proof that a CB350 can in fact fit in the back of a Dodge Caravan:
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It can also fit into an '01 Cavalier after a lot of dismantling:
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The van picture was taken back in February '10 when I first bought the bike for $550. The Cavalier picture was right after the tear-down in late fall.


After I got the bike I proceeded to source some parts; clip-ons, rearsets, linkages etc and put the bike on a severe weight loss program. I put the necessary parts back on but Fall was closing in and I realized I was doing things in a rushed fashion so I decided to take the winter to slow things down and do it safely.


Here is the bike as it stood before the teardown:
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So the bike is in pieces, and I've made some good progress overall but that will be included in later posts.


Thanks for looking,
-jordan
 
The Seat...


So i tried to make my cafe seat using the stock seat pan and fiberglass initially. It went horribly, horribly wrong. I got the glass weave and all the resin and crap I needed. I used a ton of GreatStuff to put a big lump of foam on the back and whittled it down to a style I liked. Covered it in the foil and went to town. I think I added too much of the hardener to the resin or something because I ended up with a big sticky mess that looked nothing like I wanted.


GreatStuff:
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A shape I liked:
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And I didn't even bother taking pictures of the sticky catastrophe I made.


So, I decided to make a metal cowl type seat bump instead. I traced out a shape I liked onto some cardboard and transfered that shape onto a piece of sheet metal. Before I went any further I made a rear tail-light/license plate bracket and riveted that into place. I really wish I had a welder... Anyhow, I then realized the sheet metal was far too thin, but didn't know if I could coax a thicker gauge metal into that shape and have the rivets still hold in place, so I decided to put a light coat of fiberglass over that. I scuffed up the surface pretty good and I'm hoping it holds on there for a while though I have a feeling it's going to separate over time. I finished off with some bondo and sanded then painted. And thus, I have a homebuilt cafe seat. Even if it does weigh like 50 lbs....


The bracket:
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With taillight:
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Cowl:
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Front-side of cowl:
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A little more work:
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Glass:
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Bondo/Sanding:
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Paint!:
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This is one of the only photos I snapped with the seat on before the tear-down. Note that I actually tried to scuff up the paint to match the tank a bit, so they both had the weathered look. At that time I hadn't planned on the big winter rebuild.
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And thats my cafe seat.


-jordan
 
Nice startt. i have the same attitude with my bike and I'm pretty sure a lot of peeps on this site. Build what you want with what you have. When you put your mind and effort into it its amazing what you come up with and I think people appreciate more the work and effort you put into it and respect the proudness you have of your creation. Keep it up and keep us post with lots of pics.
 
I decided to tackle the gauges to give it a sportier/less outdated appearance. They aren't 100% done, but I still wanted to chronicle the progress in my build thread. Besides giving the gauges the look I want, I actually came across the color scheme for my bike because of the new faces. I've been torn about the color scheme of the bike. I know I want the frame to be a darker shade of gray but I hadn't completely decided on headlight/tank/seat colors. I was going to go with a cream white color to give it a slightly dressed up look, but I really really enjoy the white/red combo of the gauge faces. So I'm going to paint the major pieces white and add just a small amount of red accent in certain places. The tank will just have a red winged honda decal on it and the seat will have just a tiny bit of red accenting. Not too sure about the headlight bucket though. But I'm pretty excited to finally have a nice color combo that will be present throughout the bike.


Anyhow, onto the gauges. I wish I had taken a pic of the faded and cracked green faces before I ripped them all apart but I didn't.


The first thing I did was sand down all of the black paint from the housing then polished the shit out of them.
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Following the instructions I got from the eBay seller catiawheels on his new faceplates, I added the decals over the old faces, then reattached them to the housings. Here is the mostly finished product. I still have to paint the tips of the needles red and JB weld the sealing rings back in place.
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When its all together its a really cheap addition that I think really makes the bike stand out. Now I just have to rig up a new mount so they sit much lower than the stock position. I think that will really give the bike a nicer, smoother profile.
-jordan
 
those gauges came out real nice. thats going to look good on the bike. I like the white and red color theme. that's going to look killer!
 
Nice work. The gauges came out sweet. FYI, next time u want to do a bumstop it's easier to glue up floral foam into a block than to make a blob of great stuff and try to whittle that into shape. Unless you happen to be a sculptor.And never use the white styrene foam as fiberglass resin dissolves it.
 
Looking good, I like the tail shape. I used the same LED taillight on my old KZ, they are nice and bright! Also, nice work on the gauges!
 
The rear wheel


Did a lot of polishing recently. Finally finished it all up tonight. Wheel was in nasty shape. Grease rust and crud all over it.


Here's a shot after I started attacking the hub:
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I really have to start taking proper before pictures. The hub assembly was pretty bad. Also, all those rusty spokes led to some sore/bloody fingers... (Worth it!)



Sprocket after polishing:
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I went over it again and removed the discoloration.


Brake Assembly (is there a proper name for this piece?) Thing Before/After:
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Playing with the macro setting while polishing the hub:
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Finished sprocket side:
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Finished brake side:
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I forgot the attack the inside of the hub with the dremel, but I'll get to that soon.


-jordan
 
Forgot to mention my frame is working double time. I'm making duck proscuitto and had no good place to hang the meat while it cures. Good thing the 350's frame has quite a few nice places to hang a string from. In a week I'll have duck proscuitto or botulism. Or both...


These are a few of my favorite things:
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-jordan
 
Hey Jordan, Love the build so far. The tail and the gauges turned out tres' nice. Is the bikes name a Naruto (anime) reference?
 
CrescentSon,


Thanks for the compliments! I will admit to being a nerd, and Naruto is the first place I heard the name but my nerdiness isn't the only reason I chose Sakura as the bike's name. I chose it because its a pretty feminine name and because its a nod to the bike's Japanese manufacture.


-jordan
 
I've been a little busy with school and my CB125 project lately, but I decided to take advantage of this beautiful day and start prepping for paint. I had the frame mostly stripped down with paint stripper, but it still needed some finishing. My compressor is too small to work with the sandblaster I have, so I just finished what I could by hand. Here she sits with the fresh primer. Can't wait to paint and put her back together!
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I'm hoping to have it all painted by next weekend so I can start tossing parts back onto it.


-jordan
 
Looks great so far! Keep it up. Only thing I wonder about is the taillight/plate mount. Are you sure you have enough clearance with the rear tire?
 
Hey, I have a '73 350 G also, will be watching your progress. I am in parts collection and fit mode. Will do a full teardown once I get everything the way I want, paint and reassemble.
Awesome so far, keep up the great work!
 
thanks for the comments guys! I'm hoping to have it all painted by the weekend. I'm beginning to forget what it looks like all together.


VonYinzer, I didn't have the seat on for very long before I tore the bike apart. From what I recall the tail light did clear the tire, but I don't know if the license plate holder did or not. I know I'll have to bend the plate holder a decent bit. I just hope it will work. But right now the tail light has been donated to my 125 project so I may be in the market for a new setup anyhow.


-jordan
 
Not having a garage to work in is a real bummer. Anything potentially messy I have to do outside of my apartment. So, when I got home near dark tonight I couldn't really do any more prep work for the frame. I decided to start sprucing up something smaller, so I went for the carbs. I was only able to really get to one float bowl tonight, but it makes a world of difference.


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I'm going to get the other float bowl tomorrow probably, then give the same treatment to the top-most part (don't know what its called). As for the body, I'm really not too certain what to do. I have a cruddy pancake compressor but it doesn't put out enough air for my sand-blaster. I don't really want a shiny finish on the main but I have to do something to make them look better. Any suggestions? I'm considering paint, but I still have to at least sand the body before paint.


Also, can anyone recommend a good solvent for cleaning the carbs? I have access to a sonicator but I'm not sure what to soak the carbs in during cleaning.
 
I remember reading someone saying painting the carbs is a bad move, but they didn't provide a reason. I also read soda blasting the carb body is gentle enough and will clean them up nice.
 
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