1973 CB350G Canadian Noob Build (Gotta start somewhere!)

Few, was that a bike post or a counciling session? sounds like you've not had it easy mate. It will be worth it in the end. I was worried about my electrics but as you said just go through it systematically and you'll be fine. I found some great diagrams on this forum so you won't be short of help. Are you using a moto gadget controller? Or reworking the stock loom?
Anyway keep your motivation up and things will soon come around.
Keep wewnchin'


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tony dude,
nice update by the way.....I think you could have bought a mill, learned how to machine, and made yourself a new sprocket by now
Cool meeting you at the MotoSocial last week

And your post needs more pics

Cheers
Kameron
 
Kamn said:
Tony dude,
nice update by the way.....I think you could have bought a mill, learned how to machine, and made yourself a new sprocket by now
Cool meeting you at the MotoSocial last week

And your post needs more pics

Cheers
Kameron

;D ;D ;D lol!!
Hilarious... so true. Really great meeting you also, Kam! Hope we can go for a ride in the near future.
 
Andyp said:
Few, was that a bike post or a counciling session? sounds like you've not had it easy mate. It will be worth it in the end. I was worried about my electrics but as you said just go through it systematically and you'll be fine. I found some great diagrams on this forum so you won't be short of help. Are you using a moto gadget controller? Or reworking the stock loom?
Anyway keep your motivation up and things will soon come around.
Keep wewnchin'


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

haha ya man, super frustrating stuff. Anyway, cheers! Using an m-unit so things are a lot easier on my end. Thanks man, hope you figured out what's been going on with your whip!
 
I basically gave up waiting around for the sprocket and wrapped up another episode if you're interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1goZKfMeN8

Here are the most up to date happenings with the build:
- Tank design has been finalized & tank is in the hands of the painter! A place called S&S Paint Works as referred to by my buddy Rob from Bullit Custom Cycles. I feel really good about the young guy who owns the place! Will do a full profile on him in the future. Until then I am eagerly anticipating his sill set.
- Awaiting the return of this magical sprocket...
- Brake line is being assembled and will be in my hands by next week.
- Battery box is done! Looking really nice too. Some solid metal work by Paul Dutra of Back Alley Moto in Toronto (as seen below). Really cool to see my designs come to fruition and the shelving unit inside will be perfect for my particular application. Picked that up from powder coating last wknd and is all ready to go.
- Wiring diagram has been approved by none other than Stefan from Revival Cycles! Super excited to be emailing back and forth with him because he is a super talented bike builder/engineer. After making a whack of purchases from the site I emailed them to ask for help with hooking a few of the items up and Stefan was kind enough to really take me through the wiring diagram I had created. Really awesome guys over there at Revival and super cool of them to help me out with this. If you are unfamiliar with their work I would suggest checking them out as they have built some really amazing machines. Stefan also does these videos on YouTube called "Tech Talk with Revival Cycles" and I have learned quite a few things from them and would definitely recommend them to anyone! Either way I am excited to go through this diagram with those of you who find this sort of thing intimidating and shared what I have learned. This will be very particular to my build but has still given me a much better understanding of wiring a motorcycle.
- Chopped and cleaned up the front fender. Metal rescue to the rescue! That's the beauty of this stuff. I already had a whack of it from doing the tank and it's reusable! Gold, Jerry.
- Waiting on a few last minute electrical components to come in the mail (ground strap, crimping tools, etc) and then I'll be all set to start wiring this bad boy up!

Getting really close here. Feel the burrrrrrrrrnnnn!! 8)
 

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Great video /update as usual mate, sure gets you pissed when you get the run around with parts but gonna be spot on when done, some things are worth the wait got the same feeling with two years under my belt before my latest build was done, guess we're never done learning keep up the quality sure gonna be eye poppin when done look forward to ya next update as always
 
yorkie350 said:
Great video /update as usual mate, sure gets you pissed when you get the run around with parts but gonna be spot on when done, some things are worth the wait got the same feeling with two years under my belt before my latest build was done, guess we're never done learning keep up the quality sure gonna be eye poppin when done look forward to ya next update as always

Cheers for the kind words Yorkie! You're spot on though! Some things are worth waiting for and the learning never stops.
 
So just a quick update and seeking some advice from the electrical wizards of the forum if possible.

I did some odds and ends over the wknd and want to be ready for when the sprocket and electrical stuff show up so I can move forward with the build. I discovered that my left front fork seal was leaking! 1 step forward, 2 steps back. It seems as though in my haste to pop out the old seal I scraped the inner part of the fork tube with the flat head screw driver I used to pry it out and it's causing the oil to seep past. Huge rookie mistake on my part and now I am paying the consequences. It was really careless of me and now it needs to be repaired or replaced. I don't even want to explore replacing the fork boot as I've spent time and money polishing and clear coating the part. I feel as though I will be able to repair the fork boot though. I've sanded the inner diameter down just slightly and will use a light coating of JB Metal Weld and then lightly sand that back a little bit.. I'm hoping this will build the metal back slightly so the seal will fit more snugly into the top of the fork boot. If you guys have any other ideas, I'm all ears as usual.

Like I have stated in the past, in the meantime I've been perfecting my wiring diagram and sending it around to some real moto nerds to get their eyes on it. I was hoping some of you might be able to also take a look at it. I've posted it here and will also post it in the electrical thread for my particular model to start a fresh feed so it's easy to find as well and hopefully attract some other users who might not be interested to read about rookie bike builds. You can find the thread HERE

It took me some time to research and figure it out and I am quite proud of myself for over coming the obstacle. I am basically just looking for some advice when it comes to the gauge of wire for the ground strap. The guys at Sparck Moto who did my harness sent me out an 8 gauge wire for the ground but I'm wondering if a 6 gauge would be better? Any advice is appreciated.

I've called the guys at Sprocket Specialists and my sprocket was sent out last Thursday or Friday. I going to take the week off next week and do a marathon wrench session to get this project done! I'm crossing my fingers to be done for the 23rd so I can take it up to a motorcycle show called Freedom Machine in northern Ontario. If you've never heard about it you should check it out! Come out and have a beer with me if you're in the area.

My box of final wiring supplies literally showed up as I was typing this so that is great news. It has some tools and heat shrink I ordered to finish the electrical job properly! Looking forward to wrapping this project up and doing lots of riding for the rest of the summer!! Hopefully I've covered all my bases.. we'll see I guess when I go to start the bike up. Excited and nervous at the same time. Positive vibes!
 

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Your wiring diagram is saving me enormous amounts of time. I am doing Motogadget Pro, Switches, M-Button, and M-Unit as well however I am adding in the Dyna 2000, along with no alarm (you don't like the M-Unit alarm?). So it's almost identical - thank you!

- Shouldn't the fuse be located between the battery and the M-unit? Rather than after?
- Are you going to run grounds to your handlebar switches? I was reading that the built in ground is pretty bad for these...
- Where did you get your wire and heat shrink? I haven't ordered it yet and was considering options (princess auto? or online)

Keep up the good work!
 
el barto said:
Great thread - bike's looking good

Thanks man! She's getting there.

MattCB750OT said:
Your wiring diagram is saving me enormous amounts of time. I am doing Motogadget Pro, Switches, M-Button, and M-Unit as well however I am adding in the Dyna 2000, along with no alarm (you don't like the M-Unit alarm?). So it's almost identical - thank you!

- Shouldn't the fuse be located between the battery and the M-unit? Rather than after?
- Are you going to run grounds to your handlebar switches? I was reading that the built in ground is pretty bad for these...
- Where did you get your wire and heat shrink? I haven't ordered it yet and was considering options (princess auto? or online)

Keep up the good work!

Glad it could help you out. I've received so much help and assistance throughout this process so it's good to know others can benefit also. The m unit alarm function is basic whereas the Ride alarm is a alot more intense.. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

- Others I've asked have stated this also. I've done it this way for a few reasons. One is because my Ricks reg/rec came with a fusebox built into the wiring so in order for me to put a fuse in between the battery and the m unit is to splice into the reg/rec red wire before the fuse. Which is doable, but then it concerns me that the stator (coils) might surge and fry my battery! Is this a valid concern? Maybe the solution is to have one on either side?
- I am running grounds to the handlebar switches for sure, all new stuff.
- Revival Cycles: https://revivalcycles.com/collections/electrical sell some really great electrical stuff! I would very much recommend the delux cable kit that comes with all the wires you need! I would also recommend their single and double heatshrink kits among other items. I am not affiliated I just think they have good products.

Cheers!
 
You may have already answered this, but where are you getting those parts exploded view pictures with the part numbers that you're hanging on your wall.

Just started following your build. Doing a lot of great work. Keep it up!
 
More Questions!

- Looks like you have two grounds coming from the handlebar switches, a red and black. Is this what I am seeing?
- What are the tiny black squares that look like they connect multiple wires? Ex. Turn L out side right after the M-unit? Is it just a splice?
- Your brake light, is it the long LED strip? Are you using the turn signals as a brake light or are they dedicated turn signals only?
 
Ct.Allen253 said:
You may have already answered this, but where are you getting those parts exploded view pictures with the part numbers that you're hanging on your wall.

Just started following your build. Doing a lot of great work. Keep it up!

Thanks for the support man.. You can find the fiches here: http://shop.houseofhondaparts.com/fiche_select.asp

Just put in your bike model and select the fiche you need and save the images to your desktop or wherever and/or print them off.
 
MattCB750OT said:
More Questions!

- Looks like you have two grounds coming from the handlebar switches, a red and black. Is this what I am seeing?
- What are the tiny black squares that look like they connect multiple wires? Ex. Turn L out side right after the M-unit? Is it just a splice?
- Your brake light, is it the long LED strip? Are you using the turn signals as a brake light or are they dedicated turn signals only?

Hey man!

- So yes, this is the wiring that comes with the M-Switch Mini buttons, it's just they way they wire them. 2 grounds. Double checked this with a technician and it's accurately wired
- Yep those are splice points
- For now I am going to set it up so that just the running/brake light will light up and turn signals only activate when needed.. I may also modify it to run fully but I'm going to see what it looks like.
 
Saturdays Wrench said:
Thanks for the support man.. You can find the fiches here: http://shop.houseofhondaparts.com/fiche_select.asp

Just put in your bike model and select the fiche you need and save the images to your desktop or wherever and/or print them off.

That is an excellent site! Thanks for the share. Here's a link to a list of all the diagrams (instead of having to input part numbers etc): http://shop.houseofhondaparts.com/fiche_select2.asp?category=Motorcycles&make=Honda&year=1976&fveh=131082
 
Back with another update! Things are moving along nicely now since receiving some of the parts I had been waiting on. Feels really really good to finally be able to move forward on the build and brake down some of the walls that were holding me back. I took the whole week off last wk and got a lot done in 5 days.

The sprocket came back all pretty, anodized and lightened. Fit that on with no problems. I used a "Steel Weld" metal putty to repair the inner diameter in the left fork boot that was causing a leak. After a careful sanding, I spread a thin layer of the putty around the inner diameter where the seal sits using a pick tool then sanded it back slightly after letting it set overnight. The fork seal went in nicely and when I rebuilt the forks and added the oil there was no more leak! Moving on from there I installed the front fender, brake arm, caliper and wheel. I also installed the rear wheel and rear sets (without the linkages for now until I get the chain and clutch cover in place). Could not install the chain due to the fact that I did not have a chain breaker tool required to brake and shorten the chain. I had to buy a longer chain because that's all they had in stock.

Even though I could not install the chain I had done ample research on the different types of chains and explain what conclusions I came up with in part 2 of the video below. Most of you on here probably already know all there is to know about motorcycle chains but for those that don't, give it a watch as it may help you make a better decision the next time you go to buy a new chain for your bike. Again these are just my opinions and some facts I found after reading a bunch of articles on motorcycle chains. Take from it what you will.

After that was done I installed the brake line, added brake fluid to the reservoir and bled the brake line of all air bubbles. The speed bleeder I got for the caliper worked excellently! If you are unfamiliar with a speed bleeder it basically only allows fluid/air to move outwards not inwards. So you loosen the bleeder bolt slightly and pump the front brake allowing fluid and air to escape (preferably through a small hose you have attached on the end of it so brake fluid doesn't spray all over the place!), as you let the brake go the bleeder closes the hole, not allowing air to be sucked back into the brake line. After a few pumps you are all good to go! It's super fast and I fully recommend one. Got the brakes set up well and moved on to other things from there. I also replaced the carb boot holder bolts with the stainless steel allen head bolts and did a general clean up around the garage, which felt amazing!

Ran into a few other walls though.. It seems that my oil dip stick has gone for a walk!! I've been pretty great at keeping track of my parts but for some reason this little guy got away from me. I had to go on ebay and order up another one for close to $30... bit the bullet on that one! I need it fast because I'm planning on starting this beast NEXT WEEKEND!! The other little wall was that the guys at Sparck Moto forgot to put the small baggy of parts that came with my signals back into the box when they shipped my harness to me. Luckily they found it and it's already in the mail! So as you may have guessed I have started the wiring process and thoroughly enjoyed it! I will get more into details in the next update but for now enjoy some video and pics from the above processes!

Updates should be coming faster in the coming weeks.

https://youtu.be/Wcg1Wt1cw60?list=PLEGYxRfUYAEWrjQ2M5HPq35ieq4_FO9Tg

https://youtu.be/R3WaGPy87dc?list=PLEGYxRfUYAEWrjQ2M5HPq35ieq4_FO9Tg
 

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