MandoSteve
New Member
Hey all. I’ve checked your boards and I’m pretty sure that what I’m doing probably fits into the “Specials” category. A couple of weeks ago I was blank-staring at the shed beside my barn and suddenly thought...why don’t you see if you can make a bike out of that 350? So, here I am.
A little background on me—I’m a small engine repair guy and I like to tinker around a little with other things. I can weld, bend a little, know how to use tools. I don’t have immensely shitty taste so I might be able to get something done with this bike.
A little background on the...patient? It’s a 1973 CL350. I took it as partial trade for a repair on a garden tiller. Not a bad deal, even though at the time I thought it was pretty lousy. The previous owner said he had left it exposed over a winter and then tried to start it, which didn’t work out. Shocking. After that it had gradually sunk into mud and been lightly hit by a student driver trying to do a 3-pointer. It last turned over in 1989.I wish I had photos of its original condition, but I wasn’t really thinking about a project at the time.
So here’s where I am with it. The bike’s front forks were damaged beyond repair as was the seat and part of the seat’s mounts. The tank was full of brown sludge and rust. The keys are long since gone. The tires dry-rotted years ago, as did most of the cables and hoses. The ignition is most definitely not kicking—I even jumped the solenoid with a screw-driver and a battery pack and it seems dead as a hammer. I compression tested it though, and got almost a 100 on the first kick try, which I think is pretty damn considering it’s state. You get an “ear” for these things and it sounded good and throaty to me. The screws for the oil filter, the starter, and some others are stripped and will need to be drilled out. The headlight is shattered as is the headlight cone. At some point someone hacked the ends off the mufflers, presumably to get at the baffles. The good: the engine seems serviceable and the frame is straight. I’ll have to take it from there.
Current progress is this: I broke down the carbs first and started a list of “do before cranking” items. The carbs were...dead inside. Just dead. Took a bit but I got them cleaned and mounted.The list has veered off-course as I have experimented with one thing or another, but it has mostly stayed true. I traced out the wiring harness and put the volt meter on every end and it seems sound. I swapped out the coils, cleaned the points, replaced the fuel lines and started looking at my junk pile for possible part donors. I cut out the original battery/air box rig and slapped some cheap pods on there. I’ll switch to something else if I can get it turned over and retune it accordingly, with new jets on the carb if need be. I went down the frame removing some excess mounts. I know for some this is heresy, but I can make whatever mounts I want or steal them from other junkers. I didn’t want them clouding up my thinking when it came to fabricating/placing things like an electronics or battery box.
I started looking at what might be compatible with the front end and wound up pulling the forks and stem off a 2000 GSXR 650. I was just going to leave as-is, but the cables had already been pulled off the handle-bars. One switch set was gone, and the other seemed hopelessly frozen. I figured it was worth the experience. I ordered the right bearing set and pressed in the new stem (this was the “deviating from the list” part). I pulled the tank off and sanded it and shot on some primer to stop any flash-rusting, then used acid to clean the rust. I poured in some 50:1 to coat the tank until I am ready to use it. I replaced the pet cock as well. The other was in absolute shit condition. I didn’t see any point in rebuilding it. I purchased a battery, a replacement headlight and throttle and will throw those on later. I swapped the coils, plugs and wires. The others were fairly shitty as well.
Things I am currently sorting out in my noodle:
I have Suzuki forks. How best to mount the wheels/how will I replace or modify the hubs? Should I buy some solid rims and chunk the spokes? What are the dimensions on the rear axle? Will the swing arm require modification to accommodate a matching solid wheel set?
Can I make a proper seat tray using fiberglass (pretty sure I can). What paints are best? After a little test run, epoxy-based on the frame seems workable. It resists scratching pretty well. High-heat should work on the engine, but a few tests with the cap on the generator tells me that it’s pretty scratchable. Maybe I’ll just polish it as best I can.
I’ll update as I roll along. I’m not really making a rat-bike. I’m salvaging what I can, but I do intend to make it look as nice as possible, so plenty to blank-stare at. I brought the rear shocks and fenders home from the shop today. Shocks and springs are cleaned, the fenders were acid-bathed to break the rust. I wire-wheeled them and primed them. The chrome look really isn’t salvageable. I don’t know if I will use them but it’s productive.
A little background on me—I’m a small engine repair guy and I like to tinker around a little with other things. I can weld, bend a little, know how to use tools. I don’t have immensely shitty taste so I might be able to get something done with this bike.
A little background on the...patient? It’s a 1973 CL350. I took it as partial trade for a repair on a garden tiller. Not a bad deal, even though at the time I thought it was pretty lousy. The previous owner said he had left it exposed over a winter and then tried to start it, which didn’t work out. Shocking. After that it had gradually sunk into mud and been lightly hit by a student driver trying to do a 3-pointer. It last turned over in 1989.I wish I had photos of its original condition, but I wasn’t really thinking about a project at the time.
So here’s where I am with it. The bike’s front forks were damaged beyond repair as was the seat and part of the seat’s mounts. The tank was full of brown sludge and rust. The keys are long since gone. The tires dry-rotted years ago, as did most of the cables and hoses. The ignition is most definitely not kicking—I even jumped the solenoid with a screw-driver and a battery pack and it seems dead as a hammer. I compression tested it though, and got almost a 100 on the first kick try, which I think is pretty damn considering it’s state. You get an “ear” for these things and it sounded good and throaty to me. The screws for the oil filter, the starter, and some others are stripped and will need to be drilled out. The headlight is shattered as is the headlight cone. At some point someone hacked the ends off the mufflers, presumably to get at the baffles. The good: the engine seems serviceable and the frame is straight. I’ll have to take it from there.
Current progress is this: I broke down the carbs first and started a list of “do before cranking” items. The carbs were...dead inside. Just dead. Took a bit but I got them cleaned and mounted.The list has veered off-course as I have experimented with one thing or another, but it has mostly stayed true. I traced out the wiring harness and put the volt meter on every end and it seems sound. I swapped out the coils, cleaned the points, replaced the fuel lines and started looking at my junk pile for possible part donors. I cut out the original battery/air box rig and slapped some cheap pods on there. I’ll switch to something else if I can get it turned over and retune it accordingly, with new jets on the carb if need be. I went down the frame removing some excess mounts. I know for some this is heresy, but I can make whatever mounts I want or steal them from other junkers. I didn’t want them clouding up my thinking when it came to fabricating/placing things like an electronics or battery box.
I started looking at what might be compatible with the front end and wound up pulling the forks and stem off a 2000 GSXR 650. I was just going to leave as-is, but the cables had already been pulled off the handle-bars. One switch set was gone, and the other seemed hopelessly frozen. I figured it was worth the experience. I ordered the right bearing set and pressed in the new stem (this was the “deviating from the list” part). I pulled the tank off and sanded it and shot on some primer to stop any flash-rusting, then used acid to clean the rust. I poured in some 50:1 to coat the tank until I am ready to use it. I replaced the pet cock as well. The other was in absolute shit condition. I didn’t see any point in rebuilding it. I purchased a battery, a replacement headlight and throttle and will throw those on later. I swapped the coils, plugs and wires. The others were fairly shitty as well.
Things I am currently sorting out in my noodle:
I have Suzuki forks. How best to mount the wheels/how will I replace or modify the hubs? Should I buy some solid rims and chunk the spokes? What are the dimensions on the rear axle? Will the swing arm require modification to accommodate a matching solid wheel set?
Can I make a proper seat tray using fiberglass (pretty sure I can). What paints are best? After a little test run, epoxy-based on the frame seems workable. It resists scratching pretty well. High-heat should work on the engine, but a few tests with the cap on the generator tells me that it’s pretty scratchable. Maybe I’ll just polish it as best I can.
I’ll update as I roll along. I’m not really making a rat-bike. I’m salvaging what I can, but I do intend to make it look as nice as possible, so plenty to blank-stare at. I brought the rear shocks and fenders home from the shop today. Shocks and springs are cleaned, the fenders were acid-bathed to break the rust. I wire-wheeled them and primed them. The chrome look really isn’t salvageable. I don’t know if I will use them but it’s productive.
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