CB350 Sly... Ton-less

[overdraft]

I'm not sure with all the amazing builds going on around here that we really need another CB350 café build thread, particularly by a guy who's never done it before, working in his garage... but here goes anyway... My first bike was a CL350 so when I decided to make a café racer that's what I wanted to use... I ended up getting a 1970 CB350K2, but as I was going to replace the tank, pipes and bars everything that's left is the same... It was complete, but not running... I bought it from this really cool girl named Sylvia who went by the handle 'Sly' so I couldn't think of a better name for the project! Here it is on the day I bought it...
 

 
I got it sorta running mostly to prove out the electrics. It ran like crap, but my concern was more that when I put it back together and it doesn't run my troubleshooting will be on the mechanical side... Here she is in her new home
 

 
So then I started pulling stuff off... I wanted to go with a disc brake front end so off with the drum front....
 

 
More stuff off...
 


 
 

[overdraft]

Oh ya, I'm out of sequence already! D'oh! *facepalm* before I took the front end off I got some stainless mandrel bends off Columbia River (www.mandrel-bends.com) and made a 2:1 exhaust that hooks up to a cheapie emgo muffler. I actually like the look of the muffler in spite of the budget pricing...
 

[overdraft]

ok! motor out of frame now!
 


 
did some grindage to get rid of a bunch of tabs and stuff i wasn't gonna use...
 

 
wait! was this bit important??? i sure hope not...
 

[HerrDeacon]

Very nice work so far, look forward to following your progress. Great work on the headers.


I see we have similar tastes in bikes. I have a CB350 and a SFV650, similar to your collection 

[66replica]

I think we always need more build threads done by people who have never build a bike before before in their humble garage. Those are the threads I prefer, me being one of the aforementioned people notwithstanding.    It's the threads I learn the most in because we all make beginner mistakes and ask a lot of questions.


Looks like it's going to be a fun one. Any tank or seat plans? The new exhaust looks nice, I assume you can weld? If so you've got one up on me!


Have fun!

[overdraft]

while i was detabbing the frame i ground off the chain guard connection on the swing arm to match it up with the other side, and i got rid of the bit of the passenger peg plate that was part of the shift linkage as i am doing the ubiquitous passenger peg as rearset conversion...
 


 

[overdraft]

remember this fender?
 

 
well i did the standard hack to end up with this... the chome's not perfect but it'll get me out the door...
 

[stonetree]

Judging by your garage you don't look like a newb!  I'm working on a cb350 myself now, so I'll be following along with interest

[overdraft]

got a little polishing and blasting done...
 
wasn't happy with the scratch so i got another one i'll polish up later..
 

 
blasted stuff looks sooooo good, but this stuff is gonna get painted....
 

[VonYinzer]

Nice work so far man. Keep it up. I love a good 350!

[overdraft]

pulled the CB360 forks apart that i got so i could swap a front disc onto the bike...
 

 
managed to gouge the outer sealing surface when i was taking the old seals out. i got it smoothed out enough that i think it'll still work. i highly recommend anyone who's doing this job to go to the local auto supply place and buy a seal puller... i got one (after it was too late) for $9.99...
 

 
and here they are all ready to be rebuilt with new freakin' everythings for inside!
 

[overdraft]

i cut away all the old plastic skins from the wiring harness and used that snap on cover instead. made it tidier for sure...
 

[lhpegram]

Nice job so far! You've made it much further than me much faster...
What did you use to blast your trees? (what media)

[lhpegram]

**and did you blast your lower fork sliders?

[overdraft]

wheels! i started out with the rear hub that came with the bike and the front hub from the 360 front end i bought...
 


 
got the hubs blasted, bought stainless spokes and nipples and shouldered alloy rims from Buchanan's
 

 
and laced them up... oh ya, in spite of how it sounds, 'lubing your nipples' isn't as fun as you might think...
 

 
and i threw on some battleaxes... i know many of you will disagree with having a non-traditional tread pattern, but i raced on bridgestones and i've had 'em on a few of my street bikes so i decided to stick with something i knew to be sticky!