1971 CL350... "DentedCL" ?

[dentedvw]

I am more or less copying this here from introductions.
Not actually in Hell, MI, which coincidentally hosts a number of interesting sounding motorcycle events every year, but actually in Lansing. I bought a CL350 for the purpose of... ahh... well... no reason really. Just wanted to ride.

That's the Ebay picture, I haven't taken any since hauling it home. It needs some work for sure. Not running when I got it, but only paid a but under $500 for it. At only 5000 miles on the ODO, I would say it's a fair deal.

It would turn over, but not start. Seemed like it wasn't getting fuel, but then I found a pinched fuel line, and the choke linkage was not connected correctly.
I cleaned out the clutch workings, lubed cables, cleaned out petcock, replaced a handful of fasteners (blasted soft philips heads), replaced some fuel lines, and got it a new battery. What a difference cleaning the old dried up lube in the clutch parts made! Holy cats, it's so smooth and light now, before it was stiff and slow. If half of what I clean up works as well as that, I am going to have an easy time of it. Ha ha!
Still need to go through the carbs, but I am going to try and reassemble it and run it as is first. Everything inside of them looked so darn clean, but of course I didn't dissasemble them entirely. If that sounds like a bad idea, I take direction pretty well. Just say that I really ought to get some kits and I will.
I ordered new UNI filters for it, since the OE units are incredibly expensive, and unavailable. It has the original tires on it still, so those will probably go in favor of some new ones in the next few months as well. No highway duty for this old pig until then. One major problem is that the tank latch is broken off, so I am going to have to wire it up for now.

Just want to say right now, I am learning about motorcycles as I go here, this is my first real bike. I had a cb750 previously, but I never did a thing to it, and traded it away when I moved. I only threw a leg over it a few times even, it lived in the garage with many other projects. I find this one a more manageable size.

I would like to make a new seat at some point, replace tail light assembly. I don't want a cafe bike exactly, but something else. I can see it in my mind, but can't describe it.

I like the looks of this seat, I wonder if I can make one like it.

Well, here I am, if anyone in Lansing area has any tips, I am around.

 

[dentedvw]

Re: 1971 CL350 *unnamed*

The more I look at that goldwing, the more I like that seat and that paint. I may just have to copy it a bit.
I wasn't going to paint anything, but the tank is dented a bit, and the latch still doesn't work. I am keeping my eyes peeled for a working one.
Also, I was removing the headlight the other night, and it was a bit stuck, so I unstuck it a bit too forcefully. Broke the top of the housing a bit. DOH.
So, I epoxied it back together after removing it. I straightened out the rats nest of jumbled up wiring, replaced a few connectors that were missing. I put some new handlebars on, removed the old crusty wire sheath and replaced it with supple matte black shrink wrap. Rebuilt and cleaned the carbs up a bit, put them back in, made a sandwich.
I bought some new grips at a local shop, then cut mine off because they were kind of glued on. Then I discovered that what they thought were 7/8 grips are actually 1". I am kind of bummed, because I really liked them. So, if anyone can recommend some nice cushy grips, I am looking for some. For now, I will have to just glue my sliced ones back on.
I shortened my throttle cable while I had the carbs out, mainly because it was a bit sluggish, the sheath was damaged, and also it was really long. I dissasembled the splitter and cut the cable beneath the white plastic part. I wish I had pictures to show, but my camera is missing right now. I used a new bicycle brake cable and some housing. The inch long adjuster barrel was crimped on the housing end at the bars, so I had to dremel that apart, but it left plenty to reuse. Beneath the white plastic jobber in the splitter I crimped on a spoke nipple from a bicycle. It worked like a charm, I think. I haven't finished reassembling the bike to test it fully, but it operates the throttles evenly and fully at both carbs. Another way to go would have been using a ferrule that would grab the cable with a set screw, up in the handgrip. But, I had these parts hanging around, and it worked good.
I replaced the original turn signals with some inexpensive aluminum LED units off eBay. They are okay, but not sealed, so I will have to coat the PCB board with epoxy if I think I will be riding in the rain much. I doubt I will, so I am not going to worry about it right now. They look okay. I am going to use the original tail light, but mount it closer to the fender with some scrap aluminum I have hanging about. Haven't gotten to that just yet.

I wish there was a way to rebuild the stator to make a bit more juice. Is there a replacement unit that would work better, or am I kind of stuck with it? A brighter headlight would be nice, and Michigan requires that lights be on when driving.

Also, the original selenium rectifier is still in place, so if anyone has a schematic for a replacement, it would be nice to make one before I need it. I have access to plenty of parts, and I am an electronic tech by trade, but my skills in that department are a bit rusty. I could probably get it done, but if there is a schematic I could reference before making my own, that would be handy.

 

[Seanslides]

Re: 1971 CL350 *unnamed*

holy shit thats a nice lookin goldwing!

where did you find that?

 

[dentedvw]

Re: 1971 CL350 *unnamed*

nakedgoldwing.com ;D Safe for work.

My homemade throttle cable isn't working reliably yet. i think I need to glue the cable into the splitter because sometimes it slips out, and then gets stuck out, causing really high idle, and the nipple had to be cut off, because it was causing high idle. So, I cut it down halfway, still clamps the cable well enough, and is about as short as the original nub. Bugger. needs to be tinkered with some more.

Having trouble getting the clutch adjusted correctly, it drags a bit, but other than that, it seems like it's ready to ride.

 

[dentedvw]

Re: 1971 CL350 *unnamed*

The first fifteen miles! Yes! One cylinder not firing! Oh No!
Looks like a coil is bad. I need to find one quick. And drain and replace the oil too now. It's pretty gassy.
I have ridden faster mopeds, hope the coil fixes this.

 

[Starfire]

I never thought I'd say this, and I'm still not sure I'm ready to admit it but I really like that gold wing.

 

[patricke9]

I like this Goldwing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlMSZuBHKEw&feature=related

 

[dentedvw]

Holy cats, it sounds mean. Ok, really this is a bit off topic. ;D
Though, I admit, I like that seat too. How can I get one like them? looks like I need a seat pan, and some foam.

Today I went to slicks's salvage, in Mason Michigan. If anyone is going there, ask for John. He is the nicest fellow there. There is some other people who work there, lets just say they are not as helpful or pleasant.

I bought half of a coil assembly for $40. Hope it helps with my problems. If not, well, I am out $40, and I know now that they don't have squat for coils. I got one with a different part number, it's from a CB500S, but it has identical wires, so it might work. Might have the bike wrong. Eh, either way, I will test it before sticking it all together.

I found another interesting yard in michigan too, but they are a bit farther away. http://www.jjapjunk.com/ I am going to stop by sometime when I am in the area. Might be a few weeks though.

In the meantime, I bought a new helmet, grips, and my MSF class is this weekend.

Some pics from this past weekend, before new grips.

Gotta love my fuel cap latch, eh? I am going to order a lock to fix this, hopefully it works. You can see a bit of my homemade throttle cable. It needed repair once, but it was because I used an inferior cap to crimp on the bottom end. I ended up using a steel spoke nipple from a bike. First I used an aluminum or allow unit, but it didn't have the same bite as a stainless unit. Both had to be cut in half first, otherwise they were too long in the splitter. It worked a treat after that, no problems at all. Oh, well, I did use some epoxy to hold the end of the housing into the cap of the splitter, because it would sometimes slide out a bit, causing a "cruise control" effect. Good thing this was all only during dry runs, not driving. So, if anyone is making a custom cable, I recommend epoxy on the cable end, as well as a metal cap.
I really like the way the cables tucked in back of the gauges, all but the throttle anyway. Still need some new wrap for a few, like the brake light cable, and the left side wiring loom. I ran out of shrink wrap.

 

[Canuck Plumber]

Wow.... I watched that You Tube clip. Instant wood.