73 Honda cb350

73hobbit-cb350

73hobbit-cb350

New Member
So..I just started riding about 2-3 weeks ago, first bike..had to buy her, what a beauty. Love at first site...then my misery began.
I get out of the gym, I'm smoking a cigarette with my friend within a foot of the bike.(ya, I know, doesn't make too much sense) and with it being a windy night, and all the vibrating from warming up..SHE FELLLlLlLlL! And that's where it all began...
When it fell it landed on the right handlebar kill switch, turned it in the off position, not before smashing into a million pieces. So I was stuck outside, maybe 1-2 miles away from my house, dark out now..praise Jesus me and my friend found out a way to Hotwire it, his brother came with some tools...and I made it home barely..no lights, barely any brakes...
That's where the good old clubman bars come into play...internally wired..biggest pain in my ass, after many hours of yelling out loud alone, and whenever my girlfriend would come by I'd be short either, I caved. After trying for 2 days all damn day...I gave up. I don't know how it's possible to snake 8-9 thin, fragile wires around a 90 degree bend...I think you'd have to be a voodoo expert or something...all the patience in the world wouldn't of helped me. I tried sending them in one by one..3 wrapped in black tape..then all together around metal guide wires...lube up the ass sprayed around my hands were slippery for a week. I had drilled the center and right handlebar holes to see if I could maneuver it better...but no luck..if anyone has any experience, I'd love to know how you did it.
So like I said..I caved in. I did wind up just wiring it externally, I could barely tell the difference, lol. After all those hours, and the look is barely changed. Another issue is the kills witch bracket isn't flush like it should, there maybe a little less than a quarter of an inch gap where the bottom screws into the top..it doesn't slide up and down the handle bar..so I guess I could live with it. So this was just the beginning experience. I've never been to mechanical but I'm finding myself to be now, ANDI LIKEIT!

Didn't mention before but this is my first time on this site, hope to meet some cool people to talk about common interests...maybe talk about why my bike wobbles at highway speeds?lol...ya, issues upon issues, but..it's fun. Take care all

Here's pics before she lost some of her beauty
 

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Lol, thanks for the input..on my screen it's upright..but who knows with computers these days..they have a mind of their own!
 
Tie a string with a half-hitch knot around the wires and pull them through. It takes forever, go slow, use lots of lubricant.
 
If you wired them externally, you'll probably at some point saw through the wires. To externally wire the bars they should be "dimpled" this is a release in the bars that give the wires room to enter the controls. Look closely and see if there is any room to grind a little off the control housing to give the wires a little room. If not, bars can be found used for reasonable prices, find a "dimpled" set, or the next time you have a Saturday to blow, follow the above suggestions for routing them through the bars. Like they said, It's a pain in the ass, but does give you a cleaner look...
 
Anyways, welcome to DTT man and congrats on the bike. +1 on the LOTR reference.

Not sure if you conveyed that you got the electrical problem fixed on your handlebars. Feeding the wires externally should be fine, which is what sounds like you did. There are also wiring diagrams out there that you can use as a guide.

The wobble at high speeds could be from a few things. But for one you'll want to get a fork brace back on. If you look on craigs or ebay, you can find a front fender and use that. Chop it up a bit if you want to keep that minimalist look which your bike is already rock'n.
 
Thanks for the input guys, ya I just would up routing them externally, the 2 days I wasted trying to put them internally just was exhausting. Doing them externally took like 15 minutes after all the reconnecting of the wires which are located in the headlight housing. Biggest thing is its one thing after another, but I guess that's what you get when you buy a 40 yr. old bike.
Had a question, I did fall in love when I seen it, and was curious if I paid too much for the bike. I know the pics are upside down and all..but you guys think 2grand was a lot? After doing what little things I've done, I know a lot of time is put into these bikes..so I guess a lot of sweat and tears?
In regards to the front fender fork? I did see one on this website with a shortened front fender which looked real good, bobbed out you could say.. You think that a front fender would help with the sway?
 
You paid more than I would have, and less than many before you.

The front fender brace is a must on your bike if you plan to do any turning at speed. :)
 
Thanks rush, I hear ya, just had 2 grand to play with..so said wth...impulse buys..created a new hobby for me ski guess its worth it..gotta stay busy! Now all I gotta do is work on the tank, which will be a pain in the ass I bet, and get her back on the road. What type of bike do you have?

The front fender brace does what exactly? Keeps the front wheel aligned? I was thinking of a small fender now, ill probably do that later on though. I don't plan on driving in the rain but ya never know..I've driven through what you barely call a puddle and water shot all in my face..i could imagine what would happenif it was actually raining
 
Rich Ard said:
You paid more than I would have, and less than many before you.

The front fender brace is a must on your bike if you plan to do any turning at speed. :)
Click to expand...

Rich is correct, it's kind of a regional thing. In Socal, you can't get a decent 350 for $2k, but in other areas it's a little steep, just depends on where you're at.. The front fender will serve two purposes, to help keep rocks from bouncing off the bike and to stiffen the front forks. As a 40 year old bike, the forks are a little spindly and also being a 40 year old bike, you might want to check the steering head bearings and the swing arm bearings. Along without a fork brace these could all be contributing to a little shake or waddle. You have an easy bike to work on, and even if you're new to the sport, you can do most work yourself easily. Make the bike "right" before you beat on it, it could save your life.
 
+1 Pretty much this.

ApriliaBill said:
Rich is correct, it's kind of a regional thing. In Socal, you can't get a decent 350 for $2k, but in other areas it's a little steep, just depends on where you're at.. The front fender will serve two purposes, to help keep rocks from bouncing off the bike and to stiffen the front forks. As a 40 year old bike, the forks are a little spindly and also being a 40 year old bike, you might want to check the steering head bearings and the swing arm bearings. Along without a fork brace these could all be contributing to a little shake or waddle. You have an easy bike to work on, and even if you're new to the sport, you can do most work yourself easily. Make the bike "right" before you beat on it, it could save your life.
Click to expand...



I can attest to the california thing. 350's at 2k bare stock, if it titled and running wont last very long on craigs.

For the front fork twist, lock the wheels between your legs, and turn the handlebars. You'll see how much those buggers give without a brace.
 
73hobbit-cb350 said:
The front fender brace does what exactly?
Click to expand...

Try this...
Put your bike on the center stand. Straddle the front wheel and clamp the wheel between your knees. Grab the handlebars and apply moderate force as if you are turning the handlebars left and right. You will see considerable twist happening in the front forks. That is part of what contributes to handling characteristics that make the whole bike feel like it is flexing in a turn. A fork brace, (which is often incorporated into a fender,) helps to reduce that side-to-side flex.
 
Thanks for the input, that'll be a must on the to do list..hopefully I can find a mini fender..the stock one looks ughhleeee..maybe some Matt black to finish it up..could picture it now. What'd that run me with the bracket? 100?
 
If you're so inclined, you can remove the stock fork brace from the front fender and attach it like so:

397095_10150562426195159_109196139_n.jpg
 
Ahha..that looks good without changing the look much, wish the guy gave me the spare parts when he stripped it. He even kept the manual. Thank god for the Internet.
 
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