First Timer: 1972 CB350K4 Build/Log

[Reece]

Hello guys,

My name is Reece and I've been working for a motorcycle parts distributor for a while.

We picked up a 1972 cb350 as an R&D mule and out of the all the bikes that have come and gone I've grown the most attached this guy.

I'm a car guy at heart and have owned a few 240sx's in my time but always have had an interest in doing a personal cafe/brat build.



I consider myself pretty handy with a wrench but am walking into this build as a first timer. I plan to use this forum to document my build progress and use it as reference point for problem solving.

The day we recived it from transport:



So far on the bike I've :

-Installed a 2-2 Black/chrome exhaust system we offer on our site. The black head pipes look great paired with the short reverse cone mufflers I chose.








-Mildly polished the front brake drum and hub (first time ever doing this) Not too satisfied and probably will have powder-coated later.





- I also replaced the clutch and brake levers with some oem replicas, put on some new Avon tires and tubes, gel battery, changed the oil, swapped over our Niche Cycle 30mm round slide carb kit for the 350 and dialed in the jetting.

The bike runs great and is a blast.

 

[Reece]

Progress update (5/12/16):

I''m sorry for the gap in time as life is unpredictably hectic.

I've managed to get a sizeable amount of things finished/underway:

I converted the stock handlebars to a cb400F replica bar we sell here. I really enjoy the lower overall height compared to the stock bar and it gives the bike a more streamlined race feel without going full clip-on's. Another plus to the cb400F bar is the provisions for the switch mounting tabs and holes for routing of the wiring inside of the bar.

My grip of choice is the gran-turismo style grip we offer as it has a ton of cushion and maintains the retro styling.







I did however run into a wiring mess from the previous owners abuse and apathy. When replacing the switches, turn signals, and various other items on the bike they felt that removing the bar and re-routing the wiring of the new switch back through was too much work and decided to just simply lift the switch from the bar, cut the wiring at the switch body and simply twist all of the wires from the new switch and old wiring together and re-mount it. I'm surprised nothing shorted on the bike as each wire was bundled together with a flimsy amount of electrical tape.












I am no expert at wiring no soldering but decided to re-solder each switch at the board and document the process. I also replaced the brakelight switch with an off the shelf version we sell here.

 

[Reece]

I then decided to install some new mini retro bullet style turn signals we sell. I really like the profile of these as they hug the headlight ear/ bucket closer and attribute towards my effort of cleaning up the profile of the bike by reducing the bulkier items in size. They are dual filament and can be used as running lights but I choose to simply use them as turn signals and they are wayy brighter than the stock units. I added a new flasher unit and discovered that one of my headlight ears is a little bent (which I corrected in the later photos). I also fixed more of shoddy wiring the previous owner did as well.....







I then moved forward to another blemish of the bike, the stator cover is bent pretty badly and the previous owner used bondo to fill what I would presume to be a hole.....



So I scoured the internet and found a guy parting out a bike on eBay and picked everything up for a reasonable price. I contemplated black wrinkle finish powdercoating but decided to take the build in a cleaner direction. All of the parts are going to be show polished and I have some polished allen's to replace all the stripped hardware. There is also the cover behind the stator not pictured in the photo that I picked up. What is cool is now that I have a second set of all these, I can probably do both the powder coat and polish just for kicks.




I also picked up my new Biltwell Gringo S helmet in the limited edition wine flake. Fit is awesome, comfort amazing, couldn't be happier.

 

[Reece]

In the meantime, I gave the bike a proper detail job and was able to rejuvenate the shine on the tank and chrome about as good as they could be.







Also here are some photos of the shop bikes we have




Near future plans: ?????

- I have a gasket set for the bike and plan on installing all the new polished items

- I would like to address the forks and potentially convert the front to disk either with a gsxr fork swap or maybe one from a 360 or something if possible.

- Install a barnett clutch kit that we have in stock

- rear seat upswept hoop and brat style seat

- new petcock

-full electrical upgrade from ricks/pamco/coils etc.

- much much more of a long wish list

If anyone has any comments, suggestions, or inquires feel free to message,pm me.

 

[LateralSage]

I like the 240, and your bike! I have a 1972 cb350k4 just like yours! (Same color and everything, just in much worse shape). I love the exhaust and was wondering the price? As well as if it works with the stock mounts, controls, etc.... Thanks

 

[Reece]

I like the 240, and your bike! I have a 1972 cb350k4 just like yours! (Same color and everything, just in much worse shape). I love the exhaust and was wondering the price? As well as if it works with the stock mounts, controls, etc.... Thanks

Thank you sir, I love 240's have had a few and recently just sold what I considered to be a collectors car in the next few years given the drift missile depreciation rate.

original 1 owner Florida car, last production year (in the US), non-sunroof, SE model with under 100k in a rare silver moss color.

I regret selling it so much.



As for the exhaust we have them in stock but I'm not going to list a price out of respect to the forum and us not being a proper vendor. I do not intend on selling any parts as one on here and this thread is just simply a documentation of my bike, as far as fitment goes they fit great. It's a mac exhaust header and some reverse cone mufflers. The tiny picture above at the end of the install is actually a video so you can hear the tone, If necessary I can post more. I have a few fabrication friends so eventually I'd like to do something wild and get a custom exhaust made with some pie-cuts and such.

another video:

 

[LateralSage]

That is most likely the cleanest 240 I have ever seen! The paint looks gorgeous too. Who knows, you may find another

 

[Reece]

That is most likely the cleanest 240 I have ever seen! The paint looks gorgeous too. Who knows, you may find another

Thank you, good luck with your build and let me know if you want any of the parts I remove as I progress.