Making my Cb350 EXTRA bulletproof.

blake57

blake57

"Against All Odds".
No im not painting it with rhinoliner ;)


But hey i have some questions everyone...


Ive been riding my cb350 twin (1971) for a while in my spare time while im not working and ive built up about 600 bucks for parts... i wanna know what i should do to "bulletproof" my bike... i wanna make it so that i can take this bike on super long distance journeys no problem.


IDEAS?
 
Safe tires, wheels balanced, new wheel bearings, good brake pads, fluid & filter changes, good points, good plugs, good plug wires, good coils, good alternator, good rectifier, good battery, good chain, good sprockets, premium fuel, spare fuses.
 
yes... all mentioned above. also youll have to bust open the motor and swap out the stock tensioner for a slipper time KA tensioner. the stock one is prone to failure. swap the cam chain while your at it.

youll still have money left over; get an electronic ignition. the bike will run like a top with all that. oh, and if you can swing it, a new stator from ricks motorsport will get rid of any charging issues you have.
 
Nothing wrong with stock tensioner until you start using real high rpm.
A 'racing' cam chain would be a good idea though as it has parallel side plates and doesn't wear tensioner wheels down so quick.
KA tensioners wear out after about 2 seasons racing
Teflon may be 'slippery' but it doesnt have particularly good wear resistance
I would stick with roller tensioner and get some Delrin or graphited nylon wheels
 
okay so rocan....

If i go that route wont i be out after just the stator and Elec. Ignition.

i wont have hardly any money left if i buy those.
I WOULD like to get rid of my charging issues though.
 
all the bearings on the bike probably comes out to 200 bucks or so (probably less). I personally would start there, as I would rather have a bike that handles very well then a bike that starts every time. if your bike dies on you while riding your less likely to get hurt then if the bike gets into a speed wobble caused by worn out bearings.


Save the extra money to get the stator and electronic ignition; both pieces are very very well made and will improve the bike drastically. I have ordered two stators from ricks and the quality is top notch. the bore-tech electronic ignition is a great unit also. another company just started making cb350 electronic ignitions for very cheap; no idea on the quality though, they just came out.


stock coils are probably getting near the end of their life... grab some XS650 coils from MikesXS and youll have a nice spark without spending as much as you would on dynas. spark plugs are cheap, so replace those of course. if you need spark plug wire.... give me the length and I can send you it for a verrry cheap price as I have a 100 foot roll ;). I need to know the length before tuesday though; I leave the country.




really though, the most bulletproof you can make the bike is just making sure everything is in good order, no shitty wiring, valves adjusted, carbs adjusted, bolts tight, etc.


but for the money, bearings, bushings, chain, sprockets, tires, brakes, etc, should be the best you can afford. thats shit that can save your life and will improve the bike drastically.
 
Read the manual and make sure that everything is with in spec.
electronic ignition and coils will only add an unknown variable to deal with.
coils aren't really that bad of and idea but why and electronic ignition on a street bike that will get used? points aren't a mystery and they work......
bronze swing arm bushings and some hagons will sort out the rear
tapered bearings and seals will do the front.
deff going to need the basics like tires, brakes, cables.
for the motor make sure the valves are sealing and adjusting right.
check the diaphragms in the carbs.
make sure intake boots are sealing right.
don't run cheap pods
 
charging system is another thing that you don't need to spend a ton of money on.
just make sure everything is in good working order. if you are moving around stuff make sure everything that needs to be grounded is getting grounded well
guys that run into a lot of charging system issues have messed with a lot of stuff.

truth is that for most of the bikes out there, they are best and most reliable stock. Honda paid a lot of people a lot of money to get it right. Most people mod bikes with out thinking things through all the way.
 
surffly said:
Read the manual and make sure that everything is with in spec.
electronic ignition and coils will only add an unknown variable to deal with.
coils aren't really that bad of and idea but why and electronic ignition on a street bike that will get used? points aren't a mystery and they work......
bronze swing arm bushings and some hagons will sort out the rear
tapered bearings and seals will do the front.
deff going to need the basics like tires, brakes, cables.
for the motor make sure the valves are sealing and adjusting right.
check the diaphragms in the carbs.
make sure intake boots are sealing right.
don't run cheap pods
Click to expand...

80% of that stuff has been checked..
bronze swing arm bushings and some hagons will sort out the rear____ they seem fine.
tapered bearings and seals will do the front.____ they seem fine
deff going to need the basics like tires, brakes, cables. ___tires have <300 miles on them, Brakes are new... Cables could be changed.
for the motor make sure the valves are sealing and adjusting right. ___How do i know if they arent adjusting right?
check the diaphragms in the carbs. ____ They are new. No holes no nothing...
make sure intake boots are sealing right. ____ They are... i sprayed carb cleaner over them and watched for bubbling
don't run cheap pods. ____Im running UNIs
 
B L A K E said:
80% of that stuff has been checked..
bronze swing arm bushings and some hagons will sort out the rear____ they seem fine.
tapered bearings and seals will do the front.____ they seem fine
deff going to need the basics like tires, brakes, cables. ___tires have <300 miles on them, Brakes are new... Cables could be changed.
for the motor make sure the valves are sealing and adjusting right. ___How do i know if they arent adjusting right?
check the diaphragms in the carbs. ____ They are new. No holes no nothing...
make sure intake boots are sealing right. ____ They are... i sprayed carb cleaner over them and watched for bubbling
don't run cheap pods. ____Im running UNIs
Click to expand...

if the shocks are stock they are not fine
fork seals should really be done if the bike was sitting for a while before you got the bike
Valves you need to check with a feeler gauge, the process is in the manual
bubbling on the boots? not sure how you were checking. normally you get the bike running and it will rev higher if you spray starter fluid on the manifolds, but that also dries them out.....the intake sucks the fluid in not blow it out.
 
the 350 is actually a pretty bulletproof motor, compared to some other twins honda had, it would probably benefit from needle bearings for the cam, and an in cam oiling system to keep the rocker surfaces properly lubricated. a full sideplate cam chain is always a good idea, they're cheap enough and don't stretch out very fast at all.
 
stacks for performance yes but not for long term reliability...

its cliche but...
fast cheap reliable
pick two....

"performance" mods will almost always hurt long term reliability
and poorly done mods will be even worse
 
No offense but i'd just buy a bigger bike for longer trips. That small of a bike I imagine can't be that comfortable/enjoyable on the interstate/highway for long distances. I'd keep your bike for around town/fun local trips, etc., and invest in a bigger bike for longer trips so that its more comfortable.
 
So many opinions, so little sound advice. Just kidding guys. Settle down.

Bullet proof, not fastest on the planet right? Someone mentioned this already but avoid anything racing. No teflon tensioners or velocity stacks or pod filters. No silly exhausts that cause the bike to run lean and overheat.

A good new cam chain is a worthwhile investment. I never replace bearings in motors unless they need it and if they need it, something has probably gone wrong. One bad bearing here or there maybe, but wholesale swap out, no.

Flush old oil out and clean the filter. Use whatever oil you happen to prefer and change it often. that's the key to longevity on these motors.

If you can afford an electronic ignition, that's nice and means no more points to set, but points are a once a year job for most of us, so it's really no big deal.

Check the electrics and replace or clean all the terminals and switches. Clean the fuse block and ground connections.

remember that a bike is not like a modern car. It's not all fit and forget. Routine maintenance is important.
 
much more important then on a car. a loose bearing on a car may mean an annoying noise, on a bike it could mean an unridable bike.
 
I'm not suggesting leaving old clapped out bearings in, but bearings last a really long time unless there's major mayhem or water where it shouldn't be.

Wheel bearings I replace routinely, but inside the motor - not so much. Race motors are different of course but on the street I'll happily re-use bearings in the motor. Clean them and test them and listen and feel for grit and rough spots. If they feel good, use them. If in doubt, check them under an inspection lamp and bench magnifying glass. If you can see stains and pits in the tracks, they are ready to hit the scrap bin - if not use them.

I would be hard pressed to remember a failed bearing in the last 40 years of building motors - that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but it's rare.
 
oh i totally agree with teaser; heck, with the old hondas if you find a bad bearing its a pain in the ass to get the bearing pulled off, not to mention that they are unobtainium at this point. if you have that happen you usually can just pick a whole bottom end out of a scrap yard.

but we went totally off track here; we are talking about frame and wheel bearings (bushings).
 
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