New to the cafe world CB 350 Four

[Gnievomil]

Hello, I just joined tonight and apparently im the 15k member which means im pretty much chasing everyone else here. I'm new to the Cafe world actually this is my first bike ever...But i'm from a place in Michigan where everyone is born into the auto world complete with a socket set. So i hope this will be easier than i fear it will be. I have been planning what i want to do with this bike for awhile and will finally get it this week off a friend.

So I plan on: Lowering, trimming, custom tank and seat and not your run of the mill I painted this and maybe made some knee wells kind of job. No, you will see design cues from the Chrysler Building, Silver leaf, and steam punk era details. The tank will be unlike anything you have ever seen. The engine will be overhauled even though it runs perfectly now and bored .50 over and polished. Custom exaust I have considered making it out of molded clear acrylic but thats just an idea.

Many of the parts will be machined or custom fabricated with the intention of style and weight loss.

I hear that these bikes are slow compared to the two stroke 350. I intend on figuring out how to over come that if it's true, is it?

I have alot of plans and ideas but many of them are just plans at this point and i will definately rely on the experience of you all who have done this many times or have run into any issues with your builds.

I would like to thank you all in advance for your enfluence and for the creators of the site/ forum that allows us all to be here.

-J

 

[teazer]

If you want that 350 to be faster than a 350 Yamaha, better start to factor in a new short stroke crank, gear drive cams and a DOHC 16v CBX400 top end.

Lowering a 4 cylinder bike is not usually a good idea if you plan on going around corners, but i guess Detroit is like Chicago - not many corners to worry about.

Best thing to do is to get it running well and run it all summer and have fun riding it and think about what you might like to do to molest it next winter. Seriously. So many people get sucked into that great vortex that seems to be "cafe styling" and never get their bikes to run right and they lose interest. Rebuilding a bike isn't rocket science, but it;s really easy to turn a sweet ride into something that doesn't run right and is a PIA to ride for more than the time it takes for the ride by photo shoot.

Clean it up, give it a service and new tires, battery and plugs and just have fun riding it. They are cool bikes just the way they came from Honda. Nice proportions, not too much power and that cool 4 cylinder look and sound. Enjoy what you have and ride while you plan.