1974 Honda CL360 barn find

Seat has been ordered from REM Motorcycle (in France?). I have having it custom painted in "Traffic Red" and will have the black material and stitching. The bottom edge of the back of the seat is flat, but I'm going to see about trimming it so that it matches the upturn (25*?) of the RC174. Having a hard time finding seat loops that are 205mm wide. They are out there, but they aren't the cheap ones. I'm inclined to avoid lighted loops, preferring to put the signal lights on the top of the shocks. Maybe mount the brake light under the seat.

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I've been tracking the expenses of the project, and so far I am about $2,000 in. I think I'm only halfway there on cost. The optimist in me thinks I can get it done for $3,500, but I know there are going to be a lot of incidentals. $4,000 to finish looks about right.

How do I feel about this? It is a little depressing. But in the end I will have something real nice and unusual. Besides, I'm not just paying for the completed bike, I'm paying for the experience of building it, which I enjoy. As they say, "Enjoy the journey."
 
A new lightweight bike from the Japanese, R3, CBR500F, etc. has an msrp of around $6500. By the time it is out the door it is well over $7k. At $4K for yours it is a real bargain that isn't a cookie cutter bike. The plus is that you built it up yourself and it is what you want.
 
Here is the current status of my expense tracking:

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Here is my list of known parts I still need (I know it is not complete - obviously missing is controls, lighting, gauges, etc.):

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Priced out on this list is from Common Motor Collective. When I'm ready to order I plan on sending them a list to see if I can get some sort of bulk discount.

For lighting and controls I have been browsing REM Motorcycle. I'm open to other suggestions if you have any. For street-ability I'm not intending to use vintage parts -- I want modern components that are reliable and safe.
 
There were a total of three recalls, rocker shafts, cam chain tensioner and a wiring harness guide on left front fuel tank mount.
Rocker shafts were not a complete disaster, cam chain tensioner only a problem if it never got adjusted but wiring harness could droop and 'lock' steering.
Only wiring harness and cam chain tensioner got punch marks.
It's easy to see if there is a wiring harness guide if you turn forks to right side and look into left side of tank tunnel, it holds wiring harness down so it can't get caught in rubber mount.
I would still pull cam cover though to check tensioner is actually working and be able to push on top to check for sticking. If it's run loose for ant length of time the chain chews into the horseshoe pivot on the bottom. Unfortunately I can't find a picture of it but this is what happens to the cup the tensioner blade fits in.
BTW, that was a price even I would have paid for just a CL tank.
The only differences I've found between very early 360's is the wiring harness bullet connectors and plugs were 'reversed' male and female ends on the section under tank.
Camchaintensioner2.jpg
 
Oh, if you haven't painted frame yet and are going to change carbs this frame mod is worthwhile even though frame analysis shows steering head is weak point I know this is where flexing actually starts (paint flakes off and frame goes rusty)
it can't be used with stock air box and battery box though.
I weld in a 2x1 box section
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Thanks for the tip on the frame. I have cut off unnecessary tabs, but I haven't yet prepped it for paint. I am definitely interested in strengthening the weak points.

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I tried B9EV platinum plugs (bought a box as I thought I would need them) but switched back to stock B8ES as 9's didn't get hot enough even with 87 octane pump gas.(I bought two boxes of B8ES in 2011 still have most of them as plugs only need changing after 20,000miles or more, I'm only a bit over 10% of that.)
Is Lani still doing copper gaskets (Copper Gaskets Unlimited) I always recommend him as you can mix and match to get correct clearance.
He was listing at least four different thicknesses, 1/32" to 1/16"
After making them from copper sheet since the 70's he's probably cheaper than buying copper and DIY'ing them (and definitely more convenient)
Use Permatex copper spray on gaskets after softening and cleaning.
He must have made a few hundred by now, there are a lot of 'CB390's ' out there (I think I sold four or five blocks with pistons from 2008~2011 and still have four for my own bikes)
Copper base gasket helps heat flow from top end to crankcase.
Get heavy duty clutch springs, clutch will slip after conversion.
There is also a clutch hub modification to help plates stay slightly cooler, it's very common on modern 'super-bikes' but was pretty unknown in 70's.(my shop foreman never understood it, we had some great 'discussions')
Suzuki actually had a press release for new GSX-R in 2009 or 2010 saying holes were enlarged to improve clutch action! :D
Oh, no idea what clearance your machinist will use but I find 0.0017" (+ 0.0002", - 0.0000") good with stock cast GS850 pistons
 
crazypj said:
Get heavy duty clutch springs, clutch will slip after conversion.
There is also a clutch hub modification to help plates stay slightly cooler, it's very common on modern 'super-bikes' but was pretty unknown in 70's.(my shop foreman never understood it, we had some great 'discussions')
Suzuki actually had a press release for new GSX-R in 2009 or 2010 saying holes were enlarged to improve clutch action! :D
Oh, no idea what clearance your machinist will use but I find 0.0017" (+ 0.0002", - 0.0000") good with stock cast GS850 pistons
Click to expand...
Where can I get heavier clutch springs?

Have no idea on the clearance. The guy has done several 378 conversions, and I sent him the pistons. He said he shipped it back to me today, so I should have it in hand early next week.
 
Now is the time to drill your head to bring oil to the middle cam journal (before you install valves and springs).
 
Luugo86 said:
That tail section/seat is pretty nice man
Click to expand...
I hope so. Retail was $90 + $90 for custom paint. You can see some bad orange peel in the reflection on the stock picture above. I expect my custom painted "traffic red" to have better attention to detail.
 
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