Got a 1970 CL350 mostly original, what would you do to it?

[kickracingmotorcycles]

I was thinking about NOT chopping it up. I want to do a resto mod. So I will for sure do things like tapered steering head bearings, new tires, and most importantly get it running %100 good. I want this to be a runner/ driver. Not a trailer queen. What would you do? What should I do? Would you keep the paint stock or color change?

 

[teazer]

Wow. That sure is clean.

New tires, check the chain and cables. Good service, polish and ride it. It's only original once and that coclor is good enough and def. period. You could add a SparkMoto regulator/rectifier and electronic ignition, but I'd leave it totally stock on the outside.

 

[Psychopasta]

What Teazer says. Is it a runner? If so, a damn good service so you’re familiar with it. Not a runner? Fix what’s wrong then damn good service etc

 

[Koestum]

Oh hell no. That's a prize man, GREAT find. Repair it, preserve it, ride it.

I have a bigger cc bike I'll trade you for if you want something to resto-mod or chop.

 

[ex119x]

I was thinking about NOT chopping it up. I want to do a resto mod. So I will for sure do things like tapered steering head bearings, new tires, and most importantly get it running %100 good. I want this to be a runner/ driver. Not a trailer queen. What would you do? What should I do? Would you keep the paint stock or color change?

There is a ton of good stuff to do to that bike. Rebuild the front fork, replace the rear shocks, upgrade the electrics, replace the swingarm bushings, tapered steering bearings, Good tires, maybe alloy rims, set up the front brake, chrome superbike bars and leave it looking absolutely stock. Then ride it all over the place and have a great time.

 

[kickracingmotorcycles]

Yes there is literally no rust which is nice. And the scrambler exhaust is in tip top shape with no rust. The inside of the gas tank is not rusty either. I want to do some paint work, and get it restored cosmetically. Most importantly is getting it running %100. The best thing about a motorbike is having a good running bike, having one not reliable is not fun at all.
So far im planning on:
Reg/ rec combo ($30)
New battery agm
tapered steering all-balls bearings ($30)
Paint the bike a metallic black, and either mask off, or paint new OEM white accents
Paint the frame a satin black or gloss black, using 2k always
New ebay seat cover ($55)
New aftermarket all chrome headlight ($50)
New 1 size larger tires all around, not decided on brand yet
new brake pads
polish all aluminum
euro low rise chrome bars, drill holes for wiring to be routed internally ($30)
new 530 chain, or 520 o-ring kit ($30) vs ($150)
New short cable set ($35) and speedo/ tach cables ($25)
Fork seals ($12)
Uni air filters ($30)
Carb rebuild kit, try to get OEM
Check the engine health (I have no idea of compression etc, only thing I know is that the kickstart will spin the motor nicley), maybe do a rebuild with new rings etc, and new cam chain tensioner.

 

[ridesolo]

If I may offer my $0.02 worth. I'd recommend that you consider not going w/ the Uni filter or any other kind of pod and just get new filters for the air box. Since the thing is so nice stock and you seem to want to leave it essentially stock I believe you'll be happer w/ the way it runs w/ the stock setup and pods may actually decrease your performance rather than improve it. Another couple of cents... that paint looks pretty exceptional, why not leave it original? All your other adds; different bars, headlight, and replacement seat cover as well as the new cables, chain, seals, etc. sounds like a perfect plan.

 

[ridesolo]

Also... I rode many miles on a CL360 that also had the drum brake on the front and found it surprisingly adequate. However if you weren't comfortable or happy w/ the brakes a good "mod" that would keep you kinna, sorta in the realm of stockish might be to try and find one of the late CB350 front ends for it that has a disc brake.

 

[kickracingmotorcycles]

What Teazer says. Is it a runner? If so, a damn good service so you’re familiar with it. Not a runner? Fix what’s wrong then damn good service etc

If I may offer my $0.02 worth. I'd recommend that you consider not going w/ the Uni filter or any other kind of pod and just get new filters for the air box. Since the thing is so nice stock and you seem to want to leave it essentially stock I believe you'll be happer w/ the way it runs w/ the stock setup and pods may actually decrease your performance rather than improve it. Another couple of cents... that paint looks pretty exceptional, why not leave it original?

If I may offer my $0.02 worth. I'd recommend that you consider not going w/ the Uni filter or any other kind of pod and just get new filters for the air box. Since the thing is so nice stock and you seem to want to leave it essentially stock I believe you'll be happer w/ the way it runs w/ the stock setup and pods may actually decrease your performance rather than improve it. Another couple of cents... that paint looks pretty exceptional, why not leave it original? All your other adds; different bars, headlight, and replacement seat cover as well as the new cables, chain, seals, etc. sounds like a perfect plan.

I have had pretty good luck with the foam grey/ red dual layer foam filters. And as far as "upgrading" to a disc, there is no chance! The drum the such a classic look that I love.

 

[teazer]

Reg/ rec combo ($30) - Good idea
New battery agm - Agree
tapered steering all-balls bearings ($30) - Probably not necessary and not much of an upgrade in the real world
Paint the bike a metallic black, and either mask off, or paint new OEM white accents - I wouldn't touch the paint other than with a polishing rag
Paint the frame a satin black or gloss black, using 2k always - see above
New ebay seat cover ($55) - Nice touch
New aftermarket all chrome headlight ($50) - I wouldn't bother
New 1 size larger tires all around, not decided on brand yet - not recommended on stock rims. Check the tire manufacturer's website
new brake pads - "shoes" are for drums, pads are for disks
polish all aluminum - always a nice touch
euro low rise chrome bars, drill holes for wiring to be routed internally ($30) - the CL was a "Street Scrambler" and should have high bars
new 530 chain, or 520 o-ring kit ($30) vs ($150) - are you sure it's 530 or is it 525?
New short cable set ($35) and speedo/ tach cables ($25)
Fork seals ($12) - Good idea
Uni air filters ($30) - not a good idea with those particular carbs. I run them on BS40 CV crabs that are much easier to jet correctly. Talk to PJ.
Carb rebuild kit, try to get OEM - Talk to PJ
Check the engine health (I have no idea of compression etc, only thing I know is that the kickstart will spin the motor nicley), maybe do a rebuild with new rings etc, and new cam chain tensioner. - I would check compression and valve clearances and chain tension and it that's all good, go for it. Once you split the cases, you run out of excuses for not stripping it completely and that's how we get project creep.

 

[pidjones]

I'd consider cleaning and 2K clear coating the existing paint. New tires improve an old bikes handling >100%.

 

[Maritime]

I'd consider cleaning and 2K clear coating the existing paint. New tires improve an old bikes handling >100%.

+1 on new tires. The CB125 I'm resto-modding for my son had brand new 20 Year old tires. They looked perfectly fine but they were hard as rocks and would have been crappy. I ordered the new and set side by side you could see the old ones had turned to hockey pucks and would not have been fun to ride on and probably dangerous even though the had 0 cracking and 100% of the tread left.