My first cafe build - '74 CL360

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

Long time since the last update, but it's starting to come together! Hopefully, it'll be rideable in the next few weeks. Here is a quick snap from the other day in the shop.

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

Starting to look like a bike again. Hopefully, it will roar to life once more this weekend. Can't wait to get out and riding it.

Fresh headlight, carbs are squeaky clean, new tires, cleaned the brakes and brake lever, new grips and bar ends, tank is clearcoated, and we've welded one of the pipes where it had begun to come loose.

I ordered some oval number plates from Retro Moto (I think that was the name) and will be fitting those this weekend as well.

I want to put rearsets on here, as well, but I'm waiting until I'm ready to do a true cafe style solo seat.

Speaking of which, does anyone have any thoughts on pre-made seats that would fit a '74 CL360? I'm looking at what Dime City offers, and I'm sure one of those will fit, I just don't know which one. Any thoughts are welcome!

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

Oh, and we will be overhauling the forks and going with fork boots this time around, rather than the caps that are falling off of it now.

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

Correction: The side plates are from Speed and Sport.

 

[iGreek]

I want to put rearsets on here, as well, but I'm waiting until I'm ready to do a true cafe style solo seat.

Speaking of which, does anyone have any thoughts on pre-made seats that would fit a '74 CL360? I'm looking at what Dime City offers, and I'm sure one of those will fit, I just don't know which one. Any thoughts are welcome!

After a quick google search I found some seats that say they fit here:

http://www.motorcycleseatsdirect.com/search.php?search_query=cl360&x=0&y=0

Don't know if that is what you are looking for.

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

Way cool. I had no idea they even made seats to work with the stock hinges and such. Shipping is a bit much, but I'll definitely keep these in mind come spring. Going to ride it and see what, if any, aspects need tweaking, and then I'll go from there.

Good suggestion, thanks!

 

[iGreek]

Way cool. I had no idea they even made seats to work with the stock hinges and such. Shipping is a bit much, but I'll definitely keep these in mind come spring. Going to ride it and see what, if any, aspects need tweaking, and then I'll go from there.

Good suggestion, thanks!

Yeah, they are quite good options. I want one for my CB750, but shipping is a killer; it's obviously where they make more money. Doesn't cost $90 to ship something like that, haha.

No problem man!

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

A bit more progress. My kind and generous buddy that owns the shop near me has been helping me out a lot, since my mechanical knowledge is limited.

Fork boots are in position and ready to be secured. We think they look pretty good!

We are fiddling with the position of the number plates, and those should be attached shortly. They look sweet, but the real reason we're adding them is because the bike didn't come with the stock side covers, and by adding number plates we can kill two birds with one stone.

The electric start button is broken, so I'll be kickstarting it for now, until I find some controls that I like. Haven't found anything that I fancy so far.

What do you guys and gals think, so far?

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

It's been a while, but we're slowly plugging along. I've been out of state for some time, as well, but some new parts are on the way. Ended up needing to replace the right side controls, so we're going with this switch from Moose Racing. I think it looks pretty slick. New levers and throttle assembly are on the way, as well.

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

Slowly but surely making some progress. The right side controls were missing some pieces, so I had to replace them (as well as the levers) and then ended up having some super fun wiring issues, and somehow the left side controls died as well. Both are now replaced with these slick little units from Moose Racing. I think they look pretty good.

Also, the tank got dropped, scratching the clear coat, adding yet another dent, and breaking the latch on the cap. I've decided to fill the dents and paint it, as much as I liked the raw steel look... I'm thinking silver or maybe a very light blue or grey.

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

I also need to figure out a new mount for the speedo. I made this quick mock up, but I don't like the angle or how high it sits. I'd like to tuck it in a bit more between the headlight and the top tree...

The number plates are mounted as well.

 

[Narb1989]

For my tach on my 350f, I took the stock mounting bracket, flipped it upside down and mounted the gauge in the center -in the holes that the speedo and tach used to share. You just have to Dremel out a notch in one of the holes for this to work. Im running a single tach and as you can see in the picture it drops down quite nice.

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

For my tach on my 350f, I took the stock mounting bracket, flipped it upside down and mounted the gauge in the center -in the holes that the speedo and tach used to share. You just have to Dremel out a notch in one of the holes for this to work. Im running a single tach and as you can see in the picture it drops down quite nice.

Oh, good idea! I will play around with that when I get home. Thanks! Can't wait to get out on this thing. Unfortunately, we're still 30 degrees below normal for this time of year in Michigan...

 

[Narb1989]

It may or may not work on your set up because your fork uppers are different than mine. Yours looks a bit wider than mine. BUT, if you measure the eye holes on the top of your clamp (center to center), I will measure mine and get back to you. If it fits, you could scoop up a mount from a 350f and run the modifications that I did. Just a thought really..

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

Alright! It's been a while, but some updates: I have a running bike! Many of the things that I was told were fixed by the original tech were not. Valves were off, PO had tried to force the top of the engine off with a screwdriver, causing it to leak oil, the right side carb had a jet out of it's hole and just rolling around, while the other two were in the wrong places, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Anyways, we fixed the valve clearance, sealed the oil seeping, got everything squared away carb-wise. Added Uni-filters, which seem to run nicely.

My final issue was that several...unique...wiring methods were used by the previous tech, so we got those sorted out and a new rectifier should solve my battery charging issue. It runs fine but only for about 30 miles or so, until the battery wears down.

Took it for a brief test ride yesterday, and it FLIES! Wayyyy faster than I ever thought it would be.

 

[john.leach1991@gmail.com]

First major trip with the bike this past weekend! Headed out into Leelanau County, MI for a day. Saw the sights and rode some really fun, scenic roads. Even stopped at ye olde aerodrome! The 360 handles remarkably well, and has a lot of get-up-and-go. I've still got some buttoning up to do, including some work to the front fender to straighten it out and get it back on the bike.