Shake the Box CL360/378 - The Hedgehog - Done

Re: Shake the Box CL360

Great man. I would mic therm to be sure, but I had to use a press to get the lower bearing on both of mine. They don't slide on per say.
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Ryan Stecken said:
Just interested how high is that nice moto desk out of wood you build?
Is it comfortable ( :) ) to work on?
I just measured my bench and it's 26" tall. It's a taller than I would suggest, and I will probably shorten it up in the near future
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

For those who read little and prefer to only look at the pictures I apologize in advance. Had an interesting development today I thought worth sharing. Way back when eBay first started Mrs Ridesolo & I made a tidy sum of extra cash selling things we got at auctions and sales. eBay has changed a bunch since then and I've only recently resumed selling there again since I retired a few months ago. A few things have been on the shelves in the basement for a long time now that we never got around to putting on before. Mrs has been getting stuff out for me to put on and mentioned today she had found two, new Ohio motorcycle license plates. I said, "What?" She said, "Yeah, I know one of them is a '74." I said, "WHAT???"

In Ohio you can register a vintage vehicle w/ BMV using an authentic plate from the original year. So, for instance, you can put a 1968 plate on your 1968 Chevelle SS, etc. I had done my research and know they didn't make a 1975 MC plate in Ohio, they used the '74 w/ a sticker added. I had been sorta keeping eyes open for one for years now... sitting on a shelf in the basement has been a brand new, never on a vehicle, '74 Ohio MC plate w/ the proper '75 sticker all ready to go, in the original envelope. How about that...


 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Oh wow dude! That is really neat! What a great score, and in your own basement no less.
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

hurco550 said:
Oh wow dude! That is really neat! What a great score, and in your own basement no less.

Thanx, bud. It's a little thing, really, but the whole deal just made my day and will make a very memorable addition to the "clown bike" build.
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Since I built mine Ive always run 32wt hydraulic elevator fluid in the forks...by coincidence I am an elevator mechanic.

Recently talked w Sonreir about it. He suggested "REAL" 15wt fork oil. So, last time I stopped at the Honda shop I picked up a bottle of Bel Ray 15wt. It is a little pricey. But, it has made a heck of a difference. The springs actually do work now.
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Thank you hurco!how high would you suggest making it?i want to build a really narrow bench cuz my workshop space is just to small...
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Ryan Stecken said:
Thank you hurco!how high would you suggest making it?i want to build a really narrow bench cuz my workshop space is just to small...
Well I've seen ridesolo's on person, and I think 18 seems like a good height
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

trek97 said:
Since I built mine Ive always run 32wt hydraulic elevator fluid in the forks...by coincidence I am an elevator mechanic.

Recently talked w Sonreir about it. He suggested "REAL" 15wt fork oil. So, last time I stopped at the Honda shop I picked up a bottle of Bel Ray 15wt. It is a little pricey. But, it has made a heck of a difference. The springs actually do work now.

I appreciate the input. I'm using EX500 forks on this and they are in really nice condition so I'm hoping for a "one and done" deal on the rebuild. If "REAL" fork oil is the best way to go I just want to do it once, do it right, and not worry about it for a long time.
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Cant Wait 2 Ride said:
The latest tank / seat combo is by far the best choice. Tagging along for interest.

Thank you for that. It's been a long process but I can't complain because when it's finished I believe I'll be happier with it than I would have been if I had just jumped at the first whim that flew through my little brain. Of course who knows, maybe after it's done I'll sell it... I've always wanted a K100RS... (Is a BMW a good "bucket list" item?) :D
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

I got the chance to work on the paint on the bottoms of the forks. They were in fairly good condition but had some scratches so I had planned to just scuff them up a bit, prep them, and shoot on a coat of black appliance paint. The end result was very disappointing to say the least. I forgot to take a pix, but the term orange peel would have been complimentary! Parts of the thing looked a bit like what you get from the hammered finish stuff. In the past I painted an antique bed frame w/ appliance paint so I am pretty comfortable w/ its application. Anyway, I broke out the can of stripper and took it all off.



No, I didn't prime the first one, so as an experiment I scuffed up and primed the second one w/o removing the original paint.



Here's a shot of both in primer. So far so good.



And since I was messing around w/ sandpaper and primer I scuffed up the front fender and primed it. Goodbye Kawi Green.



 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

The fork lowers are looking pretty good and I went ahead and freshened up the bottom triple as well.



Time for reassembly.
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Looks great man. I think you made the right choice by stripping it and making it right!
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

hurco550 said:
Looks great man. I think you made the right choice by stripping it and making it right!

Thanx! Yeah, it was a surprise getting a finish that looked like "Hammered Finish" when I didn't use that kind of paint! Both came out pretty nice and the primer on the fender went down pretty nice, too.

I highly recommend the All Balls tapered bearings, but of course that would be no surprise to most reading this. The switch to EX500 forks on the CL360 frame couldn't have been much easier, almost a direct bolt-up. (See edit below.) The bearing sets each come w/ two different thickness spacers to use if needed and I used the thicker one under the bottom bearing. The Kawi steering stop catches it's counterpart on the Honda frame as it should, but if I had it to do over I would use the thinner spacer if for no other reason than for looks. It ends up being a pretty simple bolt-up w/ no machining required. The Kawasaki forks are a little longer than the original Honda, but I lowered these a bit internally. Not much of a gain or loss in stock height except for the 17" wheel, but I'm gaining a much more rigid and, generally, better set of forks; going from 33mm to 37mm tubes. Gaining disc brakes and more rubber isn't going to hurt either. 2020 EDIT: For possterity sake I thought it worth adding a late edit to this. As things settled in I discovered that by using the thick AllBalls spacer on the bottom the Kawi neck steering stop and the Honda stop on the neck just barely matched up. I was able to get the bottom bearing and the spacer off and then put the bearing back on. I used the thinner of the two provided spacers on the top and this combination all works better. The steering stops meet up as they should and everything looks great. The steering stops are slightly tight and if I ever take things apart again I may grind a 1/16" or so off each side to make the steering radius tighter. At least the way things are now there is no chance of bumping the tank w/ the forks or controls. ALSO, having now ridden this combination now, I can't stress enough what a nice and appropriate set of forks this is for the 360 (or, probably, a 350). They are good quality, much stiffer than the 33mm stockers, easy and cheap to find, easy to get parts for, and though only a single disc, have more than enough braking power for a bike this size.

One foot back on the ground.


 
Last edited:
Re: Shake the Box CL360

trek97 said:
Are the sprockets gonna line up?

Rearsets are gonna be nice. They look both cool and comfy.
They look awful low to me
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

crazypj said:
They look awful low to me.

Yup, noted, they may end up being a bit low. Once it's a roller I may decide to move the lugs up an inch or so. Thanx, PJ
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

Try flipping mountings if possible, (swap left to right) although that may raise them too much
I would probably get some 3/4" alloy plate and carve out new 'triangles' ;D
 
Re: Shake the Box CL360

crazypj said:
Try flipping mountings if possible, (swap left to right) although that may raise them too much I would probably get some 3/4" alloy plate and carve out new 'triangles' ;D

The right side has the rear brake master mounted to it so flipping wouldn't work... good idea, though. Raising them would be a pain but very possible. Carefully grind off the welds on the lugs, clean up the frame, and re-weld the lugs... X4. Oh well...
 
Back
Top Bottom