CALfeRacer
Fat man on a little bike
Well, this weekend I became the proud(?) owner of a 71 CB350, a 78 CB400T, a 82 CM250, and a 19?? CL90. For cheap too. I was originally planning on there just being a parts bike for my CB250, the CM. But when I got there, I found quite a few more bikes. I figured I could part out the 400 and 250, then build the 350 over time (AKA once I get a job...). And the 90 was free, so why not take it. I've always liked Honda 90s. After having them for a couple days, I'm still trying to decide what to do. I figure I would throw something up to get some opinions, then create separate build threads for what bikes I decide to keep and build.
Anyways, back to the bikes. The 350 had the bottom end sitting half in the frame, with the tank sitting on it outside. I managed to find the seat and the top end minus points cover, cam, and rocker arms inside a barn. Cylinders are a little dusty, but completely smooth. Yay! Bottom end is another story. I decided to take the engine out of the frame to make fitting it in the back of my truck with 3 other bikes easier. Long story short, a bunch of water poured out of the stator... So friday I'll be going down to the shop to tear the bottom end apart (half the damn screws are stripped) and see what I have, but the output shaft does spin freely, so the transmission isn't TOTALLY frozen. It is by far in the worst shape of all the bikes (minus the 90). Problem is, that's the one bike I really want. Like REALLY bad. Seeing cool CB350s is pretty much what first drew me in to the Cafe style, and DTT in general.
Next is the CB400. Engine looks to be in good shape, even though it was stored with no carbs, who knows where they went. It didn't have a tank, but I managed to find the seat for it inside. Since this bike is in good shape and I want a bigger bike, I am tempted to try to fix it up and turn it in to a bike that I can take on longer trips with a few custom touches. Or, I could tear it apart and sell all of the parts off it to make $$$. But, that will take a lot of time and effort.
The CM250 I plan on getting up and running, then selling. Since it is in the best shape of the 3 I'm not too worried about it. Carb is free, cables work, tires hold air, and tank looks good. Problem is it needs a key made, new battery, grips, and a tune up. Probably a carb clean too. Oh, and it came with a spare engine too. Score.
The 90... not sure where to go with that! I'd like to someday swap a Lifan 125 in to it, but that would be a long way off, since the bike is basically a frame and suspension as it sits now.
So, if anyone is still around after that long a** read I'm curious to hear what you guys think about this all. Suggestions are always welcome, if I didn't want any I wouldn't post anything here.
Thanks as always, and have a good night!
Anyways, back to the bikes. The 350 had the bottom end sitting half in the frame, with the tank sitting on it outside. I managed to find the seat and the top end minus points cover, cam, and rocker arms inside a barn. Cylinders are a little dusty, but completely smooth. Yay! Bottom end is another story. I decided to take the engine out of the frame to make fitting it in the back of my truck with 3 other bikes easier. Long story short, a bunch of water poured out of the stator... So friday I'll be going down to the shop to tear the bottom end apart (half the damn screws are stripped) and see what I have, but the output shaft does spin freely, so the transmission isn't TOTALLY frozen. It is by far in the worst shape of all the bikes (minus the 90). Problem is, that's the one bike I really want. Like REALLY bad. Seeing cool CB350s is pretty much what first drew me in to the Cafe style, and DTT in general.
Next is the CB400. Engine looks to be in good shape, even though it was stored with no carbs, who knows where they went. It didn't have a tank, but I managed to find the seat for it inside. Since this bike is in good shape and I want a bigger bike, I am tempted to try to fix it up and turn it in to a bike that I can take on longer trips with a few custom touches. Or, I could tear it apart and sell all of the parts off it to make $$$. But, that will take a lot of time and effort.
The CM250 I plan on getting up and running, then selling. Since it is in the best shape of the 3 I'm not too worried about it. Carb is free, cables work, tires hold air, and tank looks good. Problem is it needs a key made, new battery, grips, and a tune up. Probably a carb clean too. Oh, and it came with a spare engine too. Score.
The 90... not sure where to go with that! I'd like to someday swap a Lifan 125 in to it, but that would be a long way off, since the bike is basically a frame and suspension as it sits now.
So, if anyone is still around after that long a** read I'm curious to hear what you guys think about this all. Suggestions are always welcome, if I didn't want any I wouldn't post anything here.
Thanks as always, and have a good night!