can cb350 electrical components withstand 12 volts?

alex2445

alex2445

Been Around the Block
Hello, do the ton forum
I'm only 16 almost 17 and I'm really into motorcycles. Please bear with me for a small story that explains my situation. I don't have a road runner yet, I only have an old Kawasaki f7 enduro that I ride around the yard because I don't even have a permit. My parents made it a rule that I can't have a job or license until I have my eagle scout rank in boy scouts so that then I would be more likely to get the rank. I'm almost done with obtaining the rank and once I do I plan on searching for a job immediately. Once I have enough money I plan on buying a cb350 for my first café racer. I plan on overhauling the engine and etc., so I'd like to know if I can use the rectifier and etc. with a twelve volt battery and stator. This will save me about $100 or more and it means more riding time:D so it's kinda important thank you for any answers you can give me.
 
Hi Alex, and welcome.

CB350 comes stock with 12v electrics so I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. Is the Kawasaki a 6v system and are you assuming that the CB will be the same?

before you get the bike, you have lots of time to do some research. Grab a manual and read it from virtual cover to virtual cover. It's not the same as having a real bike to pull apart, but you will learn so much before you get your first bike.

I should also let you know that building a bike is probably the slowest and least effective ways to get to the riding part. Much cheaper to save and get a running bike that you can learn to ride on.
 
I'd also mention that a sketchy running old bike might not be the best one to take your street riding test on either. I agree with Teaser - many of us building bikes on here have at least one running bike so that when the project bike is spread out all over the garage in pieces we still have something to ride.

Also, getting your Eagle is very much worth it. My high school GPA was nothing outstanding, but the Eagle rank was one of the things that got me into the college I wanted to go to. Employers like it as well, so when you go looking for that job it's a good thing to have on your resume.
 
Thanks for the information. My dad said that I can't even get a permit(he's afraid of other people not watching out for motorcyclist, and Ik this happens and I will wear safety gear, but I can't let fear run my life) and I told him that when I'm eighteen I'm getting one, he said that I can but he's not gonna like it. So it wouldn't really matter if I had an already running bike to ride anyways, I've got a whole year to build the bike, so I'm hoping that I'll have it done for my eighteenth. Yes the Kawasaki runs on 6 volts and I didn't know if 12 volts was just something that came in after 6 volts and maybe the cb350 only ran on 6 volts. I'd like to find a manual for the cb350 but I can't even find a pdf file, do you guys have any sites that I can look at? and do you guys know how much insurance is for one? Thanks for your help I'm just trying to make sure I know as much as I can before I get it so then the build goes a little quicker. And yeah I know that eagle scout helps a lot, and I'm glad that you got yours, ik it will even let you skip ranks in the military. Thanks again
 
Alex, add your location in your profile or in your avatar block. You may find a DTT member or two in your area. Many of us came up through the cycling ranks at around your age, many of us are still willing to help new to the scene people out, in person, with our running or project bikes as hands on examples.

Eagle is definitely worth it. Got mine at age 15 in October 1987. Younger brother and 2 younger cousins got theirs right before they turned 18.

12v became popular in the mid-50s with the advent of OHV V8s. Lots of bikes switched to it in the late 50s and early 60s, my 1963 Honda Scrambler is 12v, while the 1971 Scrambler is 6v. Harley Davidson switched to 12v in 1965 with the introduction of the 1 year only Panhead Electra Glide.

CB350s have become the "in" thing again. Good luck with your hunt for one, not to discourage you, but prices on good ones are in the "insane" range, 2-3x what they sold for brand new. You can get more bike for less money if you expand your search to include KZ twins 400, 440, 750. A little harder to work on, but more bang for the buck. Any vertical twin is going to fetch a premium price if it is in good working order. The 2 year only Honda CMX450C (Rebel 450) 6 speed has become such a cult bike that they are nearly impossible to find, even as picked over parts junkers.

Take your time, ask as many questions as you need to, and welcome to the family.
 
Thanks for the advice, but i'm going to stick with the cb350, because it's what I originally wanted, and I've learned through past experiences that I should go with what I originally wanted. I might go with the kz for the bobber I wanna build afterwards for a cruise around bike. I've found them for around $1000 on craigslist around me. Good job on your eagle scout I actually started mine last spring, and I'm still working on it altho i'm almost done, but I feel like I'm ready for this now and I wasn't last year. thanks again for all the information. I'll try and get my area thing setup soon.
 
What do you guys think about the original stators and rectifier? I found a stator and rectifier kit on dcc and what's your opinion on the ignition plates? should I buy a new one for it?
 
Welcome to DTT, I don't know much about CB350, Insurance is going to completely depend on your state/province, but learning to ride I highly reccomend going through your local MSF course, it will make you a much better, safer rider right out of the box even though you ride dirt, or maybe especially since. I rode dirt my whole life cause I wasn't allowed to ride street. moved out and took years to realize I wasn't under my parents rules anymore and took the MSF, I could ride circles around a lot of the clas but I had bad habits that can kill you on the street and they showed me how to correct them.

Cheers

Maritime
 
Impossible to say without the bike in your possesion. At this point, don't buy anything. Dont even think about spending money until you have the bike in front of you. As Teazer stated, your first order of business is to get a manual. Get a real paper one at that. You have all the excitement and drive needed, but they'll only get you so far. Usually to the end of your bank account ;) . The knowledge is what you really need in spades. And experience, but the best way to gain that is to dig in (after learning all you can on paper).

See if you can find a small engine of some sort. An old lawnmower or similar machine. They are always being offered up on Craigslist for free. Bring it home and rebuild it. I mean, take it all apart, clean it, and really rebuild it. Make it work again. You'll learn so much by doing. And, when you're done you might be able to make a few bucks to put towards your bike by selling it.

Good luck man. Keep us posted.
 
You have to wait until you find a bike. It may have all new already. Sometimes the original points plate is fine, sometimes they are so chewed up you need to replace them. And if it does need replacement, switching to an electronic version can save you a lot of headaches (or create even more of them). Delving into the electrical systems on an older metric can be an exercise in frustration. Don't replace what you don't have to.

Okay... ran through your map, looks like you are southeast of Battle Creek Michigan... ? If so, lots of DTT members in your state. Go to the regional section and introduce yourself there... you should get some local or semi-local responses. You may even luck into a tutor.

Should be right here... http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?board=41.0
 
There are several of us to the West - welcome to DTT man.
 
alex2445 said:
I'd like to find a manual for the cb350 but I can't even find a pdf file, do you guys have any sites that I can look at?
Click to expand...

From http://www.hondatwins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=5066 :

http://www.mediafire.com/?5f3menxnmzm

Honda Twins is a good site with lots of info about 350s and other similar Hondas. Good luck with your bike search!
 
thanks for all your guys' help, I really appreciate it. I've already kinda rebuilt a whole bike my dad bought a parts bike that was a Kawasaki f7 for his f7 which is the one I ride. I need to get a title, since we don't have one, but I'm afraid that I'll spend the money to get it checked, and it'll turn out to have been stolen at some point in time and the state will take it. so I might just leave it as is, and let my dad keep it as a parts bike. It just needs a new connecting rod set, and it's done. I've cleaned it, put in new parts from a basket case box that he had filled with f7 parts. I'm currently working on an old dirt bike of my Dad's It's weird cus It's got Tm125 frame, and everything but the engine is an RM100 so it's probably the closest thing to a café racer dirt bike :D . I've taken off the head, and I ripped the gasket so my dad(I'm just rebuilding it, he's paying for all the parts) bought gasket paper for me to replace it, and I've put on the forks , the swing arm, the wheels, seat, handle bars, levers, and I've cleaned up and painted some parts that look great now! :D. I've helped him rebuild a briggs and straton lawn mower engine. So I'm not entirely new to motors. I've actually fixed most of the electronics on his f7 and I took the headlight off and made a platform for a part in my highschool musical(it was happy days, and they needed a motorcycle light and horn) so I'm also not new to electronics:D. Today I'm going to see if I can get a Clymer. I hope that you guys don't think that I'm being cocky or a know-it-all because I'm saying that I've done some stuff with motorcycles, I know that there's a lot more to motorcycles than the two little two-strokes I've worked on. that's why I got on dtt is to get advice from you veterans of bike building
 
Next year I'm going to a career center for power sports engines(I'll be starting on briggs and straton engines for the fundamentals, then I'll work on motorcycle and atv engines) I plan on being a park ranger or something in that area of work, but having engine knowledge is good because I'm supposed to be able to fix my own chain saws and atvs, I also plan on going to hocking tech and there's a lot of logging and atv trails in hocking so I could get a job as a mechanic for those kinds of things to pay for college. so I'll be learning about fixing engines and etc, so that should help me with the build. and my instructor likes me so I might go far, he even asked me to go on a couple of trips called 5th quarter and I was the only incoming junior that went. I plan on getting the bike before I buy anything, the most I'll buy for it is a manual, and tools. Thank you guys for welcoming me to the forum and I'll get a look at those sites
 
Park ranger? That's what I went to college for originally. Look into the program at Washington State University, it used to be called Wildland Recreation Management. The school is in the middle of nowhere, but, old bikes and cars were cheap (like $400 for a 64 F100 with a 292 V8 that needed new main bearings), there is a really nice primarily student clothing optional beach on the Snake River, the lab facilities were phenomenal... Just be forewarned, the dining hall food could kill a buzzard.

Get in touch with the trails managers at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. It is a great way to find out (free) what kind of educational background you need for real world applications. Contact the Pacific Harbors Council in Tacoma WA, get the number for the Hahobas Ranger, he has to perform every task you'll find in the city, state or federal parks programs, on his own except for volunteer weekends and O.A. Ordeal weekends. Contact other Scout Councils and federal parks outside of your region, see what their parks management standards are.

The more you know ahead of time about the field, the better YOU can tailor your electives, don't leave it 100% to your advisor.

Ugh, I sound like some stodgy old fart...
 
I'll try to do that sometime, but I'm busy with my eagle scout project that I have at hand already haha. and no you don't sound like an old fart. I've talked to one of my friend's mom who is a park ranger for Toledo metro, she says that it's kinda hard to find a park ranger job, and a lot of people are stuck as interns, so I'm not so sure that I'm going to be exactly a park ranger I'm might look for something that's pretty close to it, and maybe pays more. But I've also read that park ranger jobs are going up, but that could just be colleges and universities paying people to put that on the internet so that they can line their pockets with more money -_- but I'm going to start looking into my future once I've got some things out of the way, like this eagle scout project.
 
Good luck on your project. My brother's took 3 hard days of labor, natural cold water spring restoration and nature trail restoration at a wildlife park. Mine was easy, community improvements at and around our troop's sponsoring church. Literally a half block's walk from my parents' house.

I'd offer you a summer internship, but we're a couple years out on converting 20 acres of our farm to a run on European standards primarily day use private park. Including fishing, swimming, biking and walking paths, picnic shelters with fireplaces and grills, Adirondack huts and elevated cabin tents... Probably would not go over well with your folks anyway, naturist facility.
 
Sounds like fun. I'm sure theyd let me if this was still in ohio, but you're in west Tennessee so that's a bit far away. Maybe when I graduate from college:D? I actually kinda wanna go into northern Michigan and work I went up there fourwheeling with my dad and brother and fell in love with how huge the trees were even though they were basically tree farms, but still I loved it. How much do the different bars bend your wrist? like clubman, clip-ons and drag bars, and how do they look on a café racer?
 
Since my main bike has 15" rise apehangers... I'll defer that to the primarily cafe and tracker members.

Ah... f.y.i... in case you didn't know... naturist means clothing optional... and the full service naturist parks and campgrounds usually don't pay very well.
 
"Welcome to the motorcycle forum, teenager, wanna get naked?"

Jesus man let the guy sit down before you try to get his shirt off. :)
 
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