My '73 CL350!!!! Banzai!!!

Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

caseyjones said:
dennis,

I still have a ton of front end parts for that bike...a few sets of forks, triple tree, i have a speedometer, etc.

Let me know if you wanna come over and scrounge through my pile of stuff.
--Casey
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Casey I'll have to take you up on that offer. I'll get ahold of you soon.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

rawfish said:
Well, I'm in one piece. Except for a bruised ego and tailbone....... I was on my way home from work last week. When I went over some railroad tracks with some uneven patches of asphault. I ride that stretch everyday. So, I know where to slow down and avoid. I was going about 25-30 mph, when I went over the tracks. Then all of a sudden I hit the uneven section and got the craziest speed wobbles. Thank god that the bike went down a ditch instead of the other lane. Where there were semis heading towards me. I flew off of the bike and landed on my tailbone and back, and came to rest just a few feet from a telephone pole.

The bike on the other hand is pretty f**ked up, but can be salvaged.
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Pretty weird, you've been riding it for a few months without problems.
Maybe combination of things caused it? (steering bearings have bedded in, tyre pressures slightly off, 'act of god' ?)
I would look for an external cause, if you can't find a reason you'll never really trust that bike again
Crashing sucks but, I'm glad you went off on the 'safer' side and can tell everyone about it.
Take some painkillers and keep moving
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

Damn Bro... Glad your OK!
The bike can always be fixed, us Humans on the otherhand, no so easy.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

damn bro... thats my worst nightmare... wrecking my bike after i finish it. glad your ok! what gear did you have on? ive gone down doing 25mph wearing nothing but spandex... not fun...

i say heal up and get it back on the road! and as others have said... steering damper.

if i were you i would check the frame and everything for stress marks/ cracks.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

Spandex ;D I'd get shot off of the bike if I was wearing that outfit.......

So, I went over the bike and took the front end off. Checked for cracked paint on the frame for any kind of damege. Everything looked good. Never know!
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

The 350 frame is heavily gusseted at the neck. It would take a lot of head on force to tweak it. Fork tubes will always give out first.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

Wow, that sucks rawfish. I really hope you can fix it up, this is one of my favourite builds, love to see it brought back to glory.

Glad you made out ok though, could have been a lot worse.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

crazypj said:
Pretty weird, you've been riding it for a few months without problems.
Maybe combination of things caused it? (steering bearings have bedded in, tyre pressures slightly off, 'act of god' ?)
I would look for an external cause, if you can't find a reason you'll never really trust that bike again
Crashing sucks but, I'm glad you went off on the 'safer' side and can tell everyone about it.
Take some painkillers and keep moving
Click to expand...

I hear you! I keep going back in my mind to see what I did wrong and could've done right. Who knows?????? What I was thinking was that it was really hot that weekend and the road got warm. With the semis driving that road at all hours of the day. Trains coming and going. It could've formed a new dip. Or the dip got deeper. One thing I"m gonna do is get a damper and go cautiously over tracks......
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

HerrDeacon said:
Wow, that sucks rawfish. I really hope you can fix it up, this is one of my favourite builds, love to see it brought back to glory.

Glad you made out ok though, could have been a lot worse.
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Thank you! I think the bike will make it. I already have plans for it. It could've been worse, but my tailbone is killing me right now. Even if the bike was ridable. I'm diffinely not.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

If you put that bike back together the way you had it, the next time you may not be so lucky, as another crash will happen, steering damper or not. Put the forks in the triples where they belong, and lose those rear suspension lowering blocks. Also a little riding lesson. If you ever find yourself in a headshake situation,loosen your deathgrip on the bars,and accelerate. Your tight grip on the bars is actually transmitting too much feedback to the front end, and you are over correcting the situation. Accelerating will take some of the weight off the front end, and allow the bike to track true again. Trying to slow down, and keeping a firm grip on the bars in a panicked state will result in a violent tank slapper, and crash. Stay calm, and ride through it. After you re-gain control, if you have disc brakes, check the front brakes, as the pads may have got knocked back int the calipers. It may take a couple of squeezes to get them back. Experienced racers know all too well about the dreaded tankslapper, and the no front brakes situation! I had it happen on the street once!!!! Went into the ditch with the front end slamming lock to lock, accelerated out of the ditch, got control, and then found the brakes gone!!! stopped the bike, got off, and walked around to shake the turd I pooped out.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

killerdwarf said:
If you put that bike back together the way you had it, the next time you may not be so lucky, as another crash will happen, steering damper or not. Put the forks in the triples where they belong, and lose those rear suspension lowering blocks. Also a little riding lesson. If you ever find yourself in a headshake situation,loosen your deathgrip on the bars,and accelerate. Your tight grip on the bars is actually transmitting too much feedback to the front end, and you are over correcting the situation. Accelerating will take some of the weight off the front end, and allow the bike to track true again. Trying to slow down, and keeping a firm grip on the bars in a panicked state will result in a violent tank slapper, and crash. Stay calm, and ride through it. After you re-gain control, if you have disc brakes, check the front brakes, as the pads may have got knocked back int the calipers. It may take a couple of squeezes to get them back. Experienced racers know all too well about the dreaded tankslapper, and the no front brakes situation! I had it happen on the street once!!!! Went into the ditch with the front end slamming lock to lock, accelerated out of the ditch, got control, and then found the brakes gone!!! stopped the bike, got off, and walked around to shake the turd I pooped out.
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Thank you for the tip. Anything would help from someone who's gone through it. Yes, I did take the blocks off of the rear.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

Now that you have the lowering blocks off, the forks definately have to be lowered in the clamps, as you have steepened the rake of the forks even more, and decreased the wheel base
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

Sorry to hear about this mate.....what a bummer.
Hang in there...
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

SquadraCorse said:
Im hoping it was on a bicycle lol
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yep. got the ass padding and everything. ill get a picture up of me in my race gear geekiness one day.

to hell with what anyone says; that skin tight bike gear is the most comfortable stuff i have ever worn.
 
Re: My '73 CL350 Updated 6/5/10 WRECKED!!!!

If you water and feed it, maybe it will take root and sprout some new shoots ;)

9a560cd2.jpg
 
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