Honda Twins banner

New to all this... First Bike, 1969 CL350

3659 Views 22 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  SniperX
Hey there everybody, I'm new to the site, and to the hobby as a whole. Been looking at getting a bike for the last couple months with the Summer quickly approaching. I found this one via craigslist only about an hour away from me so I made the move and went and picked her up. She's a 1969 CL350 that's stock minus a few little things like the CB exhaust, and the cheap clubmans that were just put on recently. She's got 3300 miles on her and was last registered in 1976! She fires right up with the push button start and everything seems to work and run pretty fairly. Tires should be here tomorrow along with some new brake shoes, carb kits, and some new points in the next week or so. I plan on doing a few little "cafe-ish" mods to her eventually, but plan on just riding her through the summer essentially as is, and then tearing her down this winter.

So, thats where you guys come in... haha.
Being my first bike, i've already got the usually "newbie" questions, and I'm sure will have tons along the way...

My first being fork tube diameter. I want to start the rebuild at the front. I've already ordered all new cables, some simple levers and perches, and a throttle assembly that I've heard works with stock throttle cable, to clean the front end up. I want to swap the clubmans in favor of some nice woodcraft clip-ons. But thus far, haven't found a definite answer as to sizing... I've seen the list/chart that is floating around the web that lists 72-73 CL350s but not the 1969. Are the 1969 CL's the same as CB's or do they differ like is common for the other years. I've kind of narrowed it down to either 31mm or 33mm from my readings on the web, but I am still unsure.

-So, can anyone confirm what size clip-ons I need for a 1969 CL?

I look forward to sharing my progress, and learning from the boards! Seems like an addicting hobby that I can't wait to get further into!
See less See more
1 - 5 of 23 Posts
The fork tubes will be 33mm's, but are likely to be pretty rusty under the covers... Most Cafe' enthusiasts tend to swap out the 350 forks with 360 forks (much cleaner look), but this also will necessitate 350 G or 360 triple trees.... They'll bolt right on.... I can post pix of 360 forks if it will help your learning curve...... Welcome to the wonderful world of parts swapping... :lol: :lol: Steve
Nope...they are 33's as well, but the spacing and top clamp are slightly different in the way they attach.... The early 350's use a "top" or "through the tree" bolt... 350G and 360 use a "pinch" set-up... If you WANT bigger diameter, Many Cafe' bikes use the 500/4 or 550/4 front ends......
Here's a good view of a 360 fork and top tree

somewhere in the inspirational pictures on this site is a red 350 built by students... It has the 500/4 fork set...... If I find the link, I'll edit it in.... Steve

Here it is!... The "bike I love" posted by SSCR....
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=112
See less See more
Bad news.... You have to split the main cases to remove the kickshaft...
Good news...It's not hard to do, and can all be done from underneath.... No top end disassembly required....
The K0's have no stripe (both 68 and 69), but the 69 K1's got the stripe, a pleated seatcover (K0's are smooth), and misc. other small changes.... :D
First rule.... eliminate the simple possibilities...... IF the starter motor is good, a direct "jump" from a car battery (eliminates the "weak motorcycle battery" possibility) should turn the engine over....
Ground the Negative jumper from the car battery to the bike frame ...
AFTER making sure the bike is in neutral, carefully touch the positive jumper directly to the starter motor terminal (You may want to remove the heavy wire for access/clearance)
The starter motor should roll over...IF it does, the engine should also roll over
IF you get starter roll, but not engine roll, the starter clutch is bad...
IF the starter does NOT roll, you have a bad starter motor
IF the starter rolls, either the solenoid, or the wire to it (from the battery), or the wire from it (to the starter) are defective....find out which...
1 - 5 of 23 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top