Don't let me scare you. I would probably apply oil to the journal surfaces before starting it. You can check valve clearances while you are in there.
I can prove you have no clue what you're talking about. It's a Honda twin.. You never have to check the valves.. lol. The early ones had a drum front and the cl kept it like an extra year or 2. The cj model was a 6 speed and the gearbox drops right into the other ones. Virtually no cb350 parts interchange. Lol. And I'm pretty sure the cam runs in the cam boxes like the cb350. Check and make sure it's not stuck. Put it in gear and see if the motor turns over pushing it. If it's stuck it's probably not worth fixing unless someone has a hard on for it. Over all great bikes though.
One of the changes from the 350 to the 360 was running the cam directly in the head. Even an old Honda needs valve lash checked once every 50 years or so. Mine was two years old when I paid $410 for it. I was a fourteen year old making $1.50 an hour at the time. I made it into a cafe racer and rode it at wide open throttle approximately 100% of the time. It never let me down. The 350 was actually a better bike, though.
I never pulled one apart but we endurance raced Mike Olmsteads quite a few times.. Much more ergonomically friendly than the 350. Definitely good reliable bikes. That was just a joke, btw. Lol.... Valve lash every 50 years or so..
Jo e, The CJ was the one with the 5 speed and no electric starter. The CB and CL had the 6 speed. All of the cb had a disc front brake and the CJ and CL had a drum. The cam does ride in the head casting and it has marginal oiling when it is full of clean oil and gets worse as the oil level drops and gets dirty. The kick starter should engage, so that means the ratchet spring is probably broken That might be a split the cases job. All in all, it is a fairly worthless bike, but the hipsters all think it is a great basis for a "custom cafe racer" build.
I built my CL360 cafe racer in 1977. I'm just an avant-garde kind of guy. If I stumbled across a nice one, I might build the exact same bike again. I would need a pair of corduroy jeans, a terry cloth shirt, and a hideous metal flake helmet to go with it. I would be willing to give up the 40 pounds that I have since acquired in exchange. When cornering low, the bike's handling could have been described as lively.
360 frame/chassis with a 350 motor is a good vintage racing platform. Its basically the best of both bikes. The perimeter frame of the 360 is better than the stamped steel spot welded cb/cl350 frame.....But for reasons stated the 350 twin is the better motor, regardless of the 6spd 360 version......way more "performance" parts available for the 350 motor as well. Of the 350 chassis', I believe the SL is the pick of the litter.....but I dont like the dirt-bike tranny of the SL350 motor....CB/CL350 motor wins again! I'd probably throw $100 at it if its fairly convenient.....mostly for the chassis and tank.
This is the quintessential oxymoron. Is it ever "Off" or "not on" vis a vis modern bike guys? Cheers, Dave
Hey, it is what it is (shoulder shrug....) More geeking, ......the WERA V1 rules listed both bikes (350/360), so I didn't foresee an issue....but the other org has a year cut-off that precludes the 360...BUT the combo I mention is being used rather successfully. I'll be using that Yetman / camelerri (?) SL chassis before I build the 360 / 350....no problems with it in sportsman.....even with the new swingarm I'm working. Hey Dave, it may not be the "best", but everybody in 500GP seems to be afraid of them....????? And finally....the $100 offer stands! Lemme know.....now get off my lawn you "Newer bike or Exotic vintage punks" ......in jest of course gents
Everybody? Really? And your list of 500GP competitors would include . . . a BSA B50 . . . ? If so, I'm curious about the factual basis for your statement. No doubt my recollection was, and remains, suspect at best, and it has not improved with the passage of time, get-offs and concussions, a steady diet of Martinis, etc., but time, place, participants in the alleged communication, transcript(s) of statements, . . . all would be appreciated. Cheers, Dave
Mostly in jest David, as you are aware....but I do not know of any other platform that the "bump-up" class for a bike skips a class on the ladder except the modified CB350 being V1 and the stocker being 350GP......leaving 500gp in the middle. It doesnt really matter at this point, but another possible view is maybe the stockers should have been 500gp from the start and not 350.........then bump to V1 with their "modified" bretheren????? All speculation and such now.....I always did like trying to hang with you and the B50 when I ran a stocker tho!! ......Geek on beeeeettchs.....