1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler

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Honda CL350

  Rebuild
  - Introduction
  - Paperwork
  - Cleaning
  - Key to it All
  - Fuel System
  - Engine Teardown
  - Clutch
  - Transmission
  - Engine Rebuild
  - Suspension
  - Mechanical
  - Electrical
  - Start and Tune
  - Life After 30

  Photos


1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler - Photo Album
Lovingly restored, Spring of 2002.
This is how it looked when we got it home in the summer of 2001.
Typical story: Rescued from a 20-year storage in a barn. In this case, a hired hand had left it behind when he quit in 1982.
It had been sitting in the barn ever since. Then we decided it would make a good bike for my wife to learn on and a fun winter project for me.
The odometer reads 12,109.8 miles.
After a quick wash it looked a lot better. See a Before & After shot.
The chrome still had some rust spots and it was still a bit rough around the edges, but cleaning it made us fell that restoring it was a worthwhile goal.
The fuel system was one of the first things I tackled. The carbs were dirty but in good shape except for the gaskets and O-rings. The petcock needed to be replaced.
I used Naval Jelly to help dissolve the rust in side the tank.
Then used the POR-15 system to clean and line the inside of the fuel tank.
The engine was the next thing I went after.
Many of the screws were stuck and had to be coaxed, fought, and often destroyed to get them out, but I eventually got the engine apart.
I thought the scerws were tough until I met this oil filter cap. It was seized so tightly, I eventually had to use a hacksaw to cut the end of the housing off in order to continue dismantaling the engine.
With the engine finally apart, I was happy to see that things were in pretty good shape.
WD-40 was used to clean years of dust and grime off the engine. I found it was best for cutting through grease and oil. I used medical cotton swabs to get into all the cracks and crevices.
The transmission gears looked almost brand new. None showed any signs of wear.
This was my first experience with a clutch. I was pretty impressed by how it works. This was in good shape, too, but I went ahead and replaced the discs anyway. Click the picture to see a diagram of how it all goes together.
I replaced the rings, but the pistons, crankshaft, and cam chain were fine.
The top end of the engine was dirty but everything looked good. I had the cylinders re-honed, but the valves, springs, and rocker arms were left alone. Click the picture to see a diagram of how it all goes together.
The engine fully cleaned and re-assembled.
I thought it looked pretty good.
The forks were a pain to get out of the triple-tree. They took a bit of work to get cleaned up, and one of the damper rods was bent and needed to be replaced.
One of the few new items required for this rebuild was new tires. Also the most expensive. I also replaced the brakes and a broken turn signal arm, but there were surprisingly few things that needed to be purchased to get the bike back in good form.
Almost all of the wiring comes through the headlight cannister.
It's starting to look like a motorcycle again!
All cleaned and ready to go! My wife had a lot of fun practicing on Pup-Pup before she took her safety class and got her license.
I used it a few times running around town as well. It's a very fun bike and were glad to have it in the family!
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