Quick, '73 CL350 or '75 CL360?

[donny662]

I'm going to look at a '75 Honda CL360 this evening (Wednesday evening, it's just past midnight ) that is advertised as $1100 OBO, but another scrambler, a '73 CL350 has just shown up on Craigslist for $900 firm. I haven't called on the new listing because I just saw it. I'm going to call on the '73 and see if I can take a look at it tomorrow, being that it is on the way to the '75. Then, I'll look at the '75 and make my decision.

Still, if the bikes are in comparable condition and if I can talk the '75's seller down to $900, which bike would you choose: the older 350 in the '73 or the shorter lived 360 in the '75?

They both claim the bikes run well, and I can't tell from pictures (one doesn't even have pictures) which one might be better.

[PJay]

Go for the 350. IMHO, a much sweeter and tougher motor.

The 350 looks better, too.

[Chobro]

350. pretty sure it's a tougher motor, plus, better parts availability.

do a search, I think the 360 may have had some drawbacks....

[donny662]

Thanks, I guess I'll do a little more reading after work. I read a few things that said the 350 may have been a better motor, but hopefully, the condition of one over the other will make my decision a bit easier.

If anyone else still has an opinion, I'd be more than happy to get more input.

[markjenn]

The 360 was a logical follow-on to the 350 and while there were some improvements, it behaves much like the 350. The 350 is better-liked, but I think that is mostly because the styling on the 360 was more awkward and the 350 has developed more of a classic bike following. It's a little like a 57 Chevy vs. a 59 Chevy. I don't think there are any significant reliability differences.

$200 price difference isn't significant. CONDITION IS EVERYTHING on a bike this old. A single repair can be the difference between a bike that will give you thousands of miles enjoyment vs. one which is a parts bike. Everything else being equal, I'd take the 350, but I doubt everything else will be equal - it almost never is with 38-yo machines that have had eight or ten different owners.

- Mark

[donny662]

Well, the guy selling the 360 called me this afternoon and said that it was sold. The 350 has only 4600 miles, but the e-start doesn't work. The guy said he took it to a dealer who told him that the starter clutch is bad.

[The Jerk]

Bad starter clutch is fairly common from what I hear, it was a common issue on the CB450s too when I used to have one and be on that board.

Should be easy enough to fix though if you can find a good starter clutch to replace it with. And not really a big deal as you can always kick start it.

I never did get around to replacing my starter clutch before I sold the bike.

[donny662]

I looked at the '73 350 tonight. It looked pretty decent but did show the signs of sitting most of its life: rust in the tank (had a fuel filter though), rusts spots on the frame and many other places, and stiff throttle operation, but it did have new tires.

I took it for a test ride. When I first went to take off, I stalled it. Oh well, it was a new (to me) bike, and I hadn't properly tested friction point etc.. Then, I went to pull up the small incline to the road; I had the rpms up and was slipping the clutch, but giving it enough gas and clutch to pull up the hill, it stalled with almost no bogging down which would have warned me. On the next attempt, I made sure not to "tractor" it up the incline, and we made it.

Trying to get the engine to rev was a chore; I had to twist really hard to get the throttle itself to move, and when I had pinned the throttle, the engine still didn't want to speed up. I only got into 3rd or 4th gear (out of 6?) before there wasn't any torque left. Rolling off the throttle required a small amount of force, and there was no compression braking; in fact, the engine didn't slow down noticeably until I used the brakes (which worked well, I did test that beforehand).

The thing I do like about the Scrambler is that the ergonomics are perfect for my 5' 7", 30" inseam frame. Going through sweeping turns and maneuvering in the parking lot is a blast.

I decided to pass on this bike because I want something I can ride for a few thousand miles before tearing into it. It was probably a little ignorant of me to think that I could get a good rider out of a 70's era, sub $1000 bike.

[ROSKO]

That price is steep for one needing work. The recent interest in these has really boosted the asking price on cl. Cracksmokers asking $3500- for a 'project' that "just needs the carbs cleaned" what BS. Remember they are NOT rare, they made over 600,000 of them (counting the cl and sl). I still find them here and there for a few hundred and buy every one I can. For what it is worth there is no power from the 350 until about 7 grand, so you'll have to wring it's neck to get any 'oomf' out of it. sticky cables and slides aint helping. All the cables and other stiff parts are readily available. A little elbow grease and these little things can really come to life. I'd say wait for a lower priced one to come up and spend the extra dosh on parts, you'll be much happier. And forget the 360, while faster and having a 6 speed gearbox there is nowhere near the spares or aftermarket available.

[donny662]

Originally Posted by ROSKO

For what it is worth there is no power from the 350 until about 7 grand, so you'll have to wring it's neck to get any 'oomf' out of it. sticky cables and slides aint helping.

Yeah, I think I was shifting at 5-6 grand , but I wasn't really trying to get to the redline and then shift. I tend to short shift a lot.

Still, I remember my KE100 having better pull than this thing. It's likely that my memories are a little off from reality because I was 14 when I had the KE.

[markjenn]

Unless you wanted a project, I think it was good to pass on this one. That being said, some people are living in the past to think that clean and nice-running 350's can be had for the $1/cc guideline that used to be the norm. These bikes are starting to attract some serious collector following and if it is running and it not too ratty, there is often someone around willing to part with a grand or so to get the bike.

The fact that so many were made is a factor in keeping prices down, but there were a lot of 55-57 Chevys made too, and look what they're going for.

- Mark

[donny662]

I got a Scrambler, and it wasn't the '73 or the '75

Today, a '72 CL450 showed up on craigslist for $1500. I called the guy up and made an appointment to see it this evening. When me, my dad, and my mom got to his house, he showed me his new Yamaha RD80. He had to buy the CL to get the RD. The RD was in beautiful condition, but the engine was seized. Also, he had an old Moto Guzzi in that garage. Next he showed me his daily driver, a '74? BMW R75/6. He had some pretty cool bikes and was a great guy to talk to. I surprised him every time I would mention something about the old motorcycles or ask a question about them.

The Scrambler was in his father's barn 2 miles down the road. In there he had a CL125, CL160, a couple of CL350s, an old Honda Dream, and an Elsinore; I may have forgotten a few of them.

The 450 is in pretty good condition and is much cleaner than the 350 I looked at a couple days ago. The rear tire is nearly to the wear indicators, but the front tire has a lot of life left in it, neither are weather checked. An O-ring chain had been put on, and it has a lot of life left in it. There is a little bit of rust in the gas tank, but the rust isn't built up and floating around in the gas. Aftermarket suspension was added in the rear which should be pretty nice.

We started the bike up with the electric start. It took a little while for him to warm it up to where it would idle on its own. There are a couple of problems we noticed here: the left cylinder's exhaust is cold and the engine likes to stick around 3000rpms when you let off the throttle after revving it. The guy mentioned that the spark plugs need to be changed, and the exhaust will heat up noticeably when the engine has warmed up and is revved. So, I'm hoping new spark plugs and carb cleaning will get it running right.

I asked him about a test ride, and he said that he could ride it around for me but wouldn't let me ride it. He was selling an old bike that had the shifter and brake lever on opposite sides of modern bikes, and he let the potential buyer take it for a spin. The buyer didn't know what he was doing and either wrecked the bike or nearly did (I don't remember). Anyway, he rode it around and shifted through a few gears, and that was good enough for me.

We settled on a price of $1300. He asked me how I was going to get it home. I had planned on riding it the 15-20 miles home. It had just stopped raining, and it was getting dark, so he offered to drive it back to my house in his trailer. Of course, I took him up on his offer.

At 7:30, we arrived at his house, and by the time I put the bike in my garage, it was 10:30. It was a great experience getting to know the seller and looking at all the old motorcycles he had.

Oh yeah, you guys probably want pics. I've kept you waiting long enough.







It looks better in the pictures than what it is, especially in the flash photos, but it's still very clean, and this winter/spring, I wouldn't need to do much to make it close to immaculate if I didn't want to do a complete restore. The seller even gave me a pair of original rear shocks from another CL450 that he couldn't get running and parted out, so I could say "completely original" if I wanted to sell it.

I love the Scrambler high pipes.

[donny662]

Originally Posted by ROSKO

For what it is worth there is no power from the 350 until about 7 grand, so you'll have to wring it's neck to get any 'oomf' out of it. sticky cables and slides aint helping.

The guy called me up the day after I looked at it. Turns out engine was only running on one cylinder , which he remedied by changing the plugs.