1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler

We acquired this bike in the summer of 2001 from my in-laws. A farmhand left it on their farm in 1982, where it sat until we rescued it. I had been wanting to really tear into a motorcycle from the ground up, and this was an ideal candidate. As a bonus, my wife had expressed an interest in learning to ride, so once my restoration was complete it would make a great bike to learn on.

Scrambles were a type of race that covered open terrain and trails. While Scrambles still take place, they have primarily evolved into Motocross, Supercross, and Enduro races. The Honda CL350 Scrambler is based on the popular street oriented CB350. From what I've been able to determine, almost everything is identical between the two models, except that the CL was given wider dirt-style handlebars and a high mount exhaust, with both aimed to improve off-road capabilities.

I spent an entire winter tearing this bike down to nuts and bolts, cleaning, testing, and repairing while scouring the Internet for parts. My goal was to return the bike to a stock, street-worthy condition as inexpensively as possible; a goal in which I was largely successful. My wife rode the bike several times both before and after getting her motorcycle endorsement, and I rode it around town to and from work on occasion. Sadly, a couple years of neglect has put this bike back in need of some TLC. Sounds like another winter project for me!

Check the links to the left to read my journal of the rebuild process.