Project 1970 Honda CB350 — Part VIII

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by Richard Backus
Our 1970 Honda CB350.

The is the eighth and final part in a series on our 1970 Honda CB350 build project. Read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI and Part VII for earlier stages of the project. You can also watch video of our Honda running for the first time.

Of all the projects we’ve done over the years, our 1970 Honda CB350 took the longest and in some ways was the hardest. Our goal, as much as we could, was to keep it looking stock and original while also giving it sensible upgrades to make it a rider as well as a looker. We think we’ve succeeded on both counts.

This CB350 project has been a real education. Except for our very first project, the 1971 Triumph TR6C we put back on the road almost 10 years ago, every build we’ve done has been a custom. There’s a certain chickens@#% logic to that: You don’t have to like what we’ve done, but you can’t say it’s wrong, because it was never supposed to be right. Adding to the allure of a custom is the simple fact that correctly executed restorations paying strict attention to originality are just plain hard. There are myriad details that have to be right if it’s really going to be a proper restoration, and getting any one of them wrong invites a tongue lashing from the cognoscenti.

  • Published on Oct 25, 2016
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