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Dad and Son's "Rhonda" 360 Project

Khoa360

Khoa360

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2024
Total Posts
190
Total likes
140
Location
California
Hello all,

This post is dedicated to our Honda CB360 project that we picked back in late September of this year. Our bike has gone through two owners, with the first owner riding it from 74 all the way to 85, where it was parked for unknown reasons. Fast forward many years later, the second owner has attempted to get it to run again and let a shop handle the repairs necessary, which includes repairing the starter motor, cleaning out the gas tank, installing a new solid state regulator/rectifier unit, and rebuilding the carburetors. The second owners had plans to turn it into a cafe racer but changed his mind and listed it on Marketplace. When we came to view the bike, however, the bike refuses to run, which we later discovered was because one of the wire leading to the condenser was broken. Overall, the bike does look really good with minor surface rust and we were able to negotiate a deal.

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The bike when we first arrived, those upswept exhaust really caught my attention!

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After we loaded it onto the back of our truck :)

After we got home, we started to work on it and made a few discoveries upon closer look:
- The front brake sensor switch was cut & removed (luckily enough, when we purchase the lower left switch housing, it comes with the sensor for the neutral safety switch, which we repurposed to be the front brake switch)
- The bike have been dropped, causing the lower triple tree stop to break and dented the gas tank. We're not sure if that's also the reason why the left mirror mount is broken as well, but that might be the case.
- A lot of screws heads are jacked up on left side of the engine, most likely because the shop didn't use JIS screwdrivers to remove the screws. Furthermore, some screws are protruding out, indicating that they didn't keep track of screws length.
- Tachometer cable screw is stripped badly and outer cable cover is damaged, seems like someone tried to replace it without any success.
- Horn isn't working.
- One of the fuse in the fuse holder isn't secured properly.
- Terrible fuel line job.

It definitely is quite the list, but one by one, we're addressing the issues we've found and hopefully somewhere in between, improve it so it can be a decent rider. As of right now, we're working our way in the front area of the bike and are ready to put everything back together soon.

As for our plans with our bike, we're planning to:
- Upgrade to Electronic Ignition (debating between Shockwave and Charlie's Place)
- Lower the handlebar (although unlikely, as we really like how the stock handlebar looks)
- Fitting in a crash bar and rear luggage rack (trying to work a deal with a fella who wants to part one from his CJ360)
- Repaint the side covers to either black or the factory color.

And that's pretty much it for now, thank you for stopping by and reading my progress report :)

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The bike as it is, still the same as the last time I've wrote about it :ROFLMAO:
 
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Well, it just so happens after I wrote the post that I found a video where a fella repainted his side fender of his Honda, and the color he used caught my attention. Really close to our color and for a pretty good price too! Definitely going to be painting the side covers to this color :)
 
Your bike looks really nice! I’m excited to see your progress as you work through its issues. Funny enough, my bike came with a dent on the right side of the tank and a missing right mirror. I’m a little envious of your original mufflers, I didn’t realize how valuable they were until I tried finding some for my bike. :)
 
Khoa360 said:
View attachment 38278
Well, it just so happens after I wrote the post that I found a video where a fella repainted his side fender of his Honda, and the color he used caught my attention. Really close to our color and for a pretty good price too! Definitely going to be painting the side covers to this color :)
Click to expand...

Do a test panel with that duplicolor first. It can be a bit fussy - and don’t forget the clear coat!
 
idrovetheepb said:
Your bike looks really nice! I’m excited to see your progress as you work through its issues. Funny enough, my bike came with a dent on the right side of the tank and a missing right mirror. I’m a little envious of your original mufflers, I didn’t realize how valuable they were until I tried finding some for my bike. :)
Click to expand...
Can't disagree on the value of those mufflers. Prior to acquiring our CB360, we looked at a CB350T and a CB350 Four, both of which were missing a muffler and taking a look on eBay, those price are indeed crazy, especially for the Four! Thankfully, ours is still in pretty decent shape but there is a bit of surface rust on the back side, which we'll most likely spray some silver paint to keep it from rusting further :)
 
A little progress update! We're still waiting on our lower triple tree to arrive, so in the meantime, we dug deeper and address a few things at the front. My dad did most of the work, while I observe him on my break from my studying.
- Repaired the broken condenser wire and rerouted all the wires.
- Wire brushed various items.
- Removed the broken tach cable. Upon inspection, the cable was really stiff, thus causing it to break.
- General cleanup to remove years of dust on the frame.

It was there that we discovered even more interesting things:
- The screw for left side point wire is installed upside down, causing it to protrude out and likely the cause of why the bike had no points cover as it wouldn't run with the cover on. Furthermore, the screw was overtightened, causing the insulator material to become squished.
- Missing rocket arm plug, causing oil to seep down to the points assembly.

Overall, while there's not too much progress, it was a really productive day. Hopefully by next week, there'll be more progress :)

Also, where can I buy the dust boot cover for the starter wire? Our is damaged and I couldn't find a replacement on eBay

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Wire brush on the head, looks pretty good to me!

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The broken tach cable

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Damaged starter wire dust boot
 
Another question I forgot to ask; where can I source the insulator washer between the points assembly and the screw for the wire? It was pretty brittle and broke unfortunately. Taking a look on eBay for ignition points assembly, there seems to be two types of insulating material, one is the plastic orange one that we have and a thick fiber washer material on most reproduction points.

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I probably have an old set of points I can take one from, or you'll need to buy a used points plate with points still on it that you can salvage one from. The fiber washers on all Honda points are probably similar size and should work.
 
ancientdad said:
I probably have an old set of points I can take one from, or you'll need to buy a used points plate with points still on it that you can salvage one from. The fiber washers on all Honda points are probably similar size and should work.
Click to expand...
As long as the insulator washer is still intact, that'll be great!
 
Those boots are a little expensive but I'm guessing worth it as I didn't think they would be available without buying complete new cable.
Pretty sure those insulation washers are not available singly but any half decent electrical store would have something (or, use one from old points, most people who have vintage bikes will have some laying around)
There are a few things to do to make bike more reliable, it's all in here though.
 
crazypj said:
There are a few things to do to make bike more reliable, it's all in here though.
Click to expand...
Yup, I recall there's the oil transfer modification for the twin but since the CB360 doesn't have the separate oil transfer piece like the CB350, how should I proceed with it? I'm planning to remove the clutch case to clean up the centrifugal oil filter and would like to get that done as well :)
 
And, status update time!
- Wire brushed the new lower triple tree that we purchased from eBay. However, before we do any prep, we had to remove the old lock that was included, and that took quite some time plus a drill bit.
- Wire brushed the headlight bracket
- Took the old battery tray out to be wire brushed as well

Hopefully we'll be able to paint the prepped parts tomorrow and put the front end back together before focusing onto the rear end.

Also, while looking at the listing picture, I noticed that the bike was on the side stand with the petcock turned on. So, I went and checked the oil and sure enough, it smelled strong of fuel. I'm not sure how long the bike was running like that (PO told me he always started it every now and then and took it out for a spin), but that definitely does bring up some concern on my end. Fingers crossed that nothing bad happens :)
 
Khoa360 said:
Also, while looking at the listing picture, I noticed that the bike was on the side stand with the petcock turned on. So, I went and checked the oil and sure enough, it smelled strong of fuel. I'm not sure how long the bike was running like that (PO told me he always started it every now and then and took it out for a spin), but that definitely does bring up some concern on my end. Fingers crossed that nothing bad happens :)
Click to expand...
Good catch! Be sure to check the petcock to confirm it actually shuts off in the off position as well, sometimes older petcocks leak a little and we can't rely on the float valves to be our only fuel shut-off.
 
ancientdad said:
Good catch! Be sure to check the petcock to confirm it actually shuts off in the off position as well, sometimes older petcocks leak a little and we can't rely on the float valves to be our only fuel shut-off.
Click to expand...
Thankfully, our petcock had been replaced and I haven't seen any sign of fuel leaking out so far :)
 
Finally got around to repainting the new lower triple tree, headlight bracket, and battery box, all done by my dad. It came out really good, and after painting those, my dad is planning to repaint the side stand and the center stand as well :)

While waiting for the paint to dry, my dad took the speedo/tach assembly apart and most of the rubbers are dried to a crisp, so off to another round of ordering parts.

Also, it seems that our bike had a crash bar in the past because while putting the steering ball bearing back to the frame, my dad noticed that one side of the crash bar mount location has a bit of a bent upwards, most likely caused by the drop. Hopefully no frame geometry are affected :)

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Painted with leftover Honda black paint :)
 
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I spend too much time smoothing out all the forging marks on them then painting a colour that shows how smooth they are.
This is a Suzuki Katana 600 bottom yoke with CB360 stem, I forget if it got painted red or yellow? :rolleyes:
All that needed modifying were the steering stops cut shorter then thinned down.
20 years ago, no-one wanted Katana parts so they were very cheap, I think I never paid more than $50.00 for forks when USD off a sportbike were $200+
:rolleyes:KatanaYokeHondaStemtop.jpg
 
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crazypj said:
I spend too much time smoothing out all the forging marks on them then painting a colour that shows how smooth they are.
This is a Suzuki Katana 600 bottom yoke with CB360 stem, I forget if it got painted red or yellow? :rolleyes:
All that needed modifying were the steering stops cut shorter then thinned down.
20 years ago, no-one wanted Katana parts so they were very cheap, I think I never paid more than $50.00 for forks when USD off a sportbike were $200+
:rolleyes:View attachment 38822
Click to expand...
Wow, that's a beauty! I didn't really think about other alternative when buying a new lower triple tree :ROFLMAO:
 
Another progress update!
- Mounted front forks and fender
- Put new Shinko rubber onto the front wheel (amazingly, my dad mounted the new tire on without the need for lubricant, although when pumping the tire up, it did not seal evenly, so some soapy water did the trick)
- Mounted front wheel onto the bike

Most of the day was spent figuring on how to mount the wheel on because unlike the Honda CL90 or S90, where the wheel axle can be installed in either direction, the one on the CB360 can only be installed in one direction, so when we mounted it on, the wheel didn't align in the center. Definitely another thing to remember when mounting the wheel now :)

Also, while helping my dad to mount the wheel up, I noticed that the bike has NGK BR8ES spark plugs installed, which was rather interesting (probably another thing the previous shop replaced). We haven't checked the spark plug caps for resistance yet, but if the cap happens to be the original resistor ones, then we'll install the NGK B8ES that I got from Partzilla, and keep the BR8ES as spares since we're planning to pull the plug out and see how it looks like (I'm betting that it won't be a golden/tan-ish color).

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New rubber :)
 
Not much progress was done today due to our stove not working properly; however, I managed to paint the CB360 emblems and while it was not the best job in the world, the emblem looks much better than before :)

Before / After

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Also got to try out the plastic welder we have on Amazon to weld a crack the side cover. The plastic smell isn't great, but structurally, it is nice and firm now.
 
So I've been thinking of a few ideas to personalize our CB360 but I need opinions and suggestion :D

1. I am planning to built an exhaust system inspired by the CL77 (CL360 headers, scrambler shorty pipes or custom-fabricated pipe to match that of the CL77, and CL350 heatshield). Would this require re-jetting? Any noise concerns?
2. I am planning to swap to a CB400F handlebar for aesthetic purposes, is it comfortable for long trips?
3. Any suggestion for aftermarket rear taillight that are OEM-looking? I like keeping things stock, but I find the stock taillight a bit too bulky :ROFLMAO:
 
Khoa360 said:
So I've been thinking of a few ideas to personalize our CB360 but I need opinions and suggestion :D

1. I am planning to built an exhaust system inspired by the CL77 (CL360 headers, scrambler shorty pipes or custom-fabricated pipe to match that of the CL77, and CL350 heatshield). Would this require re-jetting? Any noise concerns?
2. I am planning to swap to a CB400F handlebar for aesthetic purposes, is it comfortable for long trips?
3. Any suggestion for aftermarket rear taillight that are OEM-looking? I like keeping things stock, but I find the stock taillight a bit too bulky :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...

Shorty pipes will be louder, likely require rejetting and knock performance down unless you’re running WOT a lot. You’ll want to stay close to stock length for the most consistent performance unless you really feel like tuning carbs. Some people do, and YMMV etc.

Check out speedmotoco.com they used to have a discount code for forum members but it doesn’t appear to work anymore - they do have some really cool modern/vintage type stuff when it comes to lighting.
 
EzPete said:
Shorty pipes will be louder, likely require rejetting and knock performance down unless you’re running WOT a lot. You’ll want to stay close to stock length for the most consistent performance unless you really feel like tuning carbs. Some people do, and YMMV etc.

Check out speedmotoco.com they used to have a discount code for forum members but it doesn’t appear to work anymore - they do have some really cool modern/vintage type stuff when it comes to lighting.
Click to expand...
In that case, would those pipe be long enough to keep performance as close to original as possible?

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Khoa360 said:
2. I am planning to swap to a CB400F handlebar for aesthetic purposes, is it comfortable for long trips?
Click to expand...
I like all my bikes to have some small personalized touches, so I get it. I'm using CB400F bars on my CL450 restomod and I like them, I've had those bars on CB750s before too. For around town they're okay, you are in a bit of a forward lean at low speeds but nothing like flat bars or clip-ons, and at road speeds the wind pressure on your upper body takes that small amount of weight off your arms.
Khoa360 said:
3. Any suggestion for aftermarket rear taillight that are OEM-looking? I like keeping things stock, but I find the stock taillight a bit too bulky :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
I chose an older Honda taillight assembly for mine, yes the later elongated rectangular taillights are hideously large. The bolt holes in the fender will be your biggest constraint, adapting another older Honda taillight to your bracket might be the way to go.

Here's one from an early CB450 (as well as CB175, CB250/350K2/K3 and others of that era)

www.ebay.com

HONDA CB450 BRAKE TAIL LIGHT TAILLIGHT 33700-235-673 CB 450 SUPERSPORT 1970 lm | eBay

This is a used OEM rear tail / brake light and mounting bracket removed from a 1970 Honda CB450 K3 Supersport. As shown in the pictures, it shows signs of previous use. The bracket is in average used condition with normal wear.
www.ebay.com

or like mine from an SL100/125/175/350K1 (but they're harder to find and no good ones showed up in my search just now, only aftermarket garbage versions of one). Not at all suggesting you pay that price, it's just the best group of pics I could find of one

www.nospartsnow.com

NOS Honda SL175 K0-K1 Taillight Unit Assembly 33701-313-671

NOS Parts NOW is Buying & Selling New Old Stock Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Parts Honda Yamaha Kawasaki Suzuki
www.nospartsnow.com www.nospartsnow.com
 
ancientdad said:
I like all my bikes to have some small personalized touches, so I get it. I'm using CB400F bars on my CL450 restomod and I like them, I've had those bars on CB750s before too. For around town they're okay, you are in a bit of a forward lean at low speeds but nothing like flat bars or clip-ons, and at road speeds the wind pressure on your upper body takes that small amount of weight off your arms.

I chose an older Honda taillight assembly for mine, yes the later elongated rectangular taillights are hideously large. The bolt holes in the fender will be your biggest constraint, adapting another older Honda taillight to your bracket might be the way to go.

Here's one from an early CB450 (as well as CB175, CB250/350K2/K3 and others of that era)

www.ebay.com

HONDA CB450 BRAKE TAIL LIGHT TAILLIGHT 33700-235-673 CB 450 SUPERSPORT 1970 lm | eBay

This is a used OEM rear tail / brake light and mounting bracket removed from a 1970 Honda CB450 K3 Supersport. As shown in the pictures, it shows signs of previous use. The bracket is in average used condition with normal wear.
www.ebay.com

or like mine from an SL100/125/175/350K1 (but they're harder to find and no good ones showed up in my search just now, only aftermarket garbage versions of one). Not at all suggesting you pay that price, it's just the best group of pics I could find of one

www.nospartsnow.com

NOS Honda SL175 K0-K1 Taillight Unit Assembly 33701-313-671

NOS Parts NOW is Buying & Selling New Old Stock Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Parts Honda Yamaha Kawasaki Suzuki
www.nospartsnow.com www.nospartsnow.com
Click to expand...
Thank you for your input, as well as the spot on suggestion! I've always wanted that early CB450 style taillight, but I didn't know which other model it was on, so your input will definitely help me to jump on a great deal :)
 
On the topic of exhaust header, would the header from the CL350 fit on the CB360? I was looking for a set of CL360 header on eBay but all of the listing are for the left engine header and one right header, which the seller wanted to charge an arm and leg for it.

www.ebay.com

1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler H1603) chrome exhaust header pipes set | eBay

MRC INVENTORY NUMBER: H1603. ORIGIN: 1972 Honda CL350 Scrambler with 10,850 miles. FOR SALE: exhaust headers. All issues can be worked out.
www.ebay.com
 
Khoa360 said:
On the topic of exhaust header, would the header from the CL350 fit on the CB360? I was looking for a set of CL360 header on eBay but all of the listing are for the left engine header and one right header, which the seller wanted to charge an arm and leg for it.
Click to expand...
I suspect that they would fit, but others here with more knowledge of them will know better than I.
 
Khoa360 said:
So I've been thinking of a few ideas to personalize our CB360 but I need opinions and suggestion :D

1. I am planning to built an exhaust system inspired by the CL77 (CL360 headers, scrambler shorty pipes or custom-fabricated pipe to match that of the CL77, and CL350 heatshield). Would this require re-jetting? Any noise concerns?
2. I am planning to swap to a CB400F handlebar for aesthetic purposes, is it comfortable for long trips?
3. Any suggestion for aftermarket rear taillight that are OEM-looking? I like keeping things stock, but I find the stock taillight a bit too bulky :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
My vote is- change the bars for lower ones, like we got in the UK, and for the rest- keep it all stock! Or at least, don't make alterations that are anything more than mere bolt on/off items. That's to say, can be reversed with only a bit of time on the tools. And yes, the taillight is a monolith, but hey ho! It looks like a nice, tidy, unspoilt bike that needs not a lot of resto. Nice!
 
Khoa360 said:
On the topic of exhaust header, would the header from the CL350 fit on the CB360? I was looking for a set of CL360 header on eBay but all of the listing are for the left engine header and one right header, which the seller wanted to charge an arm and leg for it.
Click to expand...
It would not be a direct bolt on. It would require some tweaking to the pipe I'm sure.
 
Barney Rubble said:
My vote is- change the bars for lower ones, like we got in the UK, and for the rest- keep it all stock! Or at least, don't make alterations that are anything more than mere bolt on/off items. That's to say, can be reversed with only a bit of time on the tools. And yes, the taillight is a monolith, but hey ho! It looks like a nice, tidy, unspoilt bike that needs not a lot of resto. Nice!
Click to expand...
Appreciate your opinion and yup, that is my plan when it comes to making modification as something that can be easily reversed in the future.

After a bit of consideration, I think the exhaust plan will be in the backburner for the time being. Plus, the upswept exhaust is a bit of a quirk with the 360, so I'll definitely keep it to fit it's character :) Will definitely be considering the handle bar, but that'll be after we finished up with our bike.
 
Quite some exciting developments today! Finally got the whole front end back together after 2 weeks (winter is getting close and it gets pretty cold). With the Thanksgiving season coming up and me and my dad getting a few days off, we'll be opening the carburetors and adjust the float level, doing the cam chain tensioner recall and oil transfer piece mod, and depending on how far we got, the quest for combustion might not be too far away :) So glad to see our bike getting back to shape and hopefully, we can get some seat time with it.

Admittedly, this bike took a lot more work than we thought initially, and money wise, it wasn't the best selection. But, we're getting there.
 
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My dad got the carb apart and the good news is that the float height is set to 21mm for both carbs and they have original jets. However, one carb has partially clogged jets, which we're glad to have stumbled upon because that could be a headscratcher when it comes to getting the bike running. Other than that, carbs are clean and the diaphragms are in really good condition.

Next up on the list, getting the clutch cover off to clean both the screen and centrifuge filter and do the tensioner recall.

Also, we're debating about replacing the spokes since the rear one are pretty rusted out, any recommendation for quality spokes?
 
One of my dad's special, upgraded fuse box 😁 It seems there was a short from the main circuit wire as the insulation has melted, but hopefully everything will be alright.

Also got to learn about his technique on crimping and stripping wires, as I tend to strip away a bit of copper strand from improper stripping.

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Cosmetically, got quite a lot done today. After taking out a few parts, my dad noticed how grimy and dirty the bike was, therefore we decided to strip most of the bike out for a degreasing/cleaning session. I think this is the first time the bike looked
really clean every since we bought it :) After that, I tested out a bit of polish on the frame and was amazed by how well it came out for 50 year old paint. With a bit of time to spare, I also tried rubbing aluminum foil with WD40 on the rusty rear spokes and the rust does come off, although pretty slowly. Will definitely be testing a bit more on that but it'll do since we're not aiming for a show-level bike.

First picture is the bike after it got a good washing session, and the other two pictures are before/after.

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Admittedly, we got a bit carried away with the cleaning but hopefully by the end of the year, we'll get Alberto running (yup, I actually thought of another name after watching an episode of The Grand Tour, where the three presenters named their vehicle John, a custom-built vehicle that drove them all the way across Mongolia. I've thought of many names afterward, but Alberto really clicked since it sounded trusty and also reflect the character/past life of the bike).
 
Also, just to make sure, is this the proper throttle cable routing? We've forgotten to take notes regarding the placement of throttle cable, which we should've done before taking it off :ROFLMAO: Many thanks in advance!

h71tiGn.jpg
 
It would appear to be the correct routing for the throttle cables, but the last 360 I touched was decades ago so others who know the bike better will need to confirm. I will say that you are missing the left exhaust rocker arm shaft plug is missing (next to the points plate)
 
ancientdad said:
It would appear to be the correct routing for the throttle cables, but the last 360 I touched was decades ago so others who know the bike better will need to confirm. I will say that you are missing the left exhaust rocker arm shaft plug is missing (next to the points plate)
Click to expand...
Great catch! Thankfully, I had bought a NOS set to replace those two plugs since the rubber has shrunken over the years.
 
Finally got to work on Alberto for a bit with my dad. After the last post, we decided to take the rear apart for further cleaning and give the rear fender a layer of clear coat to prevent it from rusting.

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The 50 year old Bridgestone tire has disintegrated badly but thankfully, we were able to get it out without much hassle, and new Shinko rubber will be mounted soon. Also, after cleaning the spokes with aluminum foil and WD-40, it is looking a lot better than before. Still got to scrub the spokes a few more times but hopefully, it'll clean up nicely.

On the topics of taillight, I've acquired a unit from a CB175 and while it looks to fit the CB360 tailight bracket at first, one of the mounting bolt is off just by a little bit. Any ideas on how we can adapt the bracket or tailights to work?
 
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