1975 Honda CB360T

I've owned a 360. never like it. Never owned a 350, though I've ridden a
couple. It's just smaller and neater.

 

The 350 was smaller, lower and lighter. A bigger bike makes sense if
you're large-framed and uncomfortable on something tiny, but otherwise
less bulk = better bike. Or car. Or just about anything.

The 360 was better equipped, had a six-speed box, and maybe a tad more
power, but was still one of Honda's less successful designs. If they
were serviced meticulously, they lasted. Otherwise the engine was a
disaster zone: top end oiling problems, camchain problems, camchain
tensioner problems.

The only positive things that could be said about the 360 was that it
looked quite nice and the CB250 version was much worse.

 

Fine. You were lucky. Along with the CB500T, they were one of Honda's
less successful twins.

Easily done, given that the suspension was soggier than a three day-old
diaper....

 

*Shrug* Even contemporary UK roadtests criticised the back end as being
horribly under-damped and under-sprung.... OK, maybe "soggy" wasn't
quit the right word to use. "Crap" will do, though.

 

Well, fine. It probably did serve your needs well. And your
appreciation of exactly how a motorcycle should behave was certainly
less well-honed then, compared with now, 30 years of experience later.

I know the CB360 was a big seller in the US. It always puzzled us Brits
because we couldn't see any really outstanding feature of the bike,
while there were plenty of minus points.

There again, if you wanted a mid-range (by the standards of the day)
four-stroke, there was precious little choice until the Z400 came
along.

But why the US bought the 360 by the boatload, yet spurned the jewel
that was the 400 Four (an utterly *massive* seller over here) was a
complete mystery to us.

 

Actually, the Z400 was launched in 1974/5, when the CB360 was still
available. And the CB400 Four was launched in 1975/6 - again, while the
360 was around. The Kawasaki S3 was launched in 1974, and metamorphosed
into the KH400 a couple of years later. Many other 400 twins came along
later, agreed.

This sort of comment, I'm afraid, does you no credit, especially when
I've already pointed out that at least three 400s were available at the
time the CB360 was. I know the Z400 and 400 Four were sold in the US,
and I'm pretty sure the S3/KH400 was too.

What massive tax burden would that be, then? See below - Honda's pricing
structure was more to blame for the CB750's extra cost in the UK.

Again, you're right. The CB750 wasn't a massive hit in the UK. Our roads
are, in general, twistier and we place a much higher premium on handling
than the US does. People looked at the 400, saw that it was about 10mph
slower than the mid-1970s CB750s (Ie: it did just over 100mph), handled
and stopped *infinitely* better, and was a lot cheaper. And it had a
much better riding position.

Well, yes, I'd agree here.....

I've heard that tale and also discounted it as bullshit.

You're being unnecessarily acid here. The CB360 was just porridge on
wheels - no redeeming features at all. Mine was nicely torquey, and very
easy on fuel, but that was about it. Just forgettable.

 

Yup, that's about it.