Newbie advice

I have a pair of bikes that belonged to my father, a 1974 Honda CL360
in poor condition and a Honda CB360T in what looks like good contition. I
also have quite a bit of time on my hands and I want to get the CB360 in good
running condition. I'm pretty mechanicaly inclined, have worked with cars
before, and own the Honda shop manual, but this is the first time I've worked
with motorcycles.

I've got two questions. First, how compatible are the parts between the CL360
and the CB360? The shop manual covers both, and except for the different
mufflers and front brakes, they look mostly the same. It'd be more convenient
(and more importantly, cheep) to strip the CL360 for parts than to buy new
ones, but I don't know if this route leads to madness or not.

Second, do you have any advice for someone new to the art of motorcycle repair?
Things that you wish you knew when you were a Damn Kid working on his first
bike?

Thanks in advance

Patrick

 

www.partsfiche.com has parts diagrams online whence you can find part
numbers for the CB. They don't seem to have the diagrams for the CL,
but you can probably buy a microfiche on ebay for $5 and take it to the
library to read it and print it.

What parts do you think you might need? You might not need anything
beyond points, plugs, battery, a couple of cables, and new tires.

Why do you think the CL is beyond saving?

 

I wouldn't say that working on old motorcycles is very different from
working on old cars. Probably it is harder to find parts for old bikes.
Learn to use ebay searches. Your CB was a popular model, so it could
be worse.

Lately I've been getting my '76 CJ360T in shape. It is basically a
cheaper version of the CB360T (5 gears, no starter, drum brakes, side
stand, plastic fenders). Maybe I could save you some time and effort if
you give some details about the conditions of the bikes.

 

The engines are the same. The chassis, bodywork and running gear,
obviously, isn't.

I'd do it the other way - restore the CL and to hell with the CB.

Always have someone who knows - really knows, rather than says (s)he
knows - close by. If you can't, then never assume the manual has got it
wrong.

 

I would. It's easier, for a start. It takes up less space. And -
crucially - you don't have to worry about rotting chassis and dissolving
bodywork. Well, not much. Nor interior trim, come to thast.

Depends on the bikes, but generally: agreed.