[srini1785]

I can say that most of the Honda twins that I have seen are from Kerala. I saw two of them here in Bangalore but both have KL registration. Odd isn't it?.

I was told that you can get spares for the Honda twins easily from Dubai than from Europe. Maybe due to the traditional proximity and logistics ease between middle East and Kerala, these must have been imported from ME. Just my guess.

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Suzuki RV125.

Guess Trivandrum had more badass bikers before my time considering I only got my licence in 2010.

Though now I'm more curious of how the CB350 and RV125 made their way onto our roads?

This bike was imported in the 70's from UK . As per the first owner this bike was in Bangalore for some time during his college day and later brought back to Kerala .This bike is KRR registered which is currently under RTO Thrissur . I don't know much about KRR registration and the area it represented during the 70's .

Originally Posted by srini1785

I can say that most of the Honda twins that I have seen are from Kerala. I saw two of them here in Bangalore but both have KL registration. Odd isn't it?.

There was more CB's in Kerala . I tried contacting some well known mechanics who can work on my bike . One of the guy is from Sreekariyam (Trivandrum ,Kerala ). He says he owned a CB Four and is very excited to work on restoring mine .

Originally Posted by srini1785

I was told that you can get spares for the Honda twins easily from Dubai than from Europe. Maybe due to the traditional proximity and logistics ease between middle East and Kerala, these must have been imported from ME. Just my guess.

I Just went through the internet to see what all are available for my bike and found that all most all the cosmetic and mechanical parts are available in UK and US.

[justin.das]

Guy's there is a new twist in my bike restoration project. My bike engine No is CB350E-3123869. I tried searching the internet for the specific model and failed to find any information. Any details on this specific model will be of great help. One more difference which caught my eye is the design of my bike petrol tank monogram , out of all the images available in the internet of CB 350 my monogram looks different from other CB 350's. Please take a look at the image below .

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by justin.das

my monogram looks different from other CB 350's. Please take a look at the image below .

Yours seems to be a '73 CB350 with Disc Option, here's a video of the same vintage with Drum's, the paint scheme and everything else is similar to that seen on your motorcycle.

My 1973 Honda CB350 Twin Project

[krcustoms]

Originally Posted by srini1785

Hello,

Just acquired this Honda (1979) CD185 twin motorcycle. I need some help in locating parts for this bike. From the pics it will be clear that it needs a lot. For starters here's a list.

1. Petcock.
2. Dash ( Nippon Seiki make).
3. Silencers ( Does CD100 silencer work?).
4. Front and rear mudguard.
5. Petrol tank cover.
6. Handle bar controls.
7. Rectifier ( 6V )

Bike is presently not running and has been standing for 7 years now. Brake is stuck but pistons are moving freely when kicked. I also would like to know from members if it would be advisable to change from the existing 6V to 12V technology. Spark plugs I guess dont come in 6V these days. A lot of parts came in loose and seems like a jig saw puzzle piecing it together. I did search this model and seems this twin produced around 16HP and is fairly rare in India, hence this effort at restoration.

Request moderators to place this new request thread in appropriate threads. Just checked there were no restoration threads available for this unique motorcycle.

sorry guys, a little bit late on this thread but is this bike still available for sale?

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Yours seems to be a '73 CB350 with Disc Option, here's a video of the same vintage with Drum's, the paint scheme and everything else is similar to that seen on your motorcycle.

CB 350 with disc and quick starter option is CB350G but the one I have is not a G. On searching the serial number i found that serial no starting with 3000001 is CB350K3 but it doesn't look like this . The bike in your video looks close ,in my bike the Honda motorcycle monogram is red in colour .

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by justin.das

CB 350 with disc and quick starter option is CB350G but the one I have is not a G. On searching the serial number i found that serial no starting with 3000001 is CB350K3 but it doesn't look like this . The bike in your video looks close ,in my bike the Honda motorcycle monogram is red in colour .

Forgive my intrusive thoughts, but if the mechanicals are similar then I'd go with the restoration eyes closed, simply because my preference would be to see the machine in perfect mechanical condition irrespective of aesthetics.

I did hunt around for the disc brake variant but stumbled on the G variant as you have but the paint scheme seems to be totally different.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Forgive my intrusive thoughts, but if the mechanicals are similar then I'd go with the restoration eyes closed, simply because my preference would be to see the machine in perfect mechanical condition irrespective of aesthetics.

I did hunt around for the disc brake variant but stumbled on the G variant as you have but the paint scheme seems to be totally different.

I too agree. Paint schemes , engine number correctness etc take secondary position of importance as compared to mechanical correctness. That's why I suggested to do the basic check on engine. I would prefer a good running bike with age patina as compared to a fresh looking bike with inherent mechanical problems.

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

but if the mechanicals are similar then I'd go with the restoration eyes closed

That's the real issue, as per the last owner mechanical's are not similar at all.

Originally Posted by srini1785

engine number correctness etc take secondary position of importance as compared to mechanical correctness. That's why I suggested to do the basic check on engine. I would prefer a good running bike with age patina as compared to a fresh looking bike with inherent mechanical problems.

I do agree to the same point mechanical perfection comes first . I tried consulting three garages in Trivandrum for opening up the engine unfortunately none of them are interested in working on a bike which is as old as this one so I decided to do my homework in the meantime so that I will ready when I find a good mechanic who can do the job.

[ashwinprakas]

Just a FYI, might be useful for those restoring the CD185/200.

The CD200's that were up for sale in Pakistan later on are said to have come with a 12v charging system with CDI Ignition, though I could not confirm the info, a little digging did confirm that for 12v CDI conversion on earlier models parts were lifted off from post 1981 models of the Honda CM200T TwinStar which has an identical motor.

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Yours seems to be a '73 CB350 with Disc Option, here's a video of the same vintage with Drum's, the paint scheme and everything else is similar to that seen on your motorcycle.

Update: After waiting for so long managed to contact Honda UK for getting details about this bike and it turns out to be Honda CB 350 B3 1971.

Originally Posted by srini1785

I too agree. Paint schemes , engine number correctness etc take secondary position of importance as compared to mechanical correctness. That's why I suggested to do the basic check on engine. I would prefer a good running bike with age patina as compared to a fresh looking bike with inherent mechanical problems.

B3 Model is different from the K series Honda's. This one is rated 37bhp @ 10500 rpm. Bore * Stroke and Top end are different.

Plan: Managed to find two rocker arms, Gaskets, and Oil Seals which is estimated to reach me by end of April 2022. Expected first engine fire up by May 2022 Fingers Crossed .

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by srini1785

. It took me 2 years just to get it started and running. That's why I said it's far from complete. Still, some issues as I pointed out, mainly with leaks will sort it out soon.

Any updates on your bike Srini?

Originally Posted by justin.das

.

Plan: Managed to find two rocker arms, Gaskets, and Oil Seals which are estimated to reach me by end of April 2022. Expected first engine fire up by May 2022 Fingers Crossed: love it.

Updates: As discussed parts did arrive and we opened the engine for inspection it did end up in more of a horror story! The mechanic who worked on this engine previously completely screwed up the whole engine and there is generous use of glue !. The camshaft and rockers are damaged, all timing components need to be replaced and as part of preventive maintenance all oil seals, bearing and gaskets (there weren't any other than glue ), etc need to be replaced and all this made this restoration from hard level to super hard.









Request to Moderators: Please rename the thread to any more appropriate name like the CB Restoration story or please move it to a new thread altogether

Thanks

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by justin.das

Any updates on your bike Srini?

Its WIP (Work in progress). The magnet and CB points are now complete and there is spark. I will mostly plug in the Carb and check over this or next weekend. Few original parts like Front Mudguard, Tank, seats etc have been procured and installed. I will keep this thread updated.

Updates: As discussed parts did arrive and we opened the engine for inspection it did end up in more of a horror story! The mechanic who worked on this engine previously completely screwed up the whole engine and there is generous use of glue !. The camshaft and rockers are damaged, all timing components need to be replaced and as part of preventive maintenance all oil seals, bearing and gaskets (there weren't any other than glue ), etc need to be replaced and all this made this restoration from hard level to super hard.

No one said it was going to be easy. I got mine in 2017 and its still going strong.

From what i can see, it needs a complete upper engine rebuild. By that i mean the bore, head and pistons. Did you check for compression?. The pistons seem to be original. So it probably lost compression by this time.

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by srini1785

It's WIP (Work in progress). The magnet and CB points are now complete and there is a spark. I will mostly plug in the Carb and check over this or next weekend. A few original parts like Front Mudguard, Tank, seats, etc have been procured and installed. I will keep this thread updated.

That's a solid step ahead. From where did you source those original parts? Imported or from within the country

Originally Posted by srini1785

From what I can see, it needs a complete upper engine rebuild. By that, I mean the bore, head, and pistons. Did you check for compression? The pistons seem to be original. So it probably lost compression by this time.

Yes, it needs a thorough rebuild. will update this thread soon with the remaining story.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by justin.das

That's a solid step ahead. From where did you source those original parts? Imported or from within the country

The best and most economical place for procuring spares for all honda twins (Especially CD types) is either Srilanka or Pakistan. Since the later is ruled out, i got it from Sri Lanka. I'm not sure about the CB350 model though. The CD125/185/200 etc were sold in good numbers in Sri Lanka and is the best place to source parts.

Forget getting anything in India and don't try to substitute parts. Lessons learnt the hard way.