Repurposing

I am currently following the Common Motor Collective out of Houston, a group dedicated to restoring to running operation old Honda CB350s.

They're slightly maligned by serious bikers because they're economy engines, rather slow, and better ones exist now. The thing is, in the post oil world, economy and slow are just fine, and you can fix them endlessly. They're also in the sweet spot for power to weight ratio running regular gas at standard 10:1 compression and still give you 30 HP, which is enough to reach freeway speed, climb a hill properly without holding up traffic, and be a true vehicle. They also have the advantage of being before plastic so they are vintage naked, last forever machines. Provided you do your part. I would very much like one for myself, once I get a license, and I would wear the appropriate gear to reflect its conservative pedigree. These are NOT rice rockets, or cruisers. The CB350 is a Universal Japanese Motorcycle, at least before the I-4's changed the game.

It's a very basic bike. Two cylinders, 4 stroke so its quiet and reliable, can be fitted with disc brakes on the front pretty easily, according to CMC. So I wonder? What can you do to give it better reliability? More power, better balanced cams and new valve springs etc. There must be some things to make it run a little better, without breaking the bank, and without ruining the look.

Probably need just the right springs on the rear suspension, and perhaps a preload twister in case you get a passenger riding pillion. I actually really like the banana seat. You can shift your body back and stretch your legs a little. Or at least it looks like that would be true. Provided the padding is firm enough on the seat so it is comfy. Still, its a no-nonsense machine and I respect that. Maybe this was originally meant as a toy motorcycle for recreation, or maybe it was meant as a commuter vehicle in crowded Japan which somehow ended up getting sold here too. The engines got put into various models. Used, fixed, tuned up, turned into Cafe Racers, wrecked, found, rebuilt, endlessly. Some farmers would buy them, leave them against the barn under a tarp, sell them for a few hundred to a scavenger who runs carb cleaner through it, replaced the upholstery on the seat and sells it to a Hipster in the Mission District in San Francisco. I like that these just don't stay dead. Repurposing old stuff so it keeps working? That's how the Cubans survived Castro. We can do that too.