The Yamaha Road Star Warrior Forum

Hey all,

Just picked up a new winter project.  1971 honda cl 350.  this was hondas first attempt at a "dual sport" bike.  I would say I got a decent deal on it I picked it up for $400.  it has its issues so I will probably try and ride it around the neighborhood if i can get it fired up and then park it and start pulling it apart.  here are some pics

I have 3 things to say about that, not necessarily in order.

1. Sounds like fun!

2. I see no pics

3.  First attempt at a dual sport?  I need some clarification on what you are calling a dual sport.  I consider dual sport to be a street legal dirt bike or dirt capable street bike.  In the mid 60s they had 160, 250 and 350 Scramblers.  I rode them a lot, rentals, and eventually bought a 67 160 Scrambler.  The old Super 90 was even real close to a dual sport and don't forget the 50.  They had a high pipe version of the 50 long before the Scramblers came out. 

ok can someone help me with this?  I searched posting pics and i think i did just what it said but when i tried to add the pics my computer started running super slow and a bunch or "script errors" popped up  the pics are in my gallery if someone with any amount of computer knowledge would be so kind as to get them into this thread I would appreciate it

thanks

mike

OldMan:

I have 3 things to say about that, not necessarily in order.

1. Sounds like fun!

2. I see no pics

3.  First attempt at a dual sport?  I need some clarification on what you are calling a dual sport.  I consider dual sport to be a street legal dirt bike or dirt capable street bike.  In the mid 60s they had 160, 250 and 350 Scramblers.  I rode them a lot, rentals, and eventually bought a 67 160 Scrambler.  The old Super 90 was even real close to a dual sport and don't forget the 50.  They had a high pipe version of the 50 long before the Scramblers came out. 

1. hopefully it will be

2 see my second post

3 I could be wrong but what I meant to say was that the way I understood it the "CL" was hondas first attempt at a dual sport and i think they came out in '68. and yes yours and my definition of a dual sport are the same

Here you go and lots of luck with the new toy  ... I had a new 1970 CB450K3 for one riding season only while living in Boston. Grew out of the bike because it wasn't fast enough and sold it off during the winter and purchased a new 1971 CB750K1 the following season which kept me happy for some years.

The CB450 and it's brothers, sisters & cousins is what eventually put the English bikes out of business! It had hyd disc brake and a DOHC parallel twin w/ a 5-speed.

thanks Alan.  I knew it wouldnt take long for someone with more computer smarts than me to come along and help me out.

I lied!  It was a 305 Scrambler, not a 350.  I don't remember the designators, But I was riding the 160 and 305 Scramblers starting in early 66.

 I just did a bit of searching.  The earliest date I can find for the CLs is 1962.  So the CL was their first attempt at a dual sport but it came out way back when.  I had no idea they were around back then. 

it will take you a half hour to get gas when you ride that thing around .those things are in the memmories of alot of people either you had one or your buddy or neighbor had one ,and they were bullet proof for the day, and stupid dependable transportation.in the day that bike just looked right with a high school guy driving and a cheerleader on the back , aahhhh the good old days btk572

Summer of 1969 my first and only dual-sport was a gold Honda SL350KO which could stay out of its own way on the dirt and the street but excelled at neither.  I bought it because a few friends had bought dual-sport bikes the summer before.  I seem to remember I sold it after that first summer.  It looked pretty much like this pic stolen from the net:

Hah look what else I found on the net, how crazy is that?

+1. I abused the hell out of them and never had a break down. 

Wow! Those pics did bring back memories. My first MC was a CL450, I believe it was a 71 also, but it was the exact same color as your 350 so it may have been a 73. I got it in 1979 when I was 17, kept it through college.

Love it!

Here was my cb750 a bit chopped

Have fun. I did!

-Z