[nyibpass]

I know we have some resident experts on the older honda twins. A buddy of mine is looking to replace his '79 vespa px125 with something a bit more stable and predictable. He found this FS, a 1976 cb360t. Seller is asking $800 but would probably take between 6-700. I haven't seen the bike, but to me it looks in decent condition. The cooling fins on the engine case have some oxidation and the exhaust pipe & rear springs are a bit rusty, pretty par for the course. It needs a new battery, but is in running condition otherwise.

I'm worried mostly about the carb / throttle body area. Not only is it a bit grungy looking, but there's some stains underneath on the left side of the engine, and the plastic intake tube on the right cylinder appears to be cracked.

My friend isn't too mechanically inclined, so if there's any work I'm likely going to get stuck doing it. What say you, PW? Anything else I should look at? Are parts readily available for this? I'm thinking at the price, spending a hundred or so on parts won't be throwing money away. Thumbnail pics link to larger images.

 

[RD350]

Pass.

Your buddy should keep looking.

He should be able to find a bike that is clean and running for 800-1000. So why buy something for 600 that needs all kinds of work?

Also, I think the earlier CB350s are nicer looking, more collectible, more worth restoring (and spending money on).

There is a nice performance aftermarket for the CB350 which is heavily raced in vintage road racing. Lots of engineering challenges have already been done for you.

So why struggle with a more unusual bike.

Yes, you can find parts. But no, he probably wont get it running for 100 bucks ...

 

[gearman]

Not much love there. Does it actually run and how many miles? What is the condition of the chain, sprockets and tires? Judging from the description/condition, $100 for parts seems kinda optimistic if your going for some degree of reliability and safety. You might want to keep looking. The older GS 4XX models are also a good candidate in this price range.

 

[jbswear]

If he can't maintain it, tell him to pass.

If he buys it anyway, tell him he's screwed.

 

[nyibpass]

Hey, thanks for the initial quick responses! I haven't seen the bike myself. Tires are reported to be in good shape. Bike was seen to start + run (with a borrowed battery) on the 1st or 2nd kick. No idea about chain + sprockets.

 

[broke not]

To put the asking price more into perspective, I had that exact same bike about 15 years ago. Up here we have a short riding season, so I was able to purchase mine from the second owner for $800 in mint condition with about 5000 miles on it. I rode it for a couple of years and only put on maybe 2000 more miles before selling it to a neighbor for $700.

I've kicked myself more than once for getting rid of it, not because it's really worth anything, but because of the shape it was in. If I had kept it, I would have procured a set of CL "scrambler-type" pipes, and maybe even fitted a set of dual-sport tires just for the heck of it. I might have even painted it up like a CL.

Then I'd have welded up a bracket for the camper so I could tote it along on weekend excursions. They just look happy out in the woods.....

 

[RichDesmond]

No way. A 30+ year old bike in marginal shape is not what a relative noob with limited mechanical skills needs. A GS/EX500 in decent shape would be better for him.

 

[RD350]

Thats what I'm talken about!

The early CB/CLs are soooo much nicer.

That said, I agree with Rich that he would likely be better off with a "newer" old bike like an EX or a GS400 rather than a vintage bike.