CB360 Custom Seat

One of the last larger purchases that I wanted to get done for the CB was a custom seat. Sure it was a modification that didn't need done in order to get it back running, but it was definitely something I wanted to do for several reasons. The main reason of course is looks. I've gradually developed the look of this vintage Honda over time, somewhat going at it blindly. Mods have been determined a lot on functionality, cost and then looks. Therefore, this seat was all about looks just because it could be.

I've looked at a ton of cafe builds and determined I like the flat brat style the best. I really like the look of leather upholstery, but I've been undecided on the color. With my tank being a turquoise, I was leaning towards a brown leather, however, the more the bike developed overtime more and more parts were transforming to black. I determined I didn't really want to go brown leather on the handle grips so I figured just the seat being brown would look a little odd. Color determined: black. Stitch color determined: black.

While the main emphasis is on style, I did consider some functionality in the design. Overall I fit pretty well on the bike but would be more comfortable with slightly lower seat. The goal would be to shave down some of the foam to reduce the height. The type of material was critical too in that I don't want to be slipping all over the place while riding, but still wanted some mobility. The upholstery suggested a vinyl, which gives it the look and feel I was going for.

In addition to all of that, I really liked how the stock seat mounts on the bike and has this nifty little compartment underneath for my registration and any other paperwork. Luckily I was able to keep all of that to get exactly what I wanted.

A few weeks ago the seat shipped off to Michigan to a friend I met last summer, Chris Carr. Chris builds some pretty gnarly bikes from start to finish. I already posted some of the progress shots Chris had sent me of him shaving the foam and repairing the seat pan (view original post). He then took it to his upholstery place for the finished product. Last week I received it back, and it was as good as I could have imagined, if not better. Visit ChrisCarrDesign.com to see a few of his awesome builds.

Who Is Throttle Down Speed Co? - Trish

And my Throttle Down Speed Co. interview is live! Check it out: throttledownspeedco.com/trish

Who Is Throttle Down Speed Co? - BMAT

The racing off season is a drag, let's face it. In an attempt to keep it interesting the TDSC co-founders (Brian & myself) filled out interviews for everyone to get to know us a little better. Check out Brian's here, and stay tuned for mine tomorrow!

CB Rear Fender

My CB360 rear fender was next on the restoration list. The exterior wasn't too rusty, however, underneath was pretty ugly looking. Per usual I resorted to steel wool, Mothers Polish and some quality elbow grease to remove the rust. The end goal was to paint it black to match the springs I recently done (see previous progress post.) 

The exterior cleaned up beautifully and quickly, where the underside took a lot more elbow grease. I had then painted it black with some "rattle can", as my Caro friends like to refer to it as, and it was looking really good.  I removed the tape I used to protect the rubber and screw holes and quickly nicked part of the paint off. I figured I'd touch it up and use some clear coat. I had 1shot enamel laying around and figured that wouldn't hurt to use as touch up paint. Tonight I got some clear coat to top it all off.

To my surprise a reaction occurred either between the clear and the enamel or purely the cold temperatures. It's days like these I wish I paid more attention in science class.

The bubbles spread in various areas and removed all of the paint when wiped with a towel. Looks like I will be stripping it down, digging out my steel wool again to smooth it out. Then I'll repaint it and clear it in appropriate temperatures, sans enamel. Looks like I'll keep on learning! Stay tuned...

The Navajo Nugget Tank

About a month ago I dropped to OG CB360 motorcycle tank off at Powder'd Remedies to finally get it stripped down and coated the color I've been looking for (see original post). After a few weeks of progress photos and videos, last evening I was finally able to pick up the final piece.

I am absolutely amazed at the Navajo Nugget powder color and how it changes from turquoise, to teal, to blue in different lighting. The tank looks pretty awesome on the bike as it stands right now as well. I got lucky with how well the Robin Egg Blue 1shot paint I used on the side air filter covers.

Now the question is if I'll carry on with my original idea to paint over top of the powder. For now, I think I'll just admire it as is until I find the perfect solution. Woohoo!

Honda CB360 Tank Progress

Here's the first coat of color!

CB360 Motorcycle Tank

I have been hoping to transform my CB tank for well over a year now and have had some hiccups along the way. Therefore, I am happy to report that the tank is currently transforming as we speak, and I couldn't be more excited. 

After a few failed attempts, I finally discovered and reached out to a local powder coater: Powder'd Remedies who assured me they'd be able to fix/fill the dents and imperfections and then spray it my carefully selected color of Navajo Nugget. Throughout the process Powder'd Remedies has provided progress photos, which makes me even more excited. Below is how the 1974 CB360 gas tank was dropped off and progress photos that include chemical stripping and metal filler to smooth out the imperfections.

When I purchased the bike in July of 2015, she came with the small dent on the right side and the scrape on the right. I added my own personal touch by slamming into the top of the tank leaving a nice shallow but large dent. For powder coating, I popped off the side emblems so everything could be smoothed out.

Above are various progress shots taken by Powder'd Remedies. I am looking forward to seeing the final product of which I will most likely splash some paint on top to make her extra special.

Here's a video I just received of where the tank stands today!

CB Progress

I've been making quite a bit of progress on the CB360 over the past few weeks, and it's been pretty exciting! Mods include new handle bars (Norton Hyde M-Style) and new controls and levers. Together, it's looking really sharp up front. I shinned up the springs as shown in a previous post and then wanted to paint the springs black. I think the contrast of the clean black springs over the silver shocks looks pretty rad. I always hated my stock air filter covers and wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I ended up painting them a solid black and liked them a lot better already. With plans of getting my tank painted a turquoise color, I hand painted the CB360 lettering with some Robins Egg Blue 1shot. Now the rear is really shaping up in looks as well! 

We tossed the springs on the bike and now I officially have a roller! There's only one way to celebrate a roller, and that's to scoot around in the driveway as if I'm on a Strider. From there we began to test the electrical and things are coming together nicely. This weekend I will be dropping my tank off in hopes of getting the dents fixed and having a nicely Navajo Nugget colored tank. It's getting there.....

CB Springs

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Mothers Polish is AMAZING! In just an hour I transformed a rusty spring like the one on the right to look shiny and almost brand new. Add another hour to the process and the one on the right looks just as good. I used coarse steel wool with the polish and got to work. I managed to destroy a pair of rubber gloves in the process in an attempt to save my fingers from rubbing off my finger prints with the steel wool. I'm very happy with how these turned out, stay tuned for more soon.

Throttle Down Speed Co. Wrecking Crew

These photos do not need much of a caption other than this article's title. Bike building with these guys is waaay too much fun! 

CB360 Progress

I have been doing a poor job documenting the progress I have been making with the Honda CB360 motorcycle build. There was a lull in the action as I ordered more parts and anxiously awaited their arrival. About two weeks ago we got the rear wheel in place, and man is the CB shiny and cute or what!

I was really happy with the progress and it was starting to transform from a simple pile of metal to something that resembles part of a motorcycle!

Tuesday evening we made even more progress with a rebuild of the front forks, using none other than Spectro Fork Oil. We got the forks on, front wheel and put on some temporary handlebars for the time being while I awaited the delivery of new ones.

I even had some help from the Throttle Down Speed Co. sponsored GNC1 Flat Track racer, Dan Bromley as you can see above! And while I failed to get a nice profile shot of the progress we made, I'll just have to leave you with the one below until next time. Next up are handlebars, mirrors, air filters, covers and a trip to the powdercoater. Next on the order list is a front caliper and a custom seat. 

New CB360 Tires

The CB got her fresh new tires installed on the freshly polished wheels & they look sharp! I ended up going with Avon AM26 Roadrider Motorcycle Tires from BikeBandit.com. 100/90-18 on the rear and 90/90-18 on the front. Stay tuned for the next project!

CB360 Progress

This weekend was a good one for the CB! I went on a shopping spree at my local hardware store to get a bunch of things for the garage. I also polished my front wheel that will get its new tire this week along with my rear drum. I am forever fascinated by the power of Mothers Aluminum & Mag Polish. I camped out outside in the shade and polished the wheel and spokes for a good hour and it looks brand new. I have a few more things to purchase and then it'll be time to get down and dirty in the garage.

The CB360 Parts Bike

I've been in the hunt for a Honda CB360 parts motorcycle pretty much since last September. The 1974-1976 models are not as easy to find as I had once thought, and the fact that the much more popular CB350 bikes do not match up with the 360 proved for it to be even more complicated. Eventually I joined in on the forum fun and found a 1975 CB360 with a front disk brake, mine was originally a drum. The conversion from drum to disk is definitely an upgrade I wanted while I was already getting greasy in the garage. 

The non-running '75 CB got to the Pennsylvania garage in four pieces via a Ford Fusion, which was pretty impressive. I'm currently short a caliper and brake line but those are in the works. This past weekend was spent ordering new parts including a bearing steering neck kit and a fresh petcock to replace my goopy one, working out the old bearing and polishing the forks. Let me tell you how great it is to see straight forks again! Next up will be two pretty messy jobs: rebuilding the forks & cleaning out my two rusty tanks. We'll install the new bearings and place a few more orders for other parts I'll need to make this sucker run. This whole build is really exciting, and I'm very appreciative for all of the friends working on it with me and helping me wrangle all the needed parts together. This whole process once again reinforces the fact that the motorcycle community is the best community.

(before & after polishing with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish)

My Prized Possession

I suppose I haven't officially posted on this space of my prized possession:

I purchased this stock 1974 Honda CB360 on the evening of Wednesday, July 22, 2015. It was by far the most proudest moment of my life. I've wanted a motorcycle for as long as I can remember. I used to go to the York Bike Week Nights with my dad to watch the parade, and I remember probably nine years ago saying to him, "well if I get my bike next year let's ride in the parade." I got my license the summer after when I was seventeen and went off to college with a tiny savings account and every distraction from buying a bike.  Nine years... that's a long time to want a bike.  I since graduated college, moved away from my hometown and my college town to a foreign town for a brand new job that I now call home.  Three plus years into it, I feel like I finally have a grasp on what I'm doing around ehre.  I have to be honest, I was not planning on purchasing a bike this past summer.  Financially, it wasn't in my plan, and I'm quite a strategist.  However, in July I found myself at a point where I needed a spontaneous event to occur, and this bike landed in my lap with the help of my friend Pete.  He was looking for a bike to replace his Ascot he bought and flipped and stumbled upon this beauty on Craigslist.  Before I knew it we borrowed his grandpa's truck, tossed in the bike straps and headed west to Palmyra, PA.  I could go into every detail of that night, but I'll spare you and get to the good part.  Essentially, I made Pete do all the talking, negotiating, test riding, etc.  I just showed up with my envelope of cash and said "okay, you got a sale."  After a title transfer, we took what was left of my envelop of cash and went to the local Texas Roadhouse where we shoved our faces with food and I called my parents to inform them I had a bike in the back of Pete's truck.  ...Surprise!  I couldn't stop smiling, the whole 100 or so miles.  It was the greatest day ever, and I will never forget that pure happiness.

About 3 months later I smacked the stock beauty into a stopped car as I turned right in an intersection going on a ride with my friend & his Harley after work.  Great ending to the story, I know.  I landed on the hood of the car, which honestly worked out nicely for me and ended with no road rash.  It did result in a fancy ambulance ride with a dislocated left shoulder and a souvenir of twenty stitches in my right thigh.  Calling my mother from the ER was one of the saddest things I had to do, but I was calm which somehow made her not freak out entirely.  The front end was trashed, but luckily the forks took the biggest hit.  Whatever, we became blood brothers that evening.  Since then my CB beauty turned into a pile of metal as the Throttle Down Speed Co. crew tore it down to just the frame and motor.  The plan always had been to cafe it out, I just wasn't quite expecting to do it in September already.  Either way, it remains as my favorite, even if it is just a pile of metal.

Today I finally hit a highlight.  Last week I stumbled upon a rolling cb360t frame with the parts I need plus a little more to polish and resell.  It's been quite the learning experience dealing with craigslist flakes, I've had plenty of disappointment which everyone in this culture can relate to.  Today I can say that this rolling CB is in the works of becoming mine, and I couldn't be more thrilled.  I have a few key people to thank for making this purchase possible to get my original beauty running again; however, I will save those thanks for a future date when it is more of a settled deal.  Either way I am very hopeful and look forward to putting my pile of metal back together.  It'll be a proud day hearing her purr again.  It might even be as good as the day I purchased her.  I'll keep ya posted.