It’s one of the truisms of motorcycling that a first great bike will be remembered forever, while subsequent generations of the line will fade to the background. Such is the case with Honda’s CB350, CL350 and SL350. They had the misfortune to follow the 305cc Super Hawk, one of the defining machines in the company’s history. The Super Hawk, produced through 1968, showed that a four-stroke motorcycle could rev high, hit hard, ride well and hold oil. The 350s that came after, used a totally redesigned engine, displacing 325cc, for more of all that, yet they seldom make anyone’s collectible list. This is not to say that the inaccurately named 350s weren’t perfectly agreeable bikes. With a claimed 36 horsepower coming from the parallel-twin engine, a wide, comfortable seat and amazingly neglectable dependability, the bikes won over countless riders. In fact, for many years they were Honda’s most popular sellers. But by the time the 350s came along, Honda already had its landmark CB750 on the road.

And motorcycles in this class would never get the same attention. The CB350 and CL350 were essentially the same mechanically, but the CB came with low, road-going exhaust pipes, upright bars and roadster styling. The less-popular CL was a “street scrambler,” with a cross-braced handlebar and high-mounted, exhaust pipes that looked like chromed sausages. All that hardly turned the CL, like this ’72 Candy Panther Gold version owned by Jim Nickerson and previously part of a Honda exhibit in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum at AMA headquarters in Pickerington, Ohio, into a dirt bike. But a CL could be coaxed into occasional goat-path duty. In fact, two riders won the 1968 Mexican 1,000 off-road race on a CL350 with upgraded suspension, wheels and frame. The CB and CL350 lasted six years in the Honda line, then the company reworked the concept, creating the CB and CL360, with engines displacing 356cc. The CL version lasted only two years before lagging sales spelled the end, while the CB continued through the 1977 model year, when Honda introduced its successor, the Hawk 400.

In the end, Honda’s 350s will probably be remembered like a lot of second-generation bikes. motorcycle turn signal schematicThey didn’t create Honda’s reputation for building strong, inexpensive, reliable bikes, but they sure reinforced it.motorbike shop in birkenheadBased of the four-cylinder racer that dominated Grand Prix at the hands of Jim Redman and Mike Hailwood, the CB 350 Four was a short-lived design, surviving only two years after its 1972 debut.motorcycle shop mt isa It’s strange how time changes perspective. craigslist motorcycles for sale in riverside

Remember how you used to hate fish for dinner? honda motorcycle parts albany nyNow, cod bake is your favorite meal. motorcycle tires in charleston wvHow disgusting was it seeing old people, like your Mom and Dad, kiss? used motorcycles for sale in macon gaToday, what’s better in the world than walking down the beach holding hands with the woman who has been your life-long partner? Honda’s four-cylinder 350 was a bike just like this. At the time of its launch, it missed every single target – except one which, after the years rolled by, has turned out to be its ace card. The legend, or maybe even the truth, attached to the little Honda is this: You have to remember that in 1972 “Pops” Honda was still very much part of the Honda factory.

In every way, he was “hands on” in terms of the business. He was actively involved in engineering decisions, marketing and, perhaps most important of all, was worshipped by all Honda staff. A thousand years ago, he would have been deified and would have had his own religion by now: he was that influential. “Pop’s” fondest memories were of the golden days of Honda racing. It was he, and he alone, who decided that Honda would go Grand Prix racing after he visited the Isle of Man with Mrs. Honda in 1954. And it was Mr. Honda’s later decision that the factory would build not Twins or Singles but the then incredibly radical 250cc Fours which were to change the face of motorcycle racing forever. Of these early four-cylinder machines, the bike of which he was most fond was the 350cc Four raced by such Honda icons as Jim Redman and Mike Hailwood. It is small wonder that Mr. Honda was so fond of the 350. In 1965, Redman won every Grand Prix of the season and trounced the Europeans every time he started.

“Pops” reportedly thought that the 350 was the ultimate GP racing motorcycle providing an unbeatable combination of light weight, high rpm, good power and torque. Honda was its own worst enemy when it cam to the 350 Four, as many riders were unwilling to give up their cheaper Honda CB350 Twins. What better than to build a tribute to the Honda racers he loved so much in the form of a 350 four which would have ease of handling, high rpm, good power and torque – AND would be as a smooth as baby’s bottom. But there were problems from the start. The main one was created by Honda themselves. The 350 Four’s main opposition came from Honda’s own 325cc CB350 Twin. This little bike was the best-selling American bike in the company’s classic period and for good reason. The bike was easy to ride, bomb-proof reliable, simple to maintain and cheap to buy. Better still, it was lighter than the “4” and produced more power. Better, better still was that the 325 Twin shared many parts with its smaller 250cc brother – in stark contrast to the 350 “4” which was almost completely unique.

And finally, and even more better if that was possible, the four-cylinder engine cost much more to manufacture than the Twin – and at a whopping 136 lbs was also heavier. If things weren’t rosy on the technical or economic fronts the “4” did exceed all expectations in one respect: it was the most civilized motorcycle of its time. The engine is electric smooth all the way up to the 10,000rpm redline and the power curve is gentle and progressive. Cruising down to the golf club in your Armani sunglasses and calf skin loafers was never more elegantly achieved than on board a 350 Four. Sophistication apart, the “4” is rather a good motorcycle too. It handled reasonably well, never tried to bite the rider and the only fault was that the disc pads of the time did not particularly like gripping the stainless steel front disc. The 350cc four-cylinder motor is what set the Honda apart from the rest of the crowd. In terms of appearance, it was not one of the most breathtakingly beautiful motorcycles of its generation but neither was it ugly.

Rather, the conservative metal flake colors added a touch of class to what, at $1100, was not a cheap motorcycle. None of this mattered to motorcyclists. They didn’t cruise down to the golf club, or the yoga class, and their sunglasses were from Oakley not Armani. What they wanted was power, performance and price. Smoothness and sophistication were by way of afterthoughts. After two years of production, the elegant 350 “4” was phased out. Despite all its virtues it was simply not man enough to find an economic number of buyers. Thirty-five years on, things are very different. That long haired hippy who spent all his time grinding the center stand away on his bikes, surfing and chasing girls is now a Bank Manager with his first grandchild on the way. Now, what he wants is to cruise down to see his daughter on… Yes, you’ve guessed it: a gentle, elegant, non-threatening and so, so smooth classic motorcycle. In fact, what he wants is a Honda 350 Four. This phenomenon explains the recent hike in the price of these sophisticated motorcycles.