Honda CB 350 Four

Posted on by admin

Honda CB 350 Four in the studio

Classy, ​​petite, handy

Content of

With the Honda CB 350 Four, Honda rounded off its four-cylinder range at the beginning of the 1970s. The smooth-running barrel organ pleased with its charm and handling and has achieved cult status to this day.

Anticipation is the greatest joy, and sometimes the best comes at the end. It remains to be seen whether it is the best among the first Honda four-cylinder engines. But one had to wait the longest for them. After the 750 and 500 cc saw the Honda VS.B 350 Four finally came into the world of two-wheelers in 1972 as the last of the trio.

Honda CB 350 Four in the studio

Classy, ​​petite, handy

Playful handling bewitched every driver

But the Honda CB 350 Four also has a lot to offer. As stated in the first test back then: Honda had "built a motorcycle that some drivers dream of: technically playful, classy, ​​petite, with sporty performance and manageable". Everything applies. With the dry 170, ready-to-ride 190 kilogram bike, even less powerful pilots got along, the playful handling beguiled practically every rider from the first meter. The always praised stability of the chassis ennobles the design of the frame – a combination of pressed sheet steel parts, connected to the front main tube, which divides into two beams. The too hard rear struts and their poor damping were criticized.

The heart of the Honda CB 350 Four, the four-cylinder, is not simply, as one might assume, a scaled-down version of the well-known 750 or 500 series, but a new design. Only designed with a slightly long stroke, the small four-cylinder may need high speeds to develop power, but it can also cope with it without complaint. Even at speeds in the red range from 10,000 rpm, the piston speed is in the uncritical range. Little goes below 6000 rpm, between 7000 and 9500 tours, if necessary the music also plays in the five-digit range.

Rearview mirror PDF: Test Honda CB 350 four-cylinder

PDF: Driving report: Honda CB 350-4 (MOTORRAD 24/1972)

Honda CB 350 Four for sale

Honda CB 350 Four with technically complex solutions

The crankshaft has five slide bearings, and the connecting rods also run on slide bearings – the best prerequisites for low-vibration, smooth running. The Honda CB 350 F has a number of technically complex solutions to offer, such as the four 20 mm Keihin carburettors with the same slide control system as the 500. The throttle slide is evenly controlled via a linkage, which is operated desmodromically by two cables . To work on the carburettors or to adjust the valve clearance, you only need to remove the (too small) 12 liter tank above the main frame pipe. This is easier with the 350 because, unlike the 500/750, there is only one fuel line from the fuel tap to a distributor between the central carburetors, with the float chambers all connected to one another.

Bilski, Jacek

No zero number: the original odometer reading was not reset.

Helmut Schindler, the owner of the picobello photo bike, will certainly not have to screw or adjust a lot in the near future. Tea Honda CB 350 Four has undergone many years of extensive restoration by professionals and has only run a good 500 kilometers since it was completed in 2003. You don’t see the total mileage of almost 52,000 kilometers on the Honda – all parts have been revised or renewed.

The overhaul of the four-cylinder was carried out by specialist Roland Eckert, the engine could hardly have come into better hands. In 1979 Schindler acquired the machine (built in 1973) for an affordable 1700 marks, with just over 20,000 kilometers. In the years that followed, the Kelkheim-based driver added around 30,000 more kilometers before he decided in 1994 to have the CB 350 Four completely restored.

The goal was clearly defined: the 350 should be 100 percent as good as new. The costs initially calculated for this were already in the five-digit D-Mark range. At first no one could have guessed that it would last until August 2003, but neither does the 70-year-old bother. There were always enough other motorcycles ready to drive. Helmut Schindler also does not contest the fact that the total costs ultimately accumulated represent the value of a suitably equipped new small car. He wanted his Honda CB 350 F to be perfect – and that’s exactly what it became.

Technical data Honda CB 350 Four

Engine: Four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two valves per cylinder, bore 47 mm, stroke 50 mm, 347 cm³, compression 9.3: 1, 34 hp at 9500 rpm, four 20 mm Keihin carburettors, multi-disc oil bath clutch , five-speed gearbox, chain drive.

Landing gear: Single-loop tubular frame, telescopic fork at the front, Ø 33 mm, two-arm swing arm with two spring struts at the rear, disc brake at the front, Ø 260 mm, drum brake at the rear, Ø 160 mm, dry weight 170 kg, tank capacity 12 l.

Prize 1972: 4,298 marks

Related articles

  • Top test Honda VFR 1200F

    Top test Honda VFR 1200 F Long awaited: the Honda VFR 1200 F The Honda VFR has gathered many thousands of fans around it. And now all of Europe is…

  • Honda CB 650 F in the driving report

    Honda CB 650 F in the driving report (2014) Delicacies for four-cylinder fans Lord! When did that happen before? Four elbows so beautiful that they…

  • Generation comparison: Honda RVF 750, Fireblade, Yamaha YZF-R7, YZF-R1

    Generation comparison: Honda and Yamaha Superbikes then and now in comparison Content of What can the noble homologation models of the Superbike World…

  • 2019 Honda CB 650 R

    Honda CB 650 R (2019) in the driving report Mid-range four-cylinder in Neo Sports Cafe design At the Paris Motor Show, Honda had shown the Neo Sports…

  • Test: Honda VT 1300 CX

    Test: Honda VT 1300 CX Honda’s custom bike: the Honda VT 1300 CX What is this now? While Honda’s new and only custom bike bears the nickname Fury in its…

  • Honda CB 125 F: Updates for the entry-level model

    Honda CB 125 F. 11 kilos lighter and only 1.5 liters consumption The small Honda CB 125 F will be revised for the 2021 model year and will be a whopping…

  • Honda GB 500 Clubman

    Honda GB 500 Clubman in the studio Single-cylinder sportsman in the English style Content of Based on the XBR 500 S, Honda created a pretty…

  • Honda Transalp ABS top test

    Honda Transalp ABS top test The new old one Two spark plugs fewer, two more valves, a new look and a 19-inch bike – the top test clarifies how much the…

  • Honda VFR CBS-ABS endurance test

    Honda VFR CBS-ABS endurance test The all-round carefree package The corners and edges of the VFR are limited to the outside. Sit on it and feel good…

  • Honda CBF 600 top test

    Honda CBF 600 top test Package offer All-round carefree packages are in ?? not only for summer holidays: with variable ergonomics and a highly…

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *