1986 Honda CB350

The minute I saw this bike I wondered if I had read the advert wrong, 1986 D reg it said and my mate told me it was basically a Superdream. With its red Harris frame and modern Fazer like tank this was one sexy lookin bike but will this thing go after all its only a 350cc twin cylinder engine putting out 35 bhp .

3 months later and I can say with one mega grin that this machine rocks, In this country there are many a rider who would have traded their R1 for this bike because this bike will allow you to explore the limits of your riding abilities without going over the speed limits (too much) thereby keeping their licences free from points and the reason is the combination of amazing well sorted frame and a twin cylinder engine that fires its pistons together giving the sort of power pulses that v-twins usually enjoy.

Grab a handfull of throttle as soon as you spot a set of corners and crank it over with the knowledge that the frame will allow you to set the bike up right and allow you to pick precise lines to avoid drain covers etc, at no time is the power so fierce that small openings of the throttle will have you off mid corner, you can actually dial this bikes power in mid corner or back off a bit using the twin, yes Twin front disks without it going pear shaped meaning you carry faster speed on entry and if needed you can twist that grip as soon as the apex is passed for a smooth and fast exit, Id love to put this up against an RD350 on a track (any offers) I reckon you could ride around the outside of the RD on corners an wave to ya mum at the same time. I thought the lack of a fairing would have been a bad mark against it but as the cb runs out of steam at 85 mph it wouldnt benefit you to have one and why cover up that lovely Harris frame.

Being a lightweight compact bike weighing in at 370 lbs it is more suited to riders less than 5 foot 11 unless you want your knees permantly stuck out at 45 degrees, great for knees down cornering but no good for drag co-efficiency on motorways still makes me look like a stunt rider eh an theyre hard as nails aint they.

Apparently there is a 450 version with bigger 31 mm carbs, the 350 runs 29mm, and the 450 puts out 44bhp which should make it the better all rounder. Its nice sometimes to own a bike that turns heads without it costing an arm an a leg and this bike fits the bill perfectly, younguns love the sporty image and always wave from cars and olduns stop an ask what the it is, I usually tell em its a one off special Harris race machine worth thousands whereas I actually paid £500 for this clean taxed an mot’d machine , what more could you want so if your hidin one of these in your shed let me know .

So far the only real consumable is petrol which at 55mpg isnt brill but shows how hard the bike likes to be pushed, sometimes its hard to just amble along . One problem that did arise was a blown headlight bulb whilst on the way to Silverstone WSB but as it was emulating the monsoon season with torrential downpours I replaced the bulb at the next garage only to have it happen again, oh well good job it was daylight so I carried on to Silverstone for one of the wettest weekends I can remember, I travelled 350 miles and didnt fall off so what on earth was up with Bayliss, twice in one race soft sod, any way back to the electrics when I finally got home and dried out I found out that a small connector block from the alternator to the rectifier had turned a nasty green corroded mess allowing all manner of short circuits, having fixed that and rerouted the wiring under the front of the seat where the connecter was collecting water and all is well again. One thing I have spotted is the short front mudguard is allowing all the crud from the front wheel to hit the downpipes and oil cooler, so needs sorting with mudguard extender to save corrosion problems.

My son absolutely loves this bike and finds it comfortable with a useful grabrail, he wasnt to keen to be picked up from school on my old Suzuki GN400 but now he poses with his mates which speaks volumes for this machines street cred although I draw the line at being told to pop wheelies to impress the girls.