old motorcycle journalist some-
where to thank.
Poor performance, subpar
handling—somebody stop this
motorcycle! Good luck! The Hon-
da's front brake offered "little
braking torque for a whole lot of
lever effort." The editor also felt
that the front fork would "twist"
under heavy braking, setting
up the rider for a nasty twitch,
something especially discon
-
certing when entering a corner.
The 350 weighed only 375
pounds, but the staffer felt that
was about 100 pounds more
than it was capable of carrying.
The motorcycle also displayed
several un-Honda-like character
-
istics. The head gasket wept oil,
taillights blew out, and the little
bike had a nasty primary drive
lurch that took some getting
used to. The paint quality was
lacking, and the staff was miffed
to see that the "steering, ignition
and seat/helmet locks all take
the same key, all inscribed the
key number they accept to facili
-
tate easy theft."
Despite all of the verbal barbs,
the writer still believed this mo-
torcycle wasn't a total write-off
and added a sidebar article that
would give a potential buyer an
opportunity to come down off
the ledge. A pair of Boge/Mul
-
holland shocks were fitted to
the CB350, and the change did
it some good, as the bike now
seemed stiffer in the rear. How
-
ever, the slightly longer shocks
naturally created some new
issues with the front end.
Hindsight is 20/20 and usu
-
ally worth almost nothing, but
it is good to point out that early
to mid-'70s street motorcycles
presented would-be buyers with
a dilemma. Many high-perfor
-
mance machines were still of
the two-stroke variety and their
finicky powerbands made them
difficult to ride. More pleasing
were the big four-stroke motor
-
cycles, though many of them
lacked punch. Only one such
machine, Honda's legendary
CB750, could deliver high per-
formance and still behave like
a mannerly motorcycle. It had
been Honda's first big bike, and
it rightly owns its legacy. Cycle
News apparently expected the
little Honda to act just like its
big brother. Like many parents,
they were disappointed in the
end result.
CN
VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P133
in the rude introduction of metal
to concrete: centerstand, meet
pavement! Motorcycle magazine
editors often griped about this
one and the manufacturers ap-
parently heard these complaints.
The next time you imagine how
your chain could be more easily
serviced if only your $15K street
bike had been equipped with a
centerstand, be sure to find an
Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives
(Right) The
CB350 Four
had an identity
crisis. (Below)
Cycle News was
not impressed
with the Honda
CB350 Four to
say the least.
