1974 CL360K0
AIR-COOLED 356CC SINGLE, SIX SPEED, 33BHP, 100MPH, 326LB (148KG), 18IN WHEELS
‘IT DOESN’T LOOK IT, BUT THE CL360 WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDESIGN’
The last roll of the dice for the CL range lasted just two years – 1974 and 1975. At first glance, you’d think there was little difference between the new 360 and the CL350 it replaced, but in fact the new model was significantly redesigned.
A new frame – claimed to be stiffer than the old 350 version – was one obvious difference, but the engine was new, too, with a six-speed gearbox and conventional tappet and locknut valve adjustment in place of the eccentric shaft adjusters of the CL350. The main bearings were beefed up, a new trochoidal oil pump design was utilised and a slipper camchain tensioner was used instead of the roller type employed on the 350 – though the new system still needed a recall in 1975 to deal with slipper problems. On the road, the CL360 – with its 180° crank – still suffered from the vibration of the 350 and its performance was no improvement. Declining sales – pushed along by the increasingly more specialised XL series trail bikes – meant the axe fell for the CL360 and the rest of the CLS in 1975.