Scramble through summer
Looking for plenty of high days with high-level pipes? This could be just the machine for you
Is there anything on two wheels that says summer more than an old-school street scrambler? Cruising around on a high-piped, flamboyantly-painted twin with motocross ’bars and quasi-knobblies – you can’t beat it when the sun is shining. British manufacturers like Triumph and BSA might have invented the concept as far back as the ’50s, but in the ’60s and ’70s the Japanese got in on the act with a vengeance. Nobody warmed to the concept more than Japanese giants Honda. In the ’60s and ’70s, Honda sold hundreds of thousands of their CL twins in the USA and the CL77 and
CL350 were two of their bestselling models of the time.
This 1973 CL350 is a fine example of the genre. The CL350 replaced the CL77 in 1968 and, along with more cubes – 325cc instead of the CL77’S 305 – the new model featured a five-speed gearbox, straight-cut gear primary drive, CV carbs, electric start and an extra 5bhp. Happy days. And, apart from a few issues with the hydraulic camchain tensioners (which often didn’t) and gaskets breaking up on early models, reliability and practicality were typical virtues of the new model. Good looks come as standard, with some of the best colour schemes to come out of Japan in the ’70s. So, too, do a twin-leading-shoe front brake and full street equipment, including rev counter, indicators and pillion footrests.
Performance is relatively lively, too. Honda optimistically claimed 100mph for the CL350, but in truth 85-90mph is as good as it gets – even for this lovely low-mileage example. There’s a mere 3700 miles showing on the odometer and, while the selling dealer, Marc Earl of Earl Classics, naturally can’t swear that’s accurate, the condition of the machine backs it up.
Thanks to the growing popularity of street scramblers in the UK – Honda never officially imported
them here – spare parts shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Most parts are available via ebay (though some may have to come from the US) and many of the mechanical parts are common to the Uk-market CB350.
The CL350 is definitely more street than scrambler, but then you probably wouldn’t want to risk wrecking a bike as good looking as this taking it trail riding. Looking cool and feeling good – that’s what the street scrambler experience delivers. Roll on summer... earlclassics.com
‘THIS WILL MAKE YOU LOOK COOL AND FEEL GOOD’