This is my cb350F American import. For those of you who are not  familiar with this model, it is the little sister of the famous 400/4. Mine is a 1972 model or F1 and so when registered will be on a suffix K plate and so eligible for free road tax. 

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​Hopefully things will now go better without any further hic ups, well maybe not.With the cylinders collected from SEP on a snowy Saturday morning, they went on almost too easily and with no broken rings, the head followed afterwards along with the cam shaft. The timing being set up with the engine out of the frame and the top cover added. I now had an engine. I have bought the proper tappet adjustment tools, what a simple and easy job it is now to adjust the tappets should have bought them long ago. The following week a trip to Central wheels near Birmingham on another snowy Saturday morning gave me a pair of wheels stainless rims and spokes not cheap but they look really nice even arrived back to Newark in time to have the tyres fitted.The rear wheel was the first to be  fitted now the bike was standing on its own feet. The rest of the rear end soon followed suite now I really had something to look at. A disappointment came next when I removed the front mudguard  from its box and plastic bag it had been scratched at some point on the parts shelf, What do I do  find another one or repaint it, well after finding this one I have yet to see another and repainting  was not really in the spirit of this build so on it went. In the end it isn’t that obvious without really  looking for it.

 

 Front brake disc on and in went the front wheel. Now I had something I could wheel  around. Clocks and headlight bowl soon followed along with the wiring harness. Those of you who  have looked behind the headlight glass will already know just what a jumble of wires there is,  spaghetti junction. 

 

                                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  On with the carbs and the other electrical items (indicator flasher, regulator battery etc.) and the  engine can be statically timed and the point gaps set up properly. Exhausts fitted like a dream  looking like a proper bike now (pic ep3003 here) the bike is now ready to start. I have an old fairy  liquid bottle yes just like on Blue Peter with the bottom cut off and attached inverted onto a stand  which I use as a tempary fuel tank.

 

  With a bit of petrol in the tank and a few kicks on the starter  shaft has the engine running a bit  rough but all of a sudden as she warms up she started to sing a   nice steady beat and o what a  lovely song she sang bit tinny but she is only a 125. Proper tank on,  seat in place and she sailed  through the MOT, taxed and Enid yes she now has a name is ready  for the road.  Time for a shakedown run, I have a little route that I like to take about 40 miles in all  spoilt only nowadays  by a silly 50mph limit on some of these miles even on a dual carriageway stretch but I don’t need to worry about this with Enid especially for the first 600 miles running in .

                                                               

  One little incident en route the speedo stopped working somebody had supplied the wrong cable  and despite the retaining screw being in place the cable came loose from the speedo gearbox.

                                               

  I  stopped off en -route to show off Enid to my parents, even my mum, and she is not biker friendly  remarked how nice and shiny she looked.Enid has now about 700 miles under her belt most of  them on club ride outs and has appeared at Newark bike show, she really looked small with the  rest  of the bikes that were on the club stand.

 

  She’s a lovely bike to ride so long as you keep the revs up which is why I like to ride her. Top speed well I have had an indicated 70mph out of  her but realistically 50-55 is a good speed to run at without stretching the engine. Thanks to everyone on the rides I have been on and haven’t  complained too much at my slow progress, maybe one day I will have something faster. Actually I am working on that as we speak so watch  this space.Cost of the project a mind blowing £10,273.73 including £886.78 in packing a delivery charges.

 

 Would I do it again NO NO NO. Had I  thought it would cost so much at the start I would definitely not done it but it has ticked a box and I can  say that I now have the Youngest 35  year old bike me in the HOC.

 

  That is unless you know different!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

      Regards

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                          Andy Smith XX

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