Anyone ever seen a honda bobber?

[Kustchops]

I got a chance to buy a super nice honda 73 360 its like showroom condition. and so cheep im gonna buy it, just for shits and giggles. but it has me thinkin I know its not a triumph but it could make a bobber.......I think. Any pics or feedback.

[burndup]

If its anything like my 71 cb 350, its got a really ugly frame. If I wanted to make a cool bobber outta mine, prolly the only part of the frame I'd keep would be the neck cause the VIN #'s are there.

[Rocknrod]

I think i've seen a honda done in a chopper/short fork bike... Think it was an early 4 cylinder http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[choprods]

my sons CB 350........hardtail, short girder

[modernbeat]

Unless you want to re-frame it - forget the bobber look and go Cafe Racer style. The featherbed style frame is well suited to that look.

[burndup]

Chop, did he fab that frame himself?

[100mphwheelspinner]

Im building one right now. Its a 1972 cb350. Im also using the factory frame... with some modifications. so far its going good. the main problem is the bike is really short from the gas tank to the tire once you have made it a rigid. i ket the rear swingarm in place so i didn't have to worry about alignment. heres some pics of when i first finished the frame. Im 5'7" and about 130 soaking wet.

[100mphwheelspinner]

close up

[100mphwheelspinner]

.....

[Morrisman]

here's a pic of a Yam 500 single I built a few years back. Looks similar from the side, standard jap layout metric bike.

[Morrisman]

Here's another pic, showing the home made glass rear fender. The frame is stock apart from lowered seat rails and stretched swingarm. It doesn't look particularly wild but near every part of the bike is modified or remade a bit. Surprised what you can get up to when you've got no other vehicle to work on http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[Morrisman]

A little rear end action?

Sorry to bring metric stuff to a rod site http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[hatch]

Just remember one thing when customizing japanese bikes...you will never get your money back that you spend, if you decide to sell it later.

[Kustchops]

Thanks for all the cool pics, I dont want to get into full on frame mods and stuff, guess ill grab it for the april swap meet, Or Ive never tried egay yet. Anyone want a bike with 3600 original miles on it I paid 450$ I wanna make a hun-fifty. Sorry for the sales on this site...

[36-3window]

hatch is right,you will never get your money back modifing a jap bike...if you want to anyway,go ahead just for the fun of it. the collectors of vintage jap bikes like clean,low milage originals,unmodified. if CB360 is as nice as you say it is,it's worth more than what you are asking,maybe sell it and use to profit to hack up one in poor shape.

check out the website for vintage jap bikes,you need a password to get into the classifieds,but you as a non-member CAN post an ad
http://vjmc.org/

[Plowboy]

I have some buddies that are into honda choppers. Go to www.hondachopper.com (http://www.hondachopper.com) to find out anything you need to know. There is a message board there and everything.

[Fat Hack]

The do-it-yourselfer can still turn out a cool bike of Japanese origin and sell it for a profit after he rides it a while.

Sure, the "Me-too" Yuppies won't whip out their checkbooks and beat a path to your door...but there IS a Lunatic Fringe out there who dig different scoots...and would rather ride 'em than fix 'em. That's where you sell a completed Jap-chopper or bobber when and if the time comes!

I traded a $40 Pinto for my CB350 chopper, and then traded the bike for a 351W/C4 combo later. Not exactly high profit, but I didn't lose anything! Had my fun back when nobody wanted to be seen on a chopper...and moved on to other exploits!

One of these days, I'll build myself another Honda or maybe KZ1000 based chop...for fun, not profit...but I know I won't come up short when the time comes to sell or trade, either!

(Motorcycles are kinda like real estate...hard to lose when ya move! )

[DrJ]

I still haven't seen a Honda Bobber.

All the bikes posted are Choppers.

A bobber is a bike, traditionally a "V-twin" that's had "stuff" removed.
Another name for it would be a stripped dresser, and the one part that get's strippd that makes it a "bobber is the lower hinged part of the rear fender on the old "dressers"
Since the Honda doesn't have that part on the fender to remove, it can't be bobbed, or it already is a factory bobber, which ever way you want to look at it.
The minute you get out the hack saw and "chop" something off the frame and modify it, even the "traditional V-twin" moves immediately from the realm of bobber to chopper. Bobbers are strictly bolt on or unbolting of otherwise stock parts. Customizing or adding modified parts make it a chopper.

I can see calling an otherwise stock 60s 305 Dream with a 305 Scrambler rear fender a bobber...get my drift?

Thanks for the cool chopper pics by the way, gave me some ideas for chopping my $50 Yamaha XS500C. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Fat Hack]

A fifty dollar Yammie? You're goin' DOWN with that ship, Dr J...you'll never make a cent!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

(You are right on the tecnical definition of a "bobber", though...I need a 1985 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 if I wanna build a TRUE bobber, eh??? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

[hatch]

OK...let me rephrase my thoughts. I have made "huge" money dealing HD's..(example..68FLH..paid $1975.00...sold $10,000)....and also picked up a couple of bucks on japanese stuff....example (450 twin..paid 50..sold 350)....I also count labor I invested @ 50.00 per hour. It IS work, whether tracking em down or repairing or modifying.

So...my experience is that Japanese stuff doesn't work for profit, if you are profit motivated (I am)...if you aren't, then build a bobber or chopper with whatever you want...just that some makes, or models are a better gamble....or no gamble at all.

[Fat Hack]

I hear ya Hatchafeller!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

There is SICK money to be made with Harley David$on$...and that's the place to linger if you gotta make a killing on your scoots...but you won't go belly-up playing with the oddball stuff for fun, either!

If it's for business...build-n-broom Harleys before they break down on ya.

If it's a hobby, and ya like to RIDE...mess with the Jap stuff...and leave the little trailer full o'tools and spare parts hooked up to your Harleys!!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Mojo_AL]

Here's a pic I found on a website somewhere. I don't know what model it is, but it is a Honda bobber. They can be built to look right but I'd rather spend my money on brit bikes.

[hatch]

Well...my daily ride this summer was a 78 yamaha xs650 and I bought it right. I'm sure I could make a quick 500 on ebay with no work done to it. But it's fun and it stays in the corral for now......

And for the record, the 45 is my 15th HD...only one breakdown so far and it was my fault. I didn't safety wire the inner primary bolts...one backed out and landed on the primary chain at 35 mph....screeching halt. If build right, HD's are great, but anything mechanical has the possibility of leavin ya stranded.

Bottom line....more profit means more playtime for me!!!!....play is good....work is bad. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[truth]

As far as making money off'em goes, I know some guys that have bought honda's for around $100, put about $400 into them, and sold'em later down the line for like 1,500-2k. Of course you have to factor your time in. These guys do it more cause they like to build and ride... not a real business or anything.

Plus nowadays, bullshit bikes are getting over a grand on egay....

[customized]

100mphwheelspinner, I take it you're keeping the skinny tire out back? I have a '72 CL450, 18" f/r wheels, I want to make it a rigid & fix the neck (10 over forks, sits pretty high right now w/stock frame). Was thinking I'd put a 16 out back & go a little wider, but then I couldn't use the stock swingarm... so maybe I'll keep the 18 or look for a skinny 16. Thoughts?

[Fat Hack]

I measure my profits on any given project vehicle in seat time. Once built and running, I drive or ride the heck out of 'em. After a while, any money or time that I may have invested in a project is balanced out by the miles it covers with me!

I like to build vehicles and engineer them to my liking, but that whole process is just a means to an end. I can't DRIVE it if I don't screw it together right, so I gotta go through "A" to get to "B", so to speak! If I invest $2000 in a project, then drive it for a year or so, I feel as if I've about broken even.

I know a guy that runs the other way...he tracks every penny...damn near down to the cost of any Band-Aids he had to apply to cuts incurred working on his stuff, and refuses to sell for a single cent less that the sum total of what he has into it dollar-wise. But, he hardly ever drives his cars, so I suppose he has to work that way???

With me, I practically give my stuff away when I move on to another project. After I've enjoyed driving or riding what I've built for a while, then I feel compensated for my investment. I'll never make it in the business world, but what the Hell...who needs it?

[100mphwheelspinner]

I like the look of the tall thin spoked wheel (kinda old school). im buiding this thing on a budget. it whould have took alot of modification to changed the rear wheel. I have been using as much of the origional bike as I can. I've got 2 more brackets to make and a model a taillight lens to buy and then I will be able to ride it. I am planning on painting it to match my model A then build a trailer so I can use it as a pit bike. If it hade a wide tire it wouldn't spin it. I want to throw rubber on all over the harley guys bolton chrome.

[customized]

If it had a wide tire it wouldn't spin it. I want to throw rubber on all over the harley guys bolton chrome.

right on http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[burndup]

Wheelspinner you're a freakin genius! I think you made the best possible compromise out of an ungly situation with that swingarm! Could you shoot another pic of where the "struts" (where the shox usta be) you added attach to the center upright, uglyass, "box tube" thing?

Thanks,
J

[customized]

yeah man, i just printed your pics & was out in the garage staring at my stock frame - that rules! got any more 'in progress' pics of your frame mods? what'd you do up top?

[100mphwheelspinner]

the modifcation to the frame was pretty simple. you just buy some pipe that is close to the origional frame size. then you cut the frame off right behind the gas tank mount, and leave the two tubes going up long so that they can be fitted later. the pipe will fit inside of the origional frame section. you have to kinda bend it around the rear fender and build brackets to bolt it on where the origional shock mounts. build the chain side of the bike first. it could give you the biggest problems. heres some more pics. also when you cut down the fender keep the leftovers. they help when building the seat pan. thes pics are from a while back I will take more tonight.

[caseyjones]

someone mentioned a cafe racer... honda 160 (i think a 360 is similar?)

[100mphwheelspinner]

...more

[Hansen]

cafer racer all the way
you can call it a bobber if you want

[100mphwheelspinner]

and

[burndup]

BTW, with the aquisition, re-registering, and carb rebuild kits, I'm only into this cb-350 for $80 so far! I can't lose. Uh, assuming it runs, I think so. Its got compression.

Now, I made a 100% profit on that Barbie Bike, I should do much better here.

[hotrodxheart]

im working on a cb450
lots of guys use the swing arm as a jig. then run the upper and lower tubes and remove the swing arm ..
here is a cb360 from the net..

http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/message?forumid=152868&messageid=1062715553

[gettingreasy]

Here's my bobber, it's just been stripped down and about 8 inches of fender cut off so I guess it's a stripper then huh? I know it's not a Handa but it's Foreign.

[james]

Wheelspinner-- looks like we think alike. I stretched my yamachop 7" in the swingarm, though--

[james]

Here's the other side showing my model a tailight-

[burndup]

What gauge tubing do you guys use? What do you use to make the nice bends?

[choprods]

Hatch you're only partially right in saying you never get your money back from a jap bike thats modified. If you try to sell it to a harley buddy you are correct!I have built three in a row -rode them as long as 4 years and almost doubled my investment on each.......its do-able for sure.Its not a bobber either-but Here is a Kaw Vulcan1500-CC V twin I built[was wrecked]-rode and sold for almost a 100 percent profit last year