Offered here today is an outstanding ALL-ORIGINAL example of a 1974 Honda CL360 Scrambler. Take a moment to peruse the history of this strong bike. Garage kept for the last few years in a humidity-controlled museum collection, this bike is a beautiful gem. It can’t wait for its opportunity for you to take it out for a spin on the open highway, wind in its hair…wait…bikes don’t have hair! You know what we mean, though! Hop on, take a ride, the rest is history…

Back in 1972, Honda determined that its immensely successful CB/CL350 OHC twin should continue to move forward…albeit slowly. But just how much change can be made by increasing the number on the side covers by 10, from 350 to 360? Quite a lot, as it turned out.

The 360 was no minor upgrade from the 350. It had a new chassis and some new running gear. The old 350 in actuality was only 325cc, with a 67mm bore, 50.6mm stroke; Honda enlarged the bore by 2mm and got the engine up to 356cc.

Change is necessary. A product sells, sells well, but when there is competition any sensible capitalist knows that the R&D boys and girls had better earn their salaries. In ’74, Kawasaki had both the KZ400 twin and the S3 400cc triple. Suzuki had the TS400 twin and GT380 triple. While Yamaha had the kick-butt RD350 twin. Honda already had the CB400F four-banger in the pipeline for ’75, and trusted it would put the company at the head of the pack.

Honda presented three 360 models for 1974, all under $1,000. The CL street scrambler ran for two years, 1974-1975; the plain CB, with drum front brake, for one year, 1974; the CB/G, with a disc front brake, for one, 1974. The CL had the “American-style” upswept pipes running along the left side, a 2.9-gallon gas tank and drum brakes fore and aft.

Road testers of the time had varied opinions as to the rideability of the 360. The one constant complaint was about the vibration of the 180-degree twin. The 350 had been a shaker, and the 360 wasn’t any better. Also, the engine had been detuned in order to enhance the torque, so while the 350 boasted 36 horses at 10,000 rpm, the 360 was down to 34 at 9,000. Honda felt that this less-peaky engine would make the bike more fun to ride around town. It was definitely a short-haul machine, as nobody seemed to like the saddle for long trips.

Major change was in the two carburetors—instead of the previous slide types, the new ones were of the constant-vacuum variety—and test riders complained about them being too sensitive. The throttle now had twin push-me/pull-you cables, but at slow speeds the carbs were blamed for the lack of smoothness. The rubber blocks in the rear hub, which were intended to ease tension on the chain final drive, were considered by some a bit too soft, contributing to jerkiness.

Straight-cut gears went from the crankshaft to the transmission, which now had a sixth gear. A number of riders felt the extra gear was unnecessary, as too many gears can be as frustrating as too few. Ride reviews found some testers complaining that the gears were now too closely spaced; others said the spacing was perfect. You can’t please all the people all of the time.

The most important change was the new tubular frame, with a single downtube, splitting off to create a cradle under the engine. Of note was the improved quality of the welds in the frame; their aesthetics were a couple of notches above what people had been used to seeing from Honda. Some ride reports said that, when ridden hard, the 360 tended to flex a bit more than was pleasurable; others lauded the “superb chassis.”

CL sales not being up to expectations, it was dropped from the line after two years, while a CB/T model, with minor cosmetic changes from the previous G, continued on in ’75 and ’76. Then Honda decided to retrograde the bike, coming out with the CJ360 model, which had no electric starter, drum brakes fore and aft and a 5-speed transmission. The two-into-two exhaust was changed to a less costly two-into-one running out the right side, and the centerstand was deleted. And the price lowered.

But that was just a stopgap until the CB400 appeared in ’78, the parallel twin bored out yet again, this time to 395cc, and sporting a new three-valve, OHC head, with a pair of counterbalancers to quell the vibes—and a 5-speed transmission. Maybe that sixth gear was not necessary.

Vehicle will be sold AS-IS and serious buyers are welcome and encouraged to schedule a time to look at vehicle. Upon winning bid full-payment is required within 48hrs, and buyer is responsible for shipping and associated costs. We reserve the right to end the auction at any time, as this vehicle is also listed locally. 

Please note: This vehicle is being sold from a private, climate-controlled museum facility and has been loved and adored for all of its years with our collection, by both visitors and the maintenance and management personnel of the facility daily. If I don't know the answer, I will contact the collection owner for verification and will gladly return your call.

With any questions or comments, please reach out to me, Dani, at (417)664-1842 or message me here through ebay at ClassicCarsByDani. Thank you so much for your interest!