1969 CL350 Numbers

ahenthus · Post by **ahenthus** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 1:57 pm

I wish 350s had a great forum like this. I've learned a lot about the 305s here. I'm still in the process of taking my CL77 apart and purchasing parts but not making a lot of headway. Too many projects. I just bought a CL350 at Mid-Ohio. It is a very original 9,400 mile survivor that runs like new. Everything except a set of ape hangers is stock. Everything also appears original to the bike except that the numbers don't match. My CL77 has only a one number difference in the engine and frame numbers. The 1969 Scrambler numbers are: CL350 10457XX, CL350E 10735XX. That's a 3,000 delta. Did Honda abandon their matching within a couple of hundred in the later series? I haven't been able to find anything in my searches on Honda Twins, etc. It just seems strange that this would be so original and not match closer. The PO had known the original owner since the bike was new and said it had been stored inside for many years with no mention of an engine change and that appears very plausible to me.
Thanks,
Claude

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 2:19 pm

Claude

No kind of expert on this but my 1971 CB250 had the numbers

CB250E 3015xxx
CB250 3011xxx

So, about 4000 difference. The bike had been in a shed for a long time and I have no reason to believe that the engine had been swapped.

G

ahenthus · Post by **ahenthus** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 10:45 pm

Thanks G, I guess Honda really ramped up production for the 350 and had much greater possible distance between frame and engine numbers than the 305s. Yours (CB250) seems reasonable but I just noticed that my delta was about 28,000 and not 3,000. That's an awfully large spread so maybe mine has had a later engine installed at some point. I know the 350s were the biggest selling bike for a long time but I can't see the factory having that many more engines on hand than frames.
Claude

Hahnda · Post by **Hahnda** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 8:23 am

Your engine number still falls into the range of being an engine for a 1969 model. Still a good chance it was the original.

CL350K1
Sell Date: 1969
Rel Date: 05/01/69
Product Code: 291 (Middle number of Honda part numbers)
Frame number: CB350-1033994
Engine number: CL350E-1045165

Even at the start of production that year the frame and engine numbers could have been over 11,000 apart.

Starting with the K2 the frame and engine number was a 2XXXXXX number. K3 was 3XXXXXXX, etc.