Long distance 350/4...That is your grandfathers’ motocycle..

[chuck peterson]

Are those the highly sought after Buco bags?

https://nh.craigslist.org/mcy/d/moultonborough-74-honda-350-4/7181216728.html

[Lannis]

That's a real period piece right there!

Back in the 70's, a Honda 500-4, a Suzuki Titan 500, or a BMW R60/5 was considered to be a completely competent and sufficient transcontinental touring bike when equipped with a windshield, Buco or Bates bags, and highway pegs.   We're different people now, in many different ways.

Lannis

[Ncdan]

That's a real period piece right there!

Back in the 70's, a Honda 500-4, a Suzuki Titan 500, or a BMW R60/5 was considered to be a completely competent and sufficient transcontinental touring bike when equipped with a windshield, Buco or Bates bags, and highway pegs.   We're different people now, in many different ways.

Lannis

You are right it’s only been in the last 30 or so years that these large displacement motors have been seen as a must for touring. Back in the early 80s my cross country bike was a 750 Honda custom with a large rack on the rear. A large duffle bag housed everything I needed for a week two weeks on the road with no issues.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I doubt that 350/4 was a "long distance" rider, more likely a commuter bike. I saved one from rotting away under a tarp and resurrected it. One ride was all it took to figure out it wasn't for me - revs at 55 mph were sky high and not much power.

[Lannis]

I doubt that 350/4 was a "long distance" rider, more likely a commuter bike. I saved one from rotting away under a tarp and resurrected it. One ride was all it took to figure out it wasn't for me - revs at 55 mph were sky high and not much power.

True - that's why I specified the 500 or 550-4 Hondas.  I KNOW many of them were used cross-continent.

The 350-4 and 400-4 survivors are sky-high in Britain as the definitive period sport-bike!

Lannis

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

True - that's why I specified the 500 or 550-4 Hondas.  I KNOW many of them were used cross-continent.

The 350-4 and 400-4 survivors are sky-high in Britain as the definitive period sport-bike!

Lannis

I was responding to the subject line "Long distance 350/4", not your post.

[Lannis]

I was responding to the subject line "Long distance 350/4", not your post.

Well ... you COULD ride it a long distance, I suppose.   Then again, people have ridden Velo-Solexes from Cairo to Capetown, too .... !   

Lannis

[zenand]

Well however ill suited a 350/4 was for touring in 1986 a friend and I rode one from Asheville N.C. to Buffalo N.Y. to see Dylan and The Dead on july 4th. I don't remember taking much with us, my friend may have had a small backpack, we stayed with friends or wherever we could crash.While not the greatest touring bike it did the job, many fond memories of that bike !!!

[Lannis]

Well however ill suited a 350/4 was for touring in 1986 a friend and I rode one from Asheville N.C. to Buffalo N.Y. to see Dylan and The Dead on july 4th. I don't remember taking much with us, my friend may have had a small backpack, we stayed with friends or wherever we could crash.While not the greatest touring bike it did the job, many fond memories of that bike !!!

Once upon a time, we just rode what we had.   From 1970 to 1999 I never had more than one motorcycle at a time, and it had to do whatever I needed to do.    Tour, commute, weekenders, didn't matter, we just did it.

Too old and lazy to enjoy doing that any more ...

Lannis

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Well however ill suited a 350/4 was for touring in 1986 a friend and I rode one from Asheville N.C. to Buffalo N.Y. to see Dylan and The Dead on july 4th. I don't remember taking much with us, my friend may have had a small backpack, we stayed with friends or wherever we could crash.While not the greatest touring bike it did the job, many fond memories of that bike !!!

Better you than me. 

[Two Checks]

Many folks put lots of miles under them on 400cc and smaller bikes. This was back when "hogs" were considered behemoths.
900 Sportsters were "huge". 650 Triumphs and Geezers were considered to be the road burners.
The popular bikes were 350 Hondas and the like so that's what was used. We didn't have all the Interstates back then so it was the US highways or state highways. The smaller bikes did fine at those speeds. Two up it was cramped and with any gear it was overloaded. But they did the job without complaint.
I put many a mile on a 73 350-4. At 60 it was spinning at 6k so you didn't go much faster. It would do the ton if asked but that was it.
I rode a friend's 250 Rebel and his wife's 450 Rebel. It reminded me why I liked the 350 so much. You went slower so you enjoyed the ride and not the destination.

[nsmith]

A few years ago three of us went for a ride, 1 1000 strom, 1 TU250 and me on an R75/6. Yes it was quite a collection. 400+ miles later we all made it home. So I guess if you wanna ride a smaller bike then go for it.

[LongRanger]

I rode my CB400-4 nonstop from SF to Denver, 1200 miles, in a bit over 24 hours. This was over 40 years ago, long before I knew any better or could spell “BMW.” My butt still hurts.

[oldbike54]

I doubt that 350/4 was a "long distance" rider, more likely a commuter bike. I saved one from rotting away under a tarp and resurrected it. One ride was all it took to figure out it wasn't for me - revs at 55 mph were sky high and not much power.

 That was my experience with the 350-4 , even more gutless at 5K RPM's than a 350 twin Honda . Guessing that windshield really kills whatever performance it does possess .

 Dusty

[Motormike]

I managed to ride a Suzuki 380 two-stroke triple from Kansas City to LA back in the late 70's.  I was young and didn't know (nor could afford) any better.  Just a Bates windshield bolted to the handlebars.  I remember pushing headwinds in Arizona that forced me to downshift as far as 3rd gear to just barely maintain 55-60 mph and leaving a trail of blue smoke behind me.  Rode in the middle of summer...not the smartest idea.  Was so hot in Needles, CA that I couldn't stand in one spot before the hot pavement would start to burn my feet.  (Tennis shoes...motorcycle boots? What's that?).  I made it, but the trip did the bike in...trashed a roller bearing on the crank, sold it within a couple of weeks of getting to the coast.  30 years later I made the same trip on a Harley Electra Glide...much easier!

[PeteS]

Grandfather's bike? More like "our" bikes. By '74 I had moved up to my Norton and had crossed the country on it in '72, but before that was a 350 Yamaha. Furthest I went on that was 300 miles one way to Woodstock. It could do 65 all day but got a little buzzy.

Pete

[vintage53]

Back in the late 1975 , I bought a new Honda CBT- 500 Twin.  Like the one below:  Not as smooth as the 550 Four.  but cheaper.  Had it for about 15 years.

..........Learned how to ride on it.




how to put in images in html

[SmithSwede]

Back in the day, I went all over the place on a Honda CB-550.   That was my big bike.   Also went all over on a Kawasaki KZ-200 4 stroke single.

Heck, even in the modern era I’ve done many multi-state road trips on a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250 with a Corbin seat.   You just have to get used to spending all day cruising at 10,000 rpm.   The engine is fine with that—some humans just have a psychological aversion to it. 

[Lannis]

Back in the day, I went all over the place on a Honda CB-550.   That was my big bike.   Also went all over on a Kawasaki KZ-200 4 stroke single.

Heck, even in the modern era I’ve done many multi-state road trips on a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250 with a Corbin seat.   You just have to get used to spending all day cruising at 10,000 rpm.   The engine is fine with that—some humans just have a psychological aversion to it.

I know I do.   A Harley loping along at 2800 RPM sounds natural ... A Guzzi cruising along at 4200 RPM is right where it wants to be for maximum gas mileage and engine comfort.    A BSA twin at 4000 RPM sounds just right and pulls hard when you open it up.

But a little 250 twin or a 600 four running 6000 - 10,000 RPM at cruise?   They're built for it, and they'll do it forever, but my mechanical sympathy gene makes my head ache and my teeth hurt when I hear them .....

Lannis

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

But a little 250 twin or a 600 four running 6000 - 10,000 RPM at cruise?   They're built for it, and they'll do it forever, but my mechanical sympathy gene makes my head ache and my teeth hurt when I hear them .....

That was the main reason I traded my RD400 for an XS-2 650 back in '81. I was tired of screaming around (it didn't help that it had Bassani expansion chambers) everywhere I went. The 650 was more relaxed, but was a bit of a paint shaker. My brother went from a '79 CB750F Super Sport to a '75 R90S around '83 and after one ride on that I knew I needed to move on from the Yamaha. Bought the bike that planted it's seed in my brain in '76 - my first Convert.

[drw916]

Your problem was the Bassani's.

I rode my RD400 around the country in 1978.  12000 miles in 6 weeks, camping all the way.  I started the trip with $600 and finished with $50.  I remember the trip far more fondly now then when I first got home.

[Lannis]

Your problem was the Bassani's.

I rode my RD400 around the country in 1978.  12000 miles in 6 weeks, camping all the way.  I started the trip with $600 and finished with $50.  I remember the trip far more fondly now then when I first got home.

My '76 RD400C was arguably the "best" motorcycle I ever had.   70 MPH was about 5400 RPM as I remember, the engine was rubber mounted, you felt no vibration, the stock mufflers were very quiet, and it had plenty of pull at that speed for hills or whatever ...

Lannis

[LongRanger]

Contrast your RD400C to my ex-‘73 RD350. This wasn’t a bike I enjoyed spending more than an hour on, and not even my rose-colored goggles make it seem any more charming or fulfilling. Buzzy, peaky, and lousy brakes.

[wyno]

I had a 350/4 in the red as my second bike. It died  after a conrod broke. I don't think they were meant to be ridden on motocross tracks.

[Two Checks]

Those 73 REs were all those things stated but they shore were purdy and went like stink.

[JohninVT]

Back in the day, I went all over the place on a Honda CB-550.   That was my big bike.   Also went all over on a Kawasaki KZ-200 4 stroke single.

Heck, even in the modern era I’ve done many multi-state road trips on a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250 with a Corbin seat.   You just have to get used to spending all day cruising at 10,000 rpm.   The engine is fine with that—some humans just have a psychological aversion to it.

My first motorcycle was a KZ200.  I put 18,000 miles on it in three years.  In New England.  I would have ridden it more but I bought a pumpkin orange Yamaha XS360 the third summer I had the KZ so it was sharing the miles. 

[Ncdan]

Speaking of getting use to rpm sounds, my first actual “full dress” bike was a Honda GL500I. It was geared so the little 500 twin could haul 300lb and do it at 70 mph all day. At 60 mph it was tacking 58rpm, at every speed the rpm was just a couple huge under. It redlined at 10500 so at 70 there was plenty left. Once my mind got accustomed to the 7K rpm on the slab, if really was no big deal. I put 30k on that little bike be going to a 750 Honda custom.

[Lannis]

Contrast your RD400C to my ex-‘73 RD350. This wasn’t a bike I enjoyed spending more than an hour on, and not even my rose-colored goggles make it seem any more charming or fulfilling. Buzzy, peaky, and lousy brakes.

My first high-mileage road bike was my '72 bronze and black Yamaha R5 350.    Even with the TLS drum brakes, it was a MUCH better all-round motorcycle than the '73 - '75 RD series.    I guess Yamaha did what they felt like they had to do in turning a nice solid motorcycle into a peaky nickel rocket like the RD350, but they sure fixed all that when they came out with the RD400!

Lannis

[Travlr]

It reminded me why I liked the 350 so much. You went slower so you enjoyed the ride and not the destination.

 

[Gliderjohn]

My 77 GS400. Rode it 41,000 miles before getting the T-3. 6K rpm at 70mph. 9K was stock redline. After some major motor mods it would go to 10.5. Not really buzzy just busy. Did a lot of midwest touring on it, much of it using a home made paisley duffle bag. Nobody bothered that.
GliderJohn