The CB350

The inside of the covers were pretty ratty too.

I used a trick I’ve picked up restoring old industrial furniture: steel wool to knock back any rust, then a medium rubbing compound, followed by a final polish.

It doesn’t do anything for the paint chips—but it smooths out the rough spots and leaves everything with a nice silky feel, a light gloss, and a wonderful patina.

Before / After. The side covers were pretty dull. Sun faded and even a possible battery acid leak. I polished them with some Novus 1 followed with Novus 2 then a final buff with S100 paste wax. They look a lot better.

When I modded anything on this bike I kept the old parts.

Partly I wanted the choice of taking it back to stock.

Partly was just natural hoarding.

And partly I didn't really know what to do with the bits, so it was easier to chuck them into this box.

I've found a mechanic in town who's willing to help me get this to the finish line. BUT he had one condition...the pod filters have to go.

When I was a younger man, pod filters were all the rage. I had visions of ripping around Brooklyn on my podded cafe racer.

Fast-forward to reality: I just want this bike to run.

And it seems Reddit, bike forums, and even ChatGPT have come to agree with my mechanic - pod air filters are, er...finicky.

Aaaaand… we’re back. It’s New Year’s Day 2026.

Last post: 2019.

Then life happened. Baby. Covid. Moved to another state. Left my job. Started a business.

Going back through the blog I can see I bought this bike on November 10, 2011. It's been a project now for 15 years!

So: New Year’s resolution - finish more projects. Starting with this one.

Step 1 was find this blog (still there, good old Tumblr) and read through where I was at. Really useful, which is why I’m going to keep posting - mostly for future-me, who will absolutely forget all of this again.