Photographer Joshua Hoffman sent in this terrific image of his monochromatic CL350 café racer. “I found it in a jewelry store in Chapel Hill, NC that was using the bike more or less as décor,” says Hoffman.
“The owner rode a while back, and wanted to capitalize on the whole Steve McQueen/Tag Heuer thing by putting a bike in his front window.” The original CL350 was a ‘street scrambler’ with high-set, cross-braced bars, and these have obviously been replaced by drop bars. The frame and wheels have been powdercoated, and the rear fender is chopped. The motor and forks have been sandblasted and the rearsets are actually passenger pegs from a CBR900.
“I’m not sure where the seat cover came from,” says Hoffman, “but it’s definitely built on the stock pan. I believe the tank is stock with a fresh rattlecan job—it really looks amazing, and I like the fact it’s got that homebrew vibe to it.” The only performance mod seems to be the new Mikuni VM carbs that Hoffman put on, which should give a useful boost to the 33 bhp output from the stock 325 cc twin.
For more on tuning and modifying CB/CL350s, check this excellent FAQ.