Fitting a Custom Café Racer Seat to the Honda CB350

The 1971 Honda CB350 café racer build gets its custom seat in this episode, but fitting a café racer seat to a partly built motorcycle isn't quite as straightforward as it looks. Nothing seems to fit perfectly, so I work through the gaps and mounting problems while reshaping the rear of the bike around the new seat.

The custom-made café racer seat completely changes the profile of the Honda CB350, giving it the cleaner, more purposeful shape I'm looking for. But fitting it also means reorganizing the electrical components and relocating the battery to make everything work neatly underneath the new seat.

In This Episode

• Test fitting the custom-made café racer seat

• Working out seat fitment and mounting

• Dealing with gaps and clearance issues

• Reorganizing the motorcycle's electrical components

• Repositioning the battery

• Designing a custom battery box

• Creating space for the new café racer seat

• Improving the overall fit and finish of the rear of the motorcycle

A custom seat can completely transform the look of a café racer, but getting the fit right is just as important as the seat itself. With the original components already modified by a previous builder, I need to rethink the layout and make room for the new seat while keeping the electrical system practical and accessible.

The new seat gives the Honda CB350 the café racer silhouette I'm after, while the custom battery box and relocated electrical components help keep the area underneath it clean and organized.

This is another important visual step in transforming the partly built 1971 Honda CB350 Scrambler into a unique garage-built café racer.Follow the build as I continue working through the fabrication, electrical and finishing details that will bring this classic Honda together.