Front End Brake Shoes Forks Honda CB350 Café Racer

The 1971 Honda CB350 café racer build moves to the front end as I refurbish the forks, front wheel and brake assembly. After working through the rear end, it's time to give the front of this classic Honda the same attention and get another major part of the motorcycle ready for reassembly.

In this episode I strip down the front wheel and brake mechanism, remove the speedometer and brake cables, tackle some stubborn fasteners with an impact driver, and clean and refurbish the original components. I also repaint the forks with a candy finish before putting the front end back together and fitting and adjusting a new brake cable.

In This Episode

• Refurbishing the Honda CB350 front end

• Removing the front wheel

• Stripping and cleaning the front brake mechanism

• Working on the front brake drum assembly

• Removing stubborn motorcycle fasteners

• Removing the speedometer and brake cables

• Cleaning and refurbishing the front wheel components

• Preparing and painting the front forks

• Applying candy paint to the forks

• Reassembling the front end

• Fitting a new front brake cable

• Adjusting the front brake

The original front-end components are showing their age, but with some cleaning, refurbishment and fresh paint they can be brought back into good condition rather than simply being replaced. The forks and front wheel are particularly important to the finished look of this café racer, while getting the brake mechanism working correctly is essential before the bike goes back on the road.

With the front end coming back together and the rear wheel already installed, the Honda CB350 is getting much closer to being a complete rolling motorcycle again.

If you're restoring a vintage Honda, refurbishing motorcycle forks and brakes, or building a café racer at home, this episode shows the practical process of stripping, cleaning, painting and rebuilding the front end of a classic motorcycle. Follow the 1971 Honda CB350 Scrambler café racer build as the refurbishment continues and more of the finished motorcycle starts to emerge.