How come only so fast 1973 honda?

Question

how come when im on the freeway i try to get it to 65-70 it wont go any faster and its in its last/5th gear ...the bike is a 1973 honda 350 four i need the real truth please...ive had fony answers b4 and really need help as to why its max speed is like 65 when its speedomoter reads it can go to 110...please please help me!

Answer 1

had a friend with one of these back in the mid 70s.  Just because the speedometer shows 110 mph doesn't mean the engine will make the bike go that fast.  my friends would top out about 85-90 mph on level ground without any wind...

when was the last time you did a tune up?  cleaned carbs? cleaned air filter?  

these bikes were still using a points & condenser ignition system that required regular maintenance for proper tuning & performance.

Answer 2

time for a new bike =)

Answer 3

May just be a loss of HP over time through wear. Depending on miles.. but I don't know for sure. This may be a "fony answer" I guess.

Answer 4

Clutch slipping? What's the RPM's at 65? Could be a whole host of reasons and without being there hard to determine without a lot more details, that's the real truth....

Too many variables at work here, and these would do about 100 mph tops - I know because I laughed at one in the 70's and then rode it to be surprised - a CB 350 Twin would do 90 and all for people who weigh less then 200. Check compression, check the points, the dwell, observe it running in the dark for arching - wires, coils, plugs...check the plugs anodes and compare them on a chart available on the net. Is there any sign of oil around the head? Blown head  gasket, rings shot, compression check will help....

Answer 5

some of these bikes had the same speedo as bigger bikes.

and they were geared for two people to still do that top speed.

i had a 74 xl175 and it would do the same speed with three on it as it would 1, my brother had a two stroke 175 and my bike could not catch it unless he had a pillion on it, and that made the difference.

i would change the gearing in sprockets a tooth or two.

australia post has honda ct 110s that factory only do 80km/h, change the front sprocket and get 100+km/h

Answer 6

Your bike came from the factory with 34HP and had a top speed of 97MPH. If you are only getting 65, there is something seriously wrong. The 350 four is a complex little bike and it isn't nearly as easy to sort through as the 350 twins. It's still going to be basic cleaning, repairs and maintainance. Cleaning and syncing the carbs, replacing and setting the points, and checking for intake leaks are all things that need to be done. I love wrenching on old bikes, but they can be a lot of work to sort out. This is especially true when you don't know the complete history of the bike.

Getting the manual will help you a lot. Just carefully go through the specific tune-up and trouble-shooting proceedures for your bike and eventually you will find the problem. I had a '71 CL350 that drove me nuts with all of its little problems, but eventually it was all sorted out. It was a pretty cool feeling to take a barely running POS and getting it completely up and running.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Time for a tune-up.

Points, condensers, check and adjust the timing.

After a total re-work she'll hit close to a hundred - tops.

My first was a '74CL360.

I almost traded my second on the spot within a week of getting it - for a 450-4. Totally re-done mechanically and ran like a raped ape.

Zippy on the ramp, buzzes on the highway.

The older motorcycles just weren't built to be fast. Especially the smaller commuter bikes - CB etc.