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Tire space and hoop
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Do the both sets of shocks have the same travel distance? Long shock might have more travel too.
Short answer is yes you can likely raise the rear and increase clearance by lowering the swingarm, given sufficient clearance around the area of the drive chain and brake adjuster. If you plan to fit the bike with rear set footpegs and controls, you will find it far simpler if you change the rear brake solid rod actuator for a cable brake setup.
Short answer is yes you can likely raise the rear and increase clearance by lowering the swingarm, given sufficient clearance around the area of the drive chain and brake adjuster. If you plan to fit the bike with rear set footpegs and controls, you will find it far simpler if you change the rear brake solid rod actuator for a cable brake setup.
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Up side is that CB350F sits super low to begin with and those stock rear shocks don't do much and if you do raise the rear some it will help slightly with cornering ground clearance, which is a real problem on a CB350F, I use to call mine Sparky because it was so easy to drag hard parts.
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You might need to discard the centre stand, but that drags easy too and it weighs a ton.
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To test for rear shock travel clearance, you just remove the spring from one or both shocks, mount the shock absorber only and move the rear swingarm through its entire range of travel, noting any binding, scraping or collision of any moving parts.
Once you raise the rear spring rates and increase the rear height you might find the need to adjust the front fork spring rates to accommodate the change in the rear.
You can't use stronger spring rates to reduce the wheels travel distance, you have to do that with the dimension and mounting position of the shock.
When you are shopping for springs, progressive wound springs will give you a plush ride with less control over spring rate preload, dual or single rate coil spring will provide a more linear spring rate and is generally better suited to racing or a more aggressive riding style.
Once you raise the rear spring rates and increase the rear height you might find the need to adjust the front fork spring rates to accommodate the change in the rear.
You can't use stronger spring rates to reduce the wheels travel distance, you have to do that with the dimension and mounting position of the shock.
When you are shopping for springs, progressive wound springs will give you a plush ride with less control over spring rate preload, dual or single rate coil spring will provide a more linear spring rate and is generally better suited to racing or a more aggressive riding style.
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... you should be replacing all the wheel bearings and upgrade the bushings in the rear swingarm when you are in there. If the wheel bearings are stock original they are done by now and the swingarm bushings are semi-garbage to begin with.
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I did that..kinda pain but got the job done..the 330 mm shocks got me 1 1/2 mote clearance...chain and brake arm a ok...I always sit up a tab hitting large bumps, pot holes to get weight off frame...always learning about bike..have done 11 so far..this is first frame cut...
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Fun little bike with a very musical exhaust note, mine was fitted with clip-ons and a TZ yamaha full race fairing. The aftermarket rear shocks I fitted aren't even available now. Best exhaust I found was Jardine 4 into 2 pipes, 4 into 1's had clearance problems.
The stock frame and forks will always exhibit more hinge in the middle feeling or understeer then I like to experience in a motorcycle and modern performance radial tires are near impossible to fit. It's a really really nice but heavy motorcycle engine stuck in a marginal frame. If you turn up the power much and ride it hard you will quickly bag out the primary drive chain which makes it lurch when transitioning from speed to engine braking, if you think swing bushings are a pain to service, wait until you need to replace a primary chain on the CB, that's a real treat.
The stock frame and forks will always exhibit more hinge in the middle feeling or understeer then I like to experience in a motorcycle and modern performance radial tires are near impossible to fit. It's a really really nice but heavy motorcycle engine stuck in a marginal frame. If you turn up the power much and ride it hard you will quickly bag out the primary drive chain which makes it lurch when transitioning from speed to engine braking, if you think swing bushings are a pain to service, wait until you need to replace a primary chain on the CB, that's a real treat.
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