Honda CB350SG

Bought this machine brand new in 1988, mainly for its looks, I have tried many other new bikes but have still kept this one. I still love the looks, it handles a dream on country roads, so reliable, and now on 36,000 miles. Never thrashed and still returns over 70 mpg. Also the engine is so smooth and plenty of grunt for a small machine. If I changed the bike and kept that one for 28 years I would be 85! so I think I shall stick with it.

Got my Honda CB350SG with 53,000 miles on it for £300 off eBay Motors. It is solid and it's nick named "The Tank". I have mint Thundercat and have taken the CB350s for 200 mile runs and it is so comfy. If you want to tour about back roads at 60-70 mph then this is ideal. It's a little gem of a bike.

It's modest 33hp enables it to be a good commuter bike or very cheap tourer. Mines lies out side all year with no cover and runs OK, its quite a rare bike nowadays and folk stare at it; it could be they are amazed its still on the road. It is without doubt the most comfy bike I have ever owned (I've owned a few). The petrol tank is a fair size and seems generous by modern standard. Insurance is really cheap (I'm £42 per year with zero NCB). The vibrations is very low much lower than a CB500s I used to own.

Good reliable work bike. You're not going to ride like Rossi on it, but if you're after a work bike or winter bike, this is going to be hard to beat. It'll still do 90 and cruise at 80 -85 (on private roads obviously) and fuel consumption is fair. It's not light but can weave through the traffic quite well and has a good presence on the roads for what is essentially a small bike (it's the same size as my mate's 600).

The Honda CB350SG Tourer is a nice bike to look at - looks a bit like a Bandit and could look very nice with just a small amount of tinkering and aftermarket parts. Engine is quite good but you have to keep an eye on the camchain tensioners or you will damage the head if you dont. Loads of grunt for such a small engine. Still being used by couriers in London. Only problems I have came across is the rear swingarm rotted through and even the replacement had been welded so I assume they had a problem with them. And the bolts on the engine seem to be seized tightly and broke the exhaust manifold studs trying to remove the after market exhaust. Other than that it seems quite a good bike. No doubt you can match up a different swingarm to take care of the rotten ones.