an@hou2h.UUCP (A.NGUYEN) (02/15/84)
If you could afford an extra 100 or 200 bucks, I would look into a Honda 400 instead. I think Honda retired the 360 in favor of the 400 around '77. I had a 360. My brother still has a 400. The 400 doesn't weight much more (10-20 lbs?), is somewhat faster, handles a LOT better, and vibrates a LOT less, especially at high revs (it has a counterbalancer, the 360 does not). The Hawks are also a lot easier to work on: - easier to get to the valves: the whole valve cover comes off, with lotsa room below the backbown tube to work in; the 360 had one tiny hole for each valve; - easier to change the oil filter; the Hawk has a disposable paper filter that comes out after one bolt; the 360 had a centrifugal goo basket and a wire mesh both hidden under the right side cover; you have to remove the footpeg, the rear brake lever, the right side muffler, and the side cover to clean out the oil filtration devices! - easier to clean the air filter; the Hawks have a reusable foam filter under a plastic cover; the 360s have two throw away filters under two covers; to reinstall the covers, you have to poke a 12 inch threaded rod thru one cover and hunt around for the matching hole in the other cover, almost 12 inches away! I can name several other minor points, but suffice it to say Honda learned a lot about making mid-size bikes since the days of the 360 (and the 350 before that). Au Nguyen