CB350 Candy Gold Paint Question

[jamesgraulty]

I have CB350 which is titled as 1971, with a manufacture date on the S/N plate attached to the frame of 12/71. As far as I know, 1971 CB350's would be known as Model K3. K3 Models had serial numbers ranging from CB350-3000001 to 3999999. 1971 K3 models had the headlight bucket painted same as the tank, etc. But my 1971 (as per the title) which is Candy Gold color, has a black headlight bucket, and larger 350 badging on the side covers, which is consistent with the K4 model. And K4 Models are supposed to have S/N's ranging from 4000001 to 4999999. My S/N is CB350-4040524. So I've concluded from this much research that although the bike is titled as a 1971, it is indeed a K4 Model, which may mean it's actually a 1972. When I look up painted parts in the Honda parts catalogue I find a that CB350, K2, and K3 show "Candy Gold" in the description, and for the K4 it says "Candy Gold Custom". And the part numbers for K0, K2, and K3 have a suffix of CQ, while for K4 it is LX.


My question is: Does anyone know if there is a real difference between "Candy Gold" vs. "Candy Gold Custom"?

Note: About 10 years ago I was able to find NOS Candy Gold side covers with the K3 part numbers. The only difference I can see is what you'd expect with the fresh paint on the side covers vs. the 45 year old original paint on the tank.

[jlh3rd]

this is from the official honda identification guide. It says both years are candy gold. You do have a K4.

[jamesgraulty]

That's what I thought. I don't know if it should have been titled 1972 since it is a K4, especially since the manufacture date is 12/71. I'm not really worried about it. I was just curious. So when someone asks, I have a 1971 (as per the title) Candy Gold Model K4 CB350.

Thank you for the reply.

[jlh3rd]

i'm not an expert, but since i've had an unrestored 550F since 1994, and have done a lot of research, I've learned that Honda, plate dates, and titles can be ....confusing to say the least. For example, a 1975 Honda, if it was sold by the dealer in 1976, could title the bike as a 1976....or a 1975, depending on how the state laws were.
It appears ,in your case, because your frame is 12/71, they chose to title yours as a 71....it is a 1972 however, your bike was released for sale in February of 1972......
So , my frame on my 1975 Honda says 12/74, that is just the frame date. ......The 1975 550F didn't debut until march of 1975. It was titled as a 1975. This just means that Honda built the frame in 12/74.....and the frame sat around until honda put a motor on it to assemble the bike .....who knows when. So, maybe, in the state your bike was initially titled in the 70's, my bike would have been titled as a 1974.....who knows......
There are some data plates that state the model year specifically. I don't know when honda started or stopped that...
If you start researching this topic , you'll see just how Honda titles can be confusing......hope this helps....

[jamesgraulty]

Yes that helps. I do understand the distinctions now. But I'm still trying to figure out if there's any difference between "Candy Gold" and "Candy Gold Custom" paint, other than the name. The only reason I question it is that in the Honda parts catalog for painted parts on K3 and previous models, like the air cleaner side covers, its called "Candy Gold" and the part number has CQ at the end. For K4 models they call it "Candy Gold Custom" and LX at the end of the part number. Maybe it's just a name change. Not an issue for me, just curious. Did the paint formula change I wonder? If so, I've never noticed or been aware of that in my time being around these old Hondas.

Thanks again for the input.

[jlh3rd]

A44733FF-2385-4933-8BC3-967A3044BE9C.jpgthere does appear to be two different colors....y-2c ( cq )...and y-2cc (lx).......can't help with " is there a difference "
Lx does exist aftermarket, i'm sure cq does to........honda did weird things, and honda paint codes until the 80's were not really paint codes ,they were not formulas, just paint product numbers.

[jamesgraulty]

Interesting. Thanks again for reply.