If You Build it, They Will Come: “Knievel” from Freeland Motorcycles…
The Honda CJ360T appeared in 1976 as a stripped-down bare-bones version of the CB/CL360 twins. It had a five-speed transmission instead of six, no electric starter / center stand / pinstriping, scarce chrome, and only came in candy Antares red paint. These minimalist details brought both the price and weight down for a whole new generation of young adventure-seekers.
“The 53” wheelbase and 3.6” of trail makes the bike nimble and quick to change direction. That makes it a real gas to sling around corners on…blacktopped back roads.” –Ultimate Motorcycling
Recently we heard from Ronnie Hansen of Burbank, California’s Freeland Motorcycles — a Socal native who spend over a decade collecting pre-’78 Japanese bikes as a sideline to his work in television. The goal was quite the noble one at the time: buy low, sell low.
“In between shows I would fix up these bikes with the goal of: buy low, sell low. There was a desire for Honda CB’s at the time, but never in a good rideable condition for a price that the everyday person could afford. So I priced my early builds so that when, or if, they wanted to move on from it, the price allowed them to walk away clean, or possibly even make some money.”
Four years ago, Ronnie decided to quit television and open his own shop…just four months before the pandemic ground the world to a halt. But some folks find a way to turn such misfortunes into positives, and Ronnie squeezed the juice from those hard times.
“Like any business at that time, I had to scramble and continue to find a way to keep the shop open. But because of that pressure it pushed my creative vision forward and I was able to teach myself how to build the custom bikes that I envision.”
You see the product of those learnings here: “Knievel.” A 1976 CJ360 frame now running a six-speed CB360 engine and burlier SL350 front end.
“This bike was originally built as a one-off proof of concept, with the intention of finding its right home after the fact. If you build it, they will come… It started as an homage to 70’s MX bikes but street legal and fun to ride.”
Highlights include the retrofitted Benelli Mojave tank, lovely gold frame and black and gold livery (done in-house), custom rear loop / saddle / full fenders, 2:1 Cerakoted exhaust, twin Mikuni carbs, updated electronics with Charlie’s Place e-ignition, and much more.
There’s something about the tall stance and lithe, graceful looks that reminds us of a desert antelope — a vintage enduro that begs to bound across the lonesome roads and wind-burned vistas of Southern California like the desert sleds of old. It’s one hell of a build to hang your name on, and we look forward to showing you more from Freeland Motorcycles in the near future.
Below, we talk to Ronnie for the full details on “Knievel.” Credit for the photos goes to Dillon Lane.
Honda 360 Scrambler / Vinduro: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I’m Ronnie Hansen, and I was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA. I’m the owner operator of Freeland Motorcycles in Los Angeles. I worked in television for over ten years, which allowed me to travel the country and collect pre-78’ Japanese bikes. That’s sort of where this all began.
In between shows I would fix up these bikes with the goal of: buy low, sell low. There was a desire for Honda CB’s at the time, but never in a good rideable condition for a price that the everyday person could afford. So I priced my early builds so that when, or if, they wanted to move on from it, the price allowed them to walk away clean, or possibly even make some money.
About 4 years ago, I decided to turn my hobby into my full time, which meant leaving television and opening Freeland. Unfortunately I opened the shop 4 months before Covid hit, and like any business at that time, I had to scramble and continue to find a way to keep the shop open. But because of that pressure it pushed my creative vision forward and I was able to teach myself how to build the custom bikes that I envision.
We now build cafe racers, dual sports, hardtails and full restorations at the shop here in Burbank, CA. Though we are not open to the public, we offer appointments at our amazing location not far off the I-5 and have built a great relationship with the neighborhood, local business owners, and the great people of this area.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
It started out as a 1976 CJ360 frame. We added a CB360 engine and an SL350 front end.
• Why was this bike built?
This bike was originally built as a one off proof of concept, with the intention of finding its right home after the fact. If you build it, they will come. It became our shop bike for a while, using it for errands or as the third bike on some rides.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
It started as an homage to 70’s MX bikes but street legal and fun to ride. Switching the engine from the 5 speed CJ360 motor to the 6 speed CB360 motor really gave it some low end fun.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
- Benelli Mojave tank was retrofitted to fit the bike.
- Custom frame-up paint job, done in house.
- Custom black leather seat
- Electronics box houses AntiGravity Lithium-Ion Battery, Ignition switch, upgraded Fuse box and Reg-Rec.
- Custom rear fender that mounts over the rear frame hoop, the hoop also being fabricated in house.
- 2-1 Cerakoted Exhaust
- Custom Front fender and bracket that doubles as a headlight
mount - Small LED front & rear turn signals
• Does the bike have a nickname?
“Knievel” as we call it, a name coined by my father, after seeing it in person for the first time. He said he felt the essence of Evil Knievel and told me to line up the kids in the neighborhood.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
This bike is like riding a lightweight, tall stanced, vintage MX bike, that absolutely rips both on & off road. The riding position is upright and active. The 6 speed transmission makes for a snappy first few gears, with plenty of room to glide into highway speeds.
The two Mikuni VM’s open it up and make for a quick fuel delivery system that likes some throttle and that’s a welcome upgrade from the stock carbs. Another honorable mention would be to the upgraded electronic ignition and charging system from Charlie’s Place which is here locally in Burbank. I use his e-ignitions on all my metric bike builds.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I’m quite proud of the stance of the bike and specifically the paint scheme. With using the vintage Benelli tank, which isn’t perfect, I think we accomplished an aesthetically pleasing nod to vintage style. Sometimes less is more.
Follow the Builder
Instagram: @freelandmotorcycles
Facebook: Freeland Motorcycles
Web: www.freelandmotorcycle.com
Photo credit: Dillon Lane
Beautiful and the tank is spot on less is more ,looks British where all the best desert sled come from very Triton looking say it again beautiful
Y’know, I’ve learned with these articles to just look at the pictures and skip the text. Why? Because all y’all do is just repeat verbatim the interview with the builder when you write the article. The interview then becomes redundant. Why not just can the lazy journalism, save us some time and tedium, show us the pictures, and get right to the interview?
The interviews are really included as an addendum for anyone who wants to delve deeper into the details. On their own, they don’t have much narrative structure, so we try to draw out the story of the build and make it more compact and streamlined, then include the raw material. Sometimes that’s easier done than other times. Unlike other publications, we do show the raw skeleton behind the story, which gives more detail to readers if they want it but also makes it easy for folks to think they could do a better job themselves. C’est la vie!
Looks like a real handfull, when you hit a road berm at speed. Why not “zokes from a VR370, Works Performance shocks? And lower that frame. I hit a small rock on my ’70 CL350, and it almost pitched me off. These things handle real bad, without big mods. Headshake like a CR480 with a foxtail up it’s nose. Looks nice to ride to the 7-11 for some beer though. Good luck.