Drum Brake Shoes (Front) | Honda CB350 / CL350 / SL350

Description

Drum Brake Shoes (Front) | Honda CB350 / CL350 / SL350 K0

The friction material on a fifty-year-old brake shoe lets go of the steel shoe body long before it wears thin. That is how these fail, and it is why the amount of lining left on them tells you almost nothing.

Why You Need This

Brake shoes are the first thing we tell people to change on a vintage Honda, whatever condition the bike is in. We hear from customers that there is still plenty of material left and the brakes feel fine. It does not matter. The bond between the lining and the steel core is what gives out, and when it does you have metal on metal and no front brake.

The front brake does about 80% of the stopping on these bikes, so it is not the place to run original parts on faith. New front shoes have been hard to find for the CB350 family for years, which is why we source ours out of Europe.

Please note: supply has been disrupted, and we may substitute high-quality European-made shoes for the Japanese-made ones. The European shoes may not come with springs, so plan on reusing the springs from your current set.

Specifications

Spec	Detail
Replaces OEM Parts	45120-369-670, 45120-286-000, 06450-369-405, 451A2-369-670, 45133-235-000
Fits Models	CB350 K0–K5 (1968–1973), CL350 K0–K5 (1968–1973), SL350 K0 (1969–1970)
Lining Wear Limit	Replace below 3.0 mm (0.118 in)
Sold As	Sold in sets

Model-Specific Notes

• SL350 K1 and K2: these do not fit. The SL350 K0 uses the larger CB350 front drum; the K1 and K2 take a smaller shoe. Order our Drum Brake Shoes (Front) | Honda CB175 / CL175 / CL200 / SL350 (K1 & K2) instead.
• CB350G (1973): front disc, not drum. You want Front Disc Brake Pads | Honda CB350G.
• CB360: the CB360T (1975–1976) has a front disc. The very early CB360G (1974) shipped with a front drum before the switch to hydraulics. Those bikes take front shoes, but the 360 family has its own page: The CL360 and CJ360 are front-drum, and the whole 360 family has its own page: Drum Brake Shoes (Front) | Honda CL360 / CJ360.
• CB450 and CL450: a larger, physically different shoe. Order our Drum Brake Shoes (Front) | Honda CL450 / CB450.
• Rear shoes are a different part. The front and rear are not interchangeable — see our Drum Brake Shoes (Rear) | Honda CB350 / CL350 / SL350 K0.

Installation

Difficulty: Intermediate

Tools needed: 8 mm and 17 mm wrenches, brake caliper grease, 80-grit sandpaper, brake cleaner

1. Block the engine so the front wheel lifts clear, then disconnect the brake cable, the speedometer cable and the brake stopper arm.
2. Take off the 8 mm nuts holding the lower axle holders. Put a bar through the right side of the axle and use a 17 mm wrench on the left to draw it out. The brake panel comes away with the wheel.
3. Take the brake arm off, pull the brake cam out, then spread the old shoes apart by hand and lift them off the panel.
4. Before anything goes back together, mark the punch marks on the brake arm and the cam. They have to line up on reassembly, and they are easy to lose track of once the parts are apart.
5. Put a light coat of brake caliper grease in the recessed grooves at the pivot and the cam. Honda machined those as grease reservoirs. Keep it sparing and wipe up anything that escapes.
6. Hook the spring onto the shoe, then fit the anchor pin and the cam and assemble the whole thing to the brake panel.
7. Reassemble the hub and set the free play.

Keep grease off the lining. Oil or grease on the friction surface is one of Honda’s listed causes of an ineffective brake. If any finds its way onto the lining, clean it with brake cleaner and wipe it dry.

Prep the drum. If the drum surface has gone shiny, break the glaze back to dull grey with 80-grit sandpaper and follow with brake cleaner. Wear gloves and eye protection, and do not breathe the dust.

Free play. Set the brake lever to 15 to 30 mm of free play measured at the tip. Do the main adjustment at the brake arm on the panel and use the round adjuster at the lever for the last bit.

Frequently Asked Questions

My CL350 has a 19-inch front wheel. Will these still fit?

Yes. Honda fitted the same front brake to both, even though the CB350 runs an 18-inch front wheel and the CL350 runs a 19-inch. The factory service manual lists one front brake across the whole CB250 / CL250 / CB350 / CL350 range.

Are the front and rear shoes the same?

No. They look similar but they are different parts with different lining areas, and they are not interchangeable.

How do I know when mine are worn out?

Measure the lining. Replace it below 3.0 mm. But on a bike this old, look at the bond between the lining and the steel shoe first — that usually fails before the lining wears down, and a shoe with plenty of material left can still be finished.

Do these come with new springs?

Not necessarily. When we are shipping the European-made substitute, plan on reusing the springs off your old shoes.

Are these the CB450 shoes?

No. The CB450 and CL450 take a larger shoe with a different mounting arrangement. Order the CL450 / CB450 front shoes for those bikes.

You Might Also Need

• Front Drum Brake Cable | Honda CB350 / CL350 / SL350 — a frayed or kinked cable undoes everything the new shoes buy you
• Front Wheel Bearing & Seal Kit (Drum Brake) | Honda CB350 / CL350 — the wheel is already off, and the drum hub has no staked retainer to fight
• Drum Brake Shoes (Rear) | Honda CB350 / CL350 / SL350 K0 — do both ends while you are in there
• Front Drum Brake Light Switch | Honda CB350 / CL350 / SL350 — the switch that tells traffic you are slowing down
• Drum Brake Perch and Brake Lever Set — if the lever end of the system is as old as the shoes

Last updated: August 2026