I BOUGHT A HONDA CB250 THAT WAS LEFT ABANDONED FOR DECADES
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ส.ค. 2024
- This is my latest project bike a Honda CB250 Super Dream which has been off the road since 1986! This Barn Find is going to require a lot of work. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to get stuck into rebuilding and restoring such an old bike!
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I've had 6 of those over the years,4 250s and 2 400s. Th2 250 used to be a very popular learner bike until the learner limit was dropped to 125 almost overnight when the government got sick of manufacturers ignoring pleas to self-regulate as 2 stroke 250's got faster and faster while casualties soared. Almost overnight 250's were unsellable and people like me with full licences who just wanted a runabout were picking up mint 250s at giveaway prices.
Best thing about these for you is that there are still loads of parts around,even new old stock from places like David Silver in London (who also do good quality pattern stuff) and CMSNL in Holland.
They're easy to work on,the main problem used to be the exhaust box under the engine rotting,
Seeing this video brought it all back to me, I had one brand new in 1980. The slot in the fuel cap, the outline of the clocks, and those FVQ rear shock absorbers ( fade very quickly as we called them), and those iconic comstar wheels. The styling of the bike was called euro style and I had the time of my life on mine clocking up 15 thousand miles in 18 months. The engine has an unusual configuration with three valves per cylinder, two balance shafts and a 360 degree crank, both pistons go up and down together and the engine has a distinctive whine when running. Looking forward seeing this project running again and back to its former glory (ish) 😊
Man after my own heart find a bike close to death and bring it back to life recycling bikes well done to you 👍
I purchased a brand new 250 superdream in 1980 from ryes of Southampton in 15 years i did 40000 miles very reliable never took the head off,best of luck with this one.
I live in Bournemouth and went down to Ryes in Southampton in 1981 on my 'V' reg 250 Superdream to take a look round. If my memory serves correct a brand new 'X' reg was £750. The SD handled well but lacked the top speed of the light weight Yamaha RD250. Mates of mine would borrow my Superdream to take the motor cycle test as it was viewed as being more sensible than the boy racer Yamaha.
@@PJ-ml3yy I bought my 250N in June 1980 I still got the original invoice, it cost £729 it was the last year with a kickstart as well as electric.
omg you have now given me nitemares ! i had a 250 and then a 400 (wet dream) in the late 80's early 90's in my AddisonLee days as a courier in London the best thing about the 250/400 was the comfy seat, it was slow to say the least it just seemed to rev but go no where, got rid and aquired a CX500 oh was that so so good.
To be honest, the maggot was only barely better than the spurterdream. Another AL rider, '94/95, having moved over from A1 Couriers. I got shut of the maggot to get a 550/4 and then a GPz 500 when that died after 3 weeks.
lol…. i was at West One and rode the company ‘Dream’…. almost put me off biking for life…. and yes, the CX was a workhorse, but jeeze what another gutless windbag it was! These bikes cultivated a hatred of all things Homda and set me on a lifelong path to kawasaki ownership.
We called Superdreams 'wet dreams' too. Their predecessors were 'fat dreams'. And had kickstarts. 400 dream carbies go on GS400s and make 'em go much better, without all the splitting diaphragm malarkey.
THE CX500 was top heavy and had bad handling its nickname was maggot
@@markmetcalf7582 yup… apt really.
I love the Honda 250 N super dream I had the 125 version of that bike I’m really glad you’re restoring this bike a lot of people wouldn’t bother with it but I do like 80s Japanese bikes
My dad had one and I learnt how to ride on it , special memories of the old superdream 😊
Absolute gem, honda build quality from a time when they were built to last, well done great find.
I used to courier on those old superdreams back in the 1980s. They were gutless, but fairly reliable old bikes. Pull the carbs off it and give them a clean out. Clean the ignition coil connections, put a temporary fuel supply tank on it, new battery and bridge the solenoid connections it will fire up, I guarantee it. I'm a Honda trained mechanic myself, and I get loads of these old machines running with very little effort. They were just well engineered bikes from that era.
I had a CB250G5 back in the day, one of the super dreams predecessors. It wasn't very quick as I remember ( 85 downhill with a following wind🤣) but it was reliable and great fun.
You don't see many super dreams ( or G5's) about now so I think it's well worth saving. 👍👍
I bought a new blue one in 1979 for £895 on the road , it was a great bike , a few of my friends had them too , sort of remembering seeing 85 ish on the speedo , for a 250 it was a big ish bike , I went for the super dream over the the other 250s as I wanted a four stroke for reliability , enjoy the restoration rye🏍🏍👍👍
They used to laugh at them in the early 80’s when the RD , KH , X7 and the mighty RDLC’s were learner legal but my mate bought a black one like that and put a 2 into 1 laser pipe on it. It was a beauty
had one around that time, 2ndhand, used to ride from southampton to winchester where i worked.very reliable, sold it to a workmate, he carried on riding it for years from basingstoke to winchester.
Great project bike. I love those small capacity engines from the 70's and 80's. Try to find a CB 175 it also a fun bike to restore and ride. Take special care to those CB 250 carbs cause they are a bit tricky to tune. Best of luck
Oh the memories. I had a blue coloured one in the mid 80s. It was classed as a learner bike then. Also had a CB200 too. I’d have either again to be fair.
Always use compressed air to blow out the spark plug cavities before removing the plugs… looking forward to this build !!
Ahh my childhood friend. Thank you for sharing 😊
Had one in the eighties.very heavy compared to two stoke alternatives but absolutely loved it.brings back so many memories
Keep it "battle damage" Just pull the carburettors, fixing the fuel system and get some new oil.
It was good that you removed the plugs before cranking it over avoiding that deteriated ait filter get sucked in. Personally I would have used a spanner on the crankshaft, by removing one of the engine covers, more control.
The CB250 looked the part I thought back then, but I bought a Z250 instead, still miss my Zed. Good luck with the project Boet.
Kawasaki all the way… they made the best horny, grunty bikes out there.
My first bike was a Z250, new in1981
faster than the Honda 😂
I put my student (taxpayers) beer money into a second hand 400 super dream. Pure nostalgia watching you at work. Looking forward to more nostalgia, as I stripped it down to replace the main bearings in my student accommodation . Went on to do three days of courier work before it seized again !
Just watching the intro, it looks all original and rescuable to me. I had 2 of the 400 versions in my youth and found them great bikes. The 400 was only 6lb heavier and a nice power to weight balance for the time. Im behind with your projects and am looking forward to this 👍
Yeah the 400 made sense. The 250N didn't really. I had a CB250 RSA and RD 250 back in the day.
@@MeYou-yz2yz the 250 RSA was a better option regarding power to weight ratio as it was much lighter. Am I correct that the camshaft ran directly in the head rather than in bearings? I seem to remember something like that. The RSA was a livelier performer and much less bulky. I remember my mate had a 250 super dream and I always got much better mpg from the 400 too!
@@michaelmclarney1994 Yes the cam bearing was machined as part of the head. My engine made it to over 50,000 miles and spun a main bearing at which point it got replaced with an FT 500 engine which fits perfectly but can't fit the head steady brackets because the 500 engine is a bit taller.
@@MeYou-yz2yz thanks for confirming my memory is correct. Interesting that the ft500 fits too, I bet that went well?
one of my favourite bikes of the 80s. had two 250s and two 400s. looking forward to this series. 😄
Brilliant had one of these back in the day, good look on the restoration project Rye 👍🏻
Cool, thanks!
I love it. The styling. Its going to be so much easier than the thunder race. Hondas are great.
I wrote a book about my restoration of a superdream i found 4 superdreams that hadnt been touched in years and i had to cut them out if the bushes.. Im really looking forward to this build.. Something a little different.. Nice one
Loved the Superdream. Still tempted to buy one all these years later.
My heart stops Everytime I see you turning screws this old 😂😂… keep em coming mate 👏🏼
Needs a polish.
I'm looking forward to this one, it's my era...
All the people dissing this bike are obviously unaware of the fact the Superdream outsold ALL OTHER 250s PUT TOGETHER at one time. Big bike looks/feel, economy and the luxury of an electric start clearly more important than performance figures. Priorities weren't the same back in the day.
I learnt and passed my test on one of these in the early 80's. It truly was gutless, but IMHO probably a wiser choice to cut your teeth on than something like an X7. Really looking forward to how this progresses. Good luck!
This is one heck of a barn find, cant wait for you to work your magic on this one. Always liked these bikes but never actually owned one.
Rye nice to see you taking on an interesting variety of restorations, take no notice of any negativity towards the old ' Wetdream ' lol ! .. those of us old enough all owned one back in the 80s didn't we ? I actually liked riding mine, nice smooth gearbox and comfortable handling.. 😊
I had one too, a beautiful blue one, with a full fairing that cut the top speed a fair bit but made long distance travel in winter considerably more bearable. Mine had 25k on the clock when I got it and I put a few more on it before poverty made me sell it for next to nothing. It was a great bike. Electric start was a great bonus and pretty rare on 250s at the time. It never let me down, unlike the Kawasaki KH250 that I had before it that never ran properly. I loved mine and have very fond memories of it.
@@inglepropnoosegarm7801 yeah but the kh is a classic,the superdream aint.
It’s an old Honda, check for spark, oil and compression, superdreams need a battery for the ignition system to work -then shoot some easy start down the carbs, momentarily short the starter solenoid and watch it come to life!
I used these bikes for local courier work in the early nineties. Just rode them into the ground and picked up another one, they were dirt cheap. Hated to go on the motorway with them though, lucky to hit 60 with the wind behind you lol.
Had a few Wetty's over the years, as gutless as they were i really liked it for commuting and i road from Exeter to the Kent custom bike show!
Takes me back to my first motorcycle. I nearly bought the “ super dream “ I plumped for the Kawasaki Z250 scorpion! And promptly rode to the South of France….. younger days eh !,
I found that using soapy brillo pads brilliant for removing surface rust on the wheels and exhausts give it a try with warm water it does not scrath the chrome guys❤
My bike was the twin exhausts❤
Aluminium foil does the same thing as it is softer than the parent chrome
I'm loving it already, can't wait for more vids, also that Thunderace was a peach when you finished it ......👍😀🏴
More to come!
Nice one fella 👍
Hope you're doing a full restoration on this. Would make a good video series build 👍
I would suggest investing in a Hayes manual if you haven't already 👍
Keep up the great work 👍
I bought a non running V reg 250 superdream as a project in the early 1990's. After the time and effort getting in on the road I was so disappointed with it.
Too much weight for the amount of power it had, later on the generator windings failed which is apparently a common fault with older models.
check cam chain sprocket on cylinder head for worn teeth and check the cam chain tensioner , simple bikes to work on, and cheap as chips..... looks like a great bike
I bought mine new in 1979/80 no kick start on mine either so yours should be a NA model. Will be watching with interest to see how you get on. I could get the front foot pegs to make sparks on most roundabout. Great days
My uncle let me have a go on his in the early eighties, I rode it 200 yards turned around and gave it back.😮 it was only slightly better than his xs250 he had before it. It was terrible.mind you i was tearing it up on a 350lc at the time.. Happy days. Good luck with the build.🤞
Wow I'd forgotten about the awesomeness that wasn't the XS250. I knew someone who replaced his rd200 with the "custom'. Sr 250 single Yamaha. He was more than disappointed.
My hats off to you sir,, you do like a challenge!
Btw,, fast becoming my fave TH-cam channel.
Hi John here, you will get there. Plenty of part's out there. I pasted my bike test in 1981 on my super dream deluxe 250 payed, £925 new. Now I have same bike same colour metalic red.its a 81 model 36,000 miles. Gets lots of attention. Good luck.
I've got a CB400N which I bought a couple of years ago. It had day in a conservatory as an ornament for 20years previously. I love and now ride and cherish it !
My first bike was a CB 400n. I can still recall fond memories of it today. Rode from sweden to yugoslavia on it and back again one summer. Nice and reliable bike, not so fast :)
I'll be watching this eith interest as I have similarly dilapidated CB250N in my garage in need of restoration. Hopefully, your rebuild will give me the enthusiasm that I'm currently lacking, to get it done.
Never had one of these, only used parts. On a GS400. 400N carbs were an improvement, so was the regulator/rectifier and switch gear. Fork legs were a straight swap after a meeting with a twit in a Ford Onion. Gear lever on a 250K4 after getting sideswiped by a Mercedes pulling an illegal manoever in traffic. Never had the dosh for one of these when they were 'current' so it was a K4 (superdreams' predecessor's predecessor's predecessor) for £45, covered in a mix of brick dust and congealed flour. Put well over 50k miles on that.. K4s went well.
Make sure you get rid of that bloody top box & mounting frame, spoils what was, in it's day quite a pretty bike! I had one so will be following your journey
That’s right Rye keep’m coming we love bike builds, and you sir are becoming quite the builder. Keep up the great work👏
Thanks! Will do!
Excellent, another series to watch straight after the big Yammy. Bring it on my friend! 😀
You do like a challenge! 😅 good luck...look forward to the next instalment.
Bought a new cb400t Dream in 1978 and I really liked it, basically the same bike as you have but with a more rounded tank. The engine did expire at 25k though. Delighted you are restoring this one.
That is going to be a damn sight easier than your thunderace. They're fairly primitive and you've got lucky with one that's been well 'kept'.
My brother wanted the 400cc version but failed his bike test first time around so he got the 250 version instead. Apparently if they were run in too slowly, they were always slow. So needed running in with a bit of 'enthusiasm'
In 81. I Had a Z250 my mate had a GSX250 and a friend had a CB250 My Z felt the fastest but my memory of riding the CB was its quality ride.
I would love one of those now. Such great styling.
Thats the exact colour of superdream i once had they are really great to ride❤
All the best with this one. I grew up when the CB250 and CB400 Superdream were new, I always wanted the 400, but never got near one
I bought a new black 400 NB Super dream in 1982 and kept it until 1997 when my son sold it. I I believe it is still on the road until this day. I enjoyed my time owning it.
I bought one new in 1980, £999. Rode it 4 years then went in garden shed for 2 years after ignition problems. Tank rusted through and sold it to gang of kids for £80 as a non runner.
My first motorcycle was a Honda CM-185 Twin Star. I put 36,000 miles on her in the 1 1/2 years l had the bike.Rode all over the state of Florida.She introduced many people to the love of 2 wheels.
I’ve owned a few Superdreams over the years , great bikes in their own right my current one I’ve owned almost 12 years and is in use all year round so no show pony I really don’t think I could have got a better bike for ease of use and extremely cheap to own and run , tax costs zero and historic vehicle so no mot necessary but advisable I reckon I get between 50 and 60 smiles to the old gallon and I love the old thing , I shall be watching this as I’m sure I shall learn something and it will make me smile which ain’t a bad thing 🤟
I seem to remember the generators on these were well known for failing.
A mate of mine had a second hand bike parts shop, and it seemed that somebody was looking for a replacement every other day.
The genuine Honda part was some ridiculous price - of course!
Interested to see if yours has survived.
Nice to see a UK bike resto channel. I have, of course, subscribed.
Have loved the Blackbird and Thunderace Videos. Good luck with this one. Had one back in the day ..... !
Many thanks!
I bet it wouldn't take much to get it running either given its condition, nice find I'm surprised it doesn't have a kick starter unless I'm thinking of the Honda Dream the previous model? I hope this one gets a more sympathetic restoration & back into standard spec I shall be watching closely
My Dad had one the exact same colour, looking forward to seeing it come back to life. Good luck ☘️
Nice man! ive got the CB400N, same bike but bored higher and twin disc in front! My plans are basically to turn it into a tokyo revengers replica. Wide tires and some upgrades, while keeping it looking fairly stock.
I reckon this might have to be a nut and bolt restoration. Keep at it.
Take no notice of the negstives here . They are pretty bikes and nice to ride . I bought one new in the day and loved it . Carbs can be a nightmare but the rest is easy . I now have a Rebel 250 . Similar bike but cruiser style . They aren't fast but are rugged and great to ride. Have fun with it . Subbed immediately . Looking forward to seeing how you go on with it .
They where always known as an old mans bike/commuter/courier hack when I was young. My mate used to borrow his dads when his RGV was off the road, and it wasn't as quick as my RD125LC. Not a fan of the bike but I'll stick around to see the struggle as I'm a bit sick like that. Good luck👍
Love it, I had a superdream 250n cafe racer in the early 80's full yoshi system Tomaselli clip ons , steering damper, racing rear sets bikini fairing I loved it 😊
The wheels on those Hondas seem to stay in great condition for absolutely years.
Uggghhh! I had a few of those in the 80s. Am interested, in the same as watching a horror movie though your fingers! Wouldn't want to own a 250 again (I could consider a 400). As I recall, all of the 250s had dodgy generators/ alternators. They actually handled really well.
80's i had a 250 super dream (wet dream)..... i love that flipping bike did dispatch for over 5 years NOT ONCE DID IT LET ME DOWN..... rain snow what ever and it would always fire up first time...
Do a lambretta pal , you’ll absolutely love the can of worms it opens up and would be great for your channel
This is the be that got me into biking when I was a kid. Looking forward to this
The crazy thing about this.
New fuel, new air filter. She will fire straight up. Its a bombproof honda.
This looks like it went away clean. Mostly cosmetic.
Cool .... a kid rode this to my school back in 89 when the rast of us on a 2 stroke 100cc😅
I had a 250N wet dream back in the 80s. My one was the same colour as yours. It was pretty gutless, but started every morning for the commute into work. I also seem to remember that it did around 60MPG.
I had one from brand new. 😊 Had CB100 then that 250 then CB 750 then CB900 then 30 odd other super bikes.
Hi can't wait to see you finishing it of. I used to have one of them, good fixing it. From marty in Belfast northern Ireland God bless
I got one for 30 pounds cleaned it up it looked brand new i got rid of the surface rust with soap filled brillo pads
2:42 I had a red one for years, really comfortable, watch the front lower engine mount bolts, they rust and get stuck in place really bad. Easy to work on bikes ,try David silver motorcycles for r spares. What about the motocross bike!!!!
Motocross bike is priority that is coming next 😊
iconic bike from the 80s, but overshadowed by the two strokes, Yamaha RD and Suzuki x7 but still a great choice.
Great bikes they are amazing sure you can get like bran new keep the videos comeing
That's the plan!
That bike brings back memories
I just picked up an XS250, it was a freebie. I’m going to be getting it into a useable state. I can’t believe you didn’t notice it had no switchgear until you’d got it home 🤭
Good luck with it… keep an eye on mine as I’ll post some more content soon. Really got to finish my old car first. 👍
Can’t wait to see this bike rebuilt!
Everyone saying they're gutless.... mine used to do 95 2 up with no modifications other than regular maintenance.
Also used to help marshal bike races alongside the Police, they lost me on straights but the 250 was more flickable than a big bogie in double maths, I held my own. Damn I miss those days.
I'm 57 just retired. My new hobby. Restoring old motorcycles from my teenage years. I'm looking for a yamaha rd lc 250. Good luck 👍
I've got a soft spot for superdreams having had two. Put 25000 miles on each of them one had 7,000 miles and one had 20,000 miles when I bought them. No trouble with them at all.
I had two of these in the 80s. They were ok but felt gutless cuz they were over geared. 70 top speed was a typical top speed for 250s. Go down a tooth from 15 to 14.
Should be fun to restore. I owned one decades ago and did my own maintenance so may jog old memories. The bolts and corrosion already looking familiar. Whatever you do, don't fit the original Yokohama tires (no grip causing me to crash simply following a mate around a bend).
I have a 79 superdream not fast but love it as much as my big bikes
You don't see many around nowadays, Stephen.
I’d do a ace cafe style build, my opinion.
May consider this....
Or scrambler/Brat style...👍🏻