How many of you have had one of these??

Say what you like about the Honda CB250N Superdream (and CB400N) but the truth is, they were incredibly popular back in the day. Nowhere near as beautiful as the Kwak250, but still a lot of bike for the money. I bought a shiny black one in August 1980 from Ken's Motorcycles on the West Rd in Newcastle and paid £820.

I've just bought another one 28 years later and am in the process of refurbishing it. The whole thing is being recorded on a Blog for anyone who's remotely interested

CB250N REBUILD BLOG

In case you think I'm a complete saddite, I also own a 2007 CBR600RR

Regards,

Tom.

www.mcqart.com

If thats what you want to do, then do it, Its nice to see older bikes being put back on the road instead of ending up as scrap.

I 'restored' one a few years ago.  The problem I had was deciding how far to go with the restoration, as I didn't want to spend more than the bike deserved.  In the end the new chain and sprockets and a new rear tyre had probably more value than the rest of the bike.

The rest was essentially cleaning and paint and a few bolts.

It was quite an enjoyable experience, even if the bike didn't really deserve it.  It was oh so crap to ride.  Sooo slow, but a bit of fun nevertheless.  Having said that I've ridden ER5s since that felt no faster.

busaman wrote (see)

If thats what you want to do, then do it, Its nice to see older bikes being put back on the road instead of ending up as scrap.

Some Days You're The Bug, Some Days You're The Windscreen

My Bloggy Thingy   

z650 is fine... honka 250 is a piece of junk tbh... it'll fall apart and like what has already been mentioned will never be worth a fraction of what it'll cost to simply replace the tyres, c&s and replace a few consumable bits... don't get me wrong, there are plenty of bikes out there that have waaaay too much money thrown at them, but they will still be running in another 20 yrs.... a "super" dream won't cos it'll rust out and fall apart long before that.

 if you want something iconic then go for the big GSX's or Z1's... massive following and you'll never want for more grunt

I've had two of them . I can still remember their reg numbers.

CB400N in blue APF240T

CB400N in black DPO831W

PE HEL Performance
PE Maidstone Motoliner Centre
VFR800

SParki wrote (see)

honka 250 is a piece of junk tbh... it'll fall apart ... don't get me wrong, there are plenty of bikes out there that have waaaay too much money thrown at them, but they will still be running in another 20 yrs.... a "super" dream won't cos it'll rust out and fall apart long before that.

Well, considering that this Superdream (along with thousands of others) is still going strong after 28 years, kinda proves you to be wrong. When it comes to longevity, Honda's take some beating.

Until I took ownership of this 250, it had been used daily as a commuter and had ridden through countless winters with no problems. The engine is sweet as a nut and will undoubtedly carry on slugging it out for another few years.

I've rebuilt a few bikes now and have lost a fortune on every single one! I don't do it for the money - that would be crazy - I do it because it makes for a really interesting winter project and it keeps another bike on the road that otherwise might end up in a breakers yard.

Personally, I just love to see bikes like these looking like new and out there on the road being used instead of being in bits on a breaker's shelf....

Certainly beats watching shite telly.

Tom

www.mcqart.com

Do love those bikes you posted there, never seen the attraction for a superdream though.

I loved wandering around Stafford autojumble this year, 70's 80's biking heaven.

I've had a few bikes from Kens over the years, I went the RD, then the LC route.

I'm sure I know your face.

It's not a face you can forget John .  I worked at the Scottish & Newcastle Brewery for just over a year, erecting a new building. I made good friends with a lad up there called Dave Hogg and I can't for the life of me find him again.

The Superdream does seem like an odd choice for a restoration project, but there were two reasons for me choosing it. The first is sentimental - I had one when I was a lad. The second reason is that they are extremely simple to work on which is such a change from some other bikes. We all know that they are incredibly slow and heavy, but when that bike rolls out of the garage completed, I'll still have a great big grin on my face and a feeling of pride in what I've achieved (I hope).

Tom

www.mcqart.com

Not overly enamoured of the Superdreams.

I had a 250 and a 400, both brief encounters (the 250 lasted about 6 months, the 400 a few weeks, mind you it was a dog), but then I never kept a bike for more than a few months in them days.

But the superdreams never gripped me, I had no affinity for them at all, they were just machines. I had literally dozens of cheap middleweights in the eighties; the two I enjoyed most were a Guzzi V50 mk2 (drowned when my garage flooded with 3 ft of river water), and an MZ250, which I comprehensively wrote off. Those two bikes had personalities, I treated them like a faithful hound.

I applaud you for resurrecting this humble bike, but won't be getting too excited about it.

Good on you Tom, nice to se another guy restoring great bikes. I like doing 70-80`s bikes too.. It could be Bloody MZ`s or somthin, it pride aint it!

My last project was this , belive it or not a Honda CB125.

 It was in one hell of a state.. On its side in a over grown garden for 5 years.

From this

to this

My current project is a Suzuki GP100, may be small engines, but its the fun factor and the smile on your face

My current project GP100 (125 really)

From this

to this 

Keep it up..

Alan Haskins wrote (see)

Not overly enamoured of the Superdreams.

I had a 250 and a 400, both brief encounters (the 250 lasted about 6 months, the 400 a few weeks, mind you it was a dog), but then I never kept a bike for more than a few months in them days.

But the superdreams never gripped me, I had no affinity for them at all, they were just machines. I had literally dozens of cheap middleweights in the eighties; the two I enjoyed most were a Guzzi V50 mk2 (drowned when my garage flooded with 3 ft of river water), and an MZ250, which I comprehensively wrote off. Those two bikes had personalities, I treated them like a faithful hound.

I applaud you for resurrecting this humble bike, but won't be getting too excited about it.

I think the appeal of the superdreams in 1979 is that they looked like big bikes, certainly the 250 looked just like the 400 so it was a learner bike that looked like a 'proper' bike.  I recall them not being considered all that good at the time either, particularly the 250 which was pretty overweight, which kinda comes with the territory.

My mate's Benley was much faster than my 250 superdream. 

You're right iBurty - the 250 did seem like a "big bike" and that was part of the appeal I guess (at the time). It's actually heavier than my CBR600RR )

I know what you mean Alan - they are extremely dull - but it's still making for a very interesting project and as much as anything else, it's a trip down memory lane. Bear in mind too, that mine was a brand new one when I bought it, so I'm judging them, from a completely different perspective from you.

Nice one Sats - that's coming on well. I've actually got an old Kwak125 somewhere in the back of the garage!  I might revive that one day - I bought it for my son to do his CBT but he never got into bikes so it's sat there ever since.

Tom

THE REBUILD WEBSITE

!MadDogMcQ wrote (see)

 and as much as anything else, it's a trip down memory lane.

Hang on a minute!

About 28 years ago that a lad down the road got one of those in blue - it was the coolest bike ever when you're a preteen and the first bike I ever remember sitting on

Did you ever hear anyone say “That picture had better be banned, because I might look at it and it might be very damaging to me”

R1 loon wrote (see)

Hang on a minute!

About 28 years ago that a lad down the road got one of those in blue - it was the coolest bike ever when you're a preteen and the first bike I ever remember sitting on

I dunno.  This was pretty cool when I was 17

SParki wrote (see)

z650 is fine... honka 250 is a piece of junk tbh... it'll fall apart and like what has already been mentioned will never be worth a fraction of what it'll cost to simply replace the tyres, c&s and replace a few consumable bits... don't get me wrong, there are plenty of bikes out there that have waaaay too much money thrown at them, but they will still be running in another 20 yrs.... a "super" dream won't cos it'll rust out and fall apart long before that.

 if you want something iconic then go for the big GSX's or Z1's... massive following and you'll never want for more grunt

I think you're missing the point. You have a right to your opinion and clearly you don't like the old Superdream but it will not fall apart unless it is seriously neglected. When someone chooses to rebuild or restore an old bike it is rarely because they look on it as an investment. They do it for the pleasure they get out of the work itself and for the fact it doesn't perform like a powerful modern bike. The attraction comes from this difference. The fun is in getting the best out of it.

You sound like the Brit bike riders in days gone by who said those new-fangled Japanese things will never last. A few years ago I was in Newark, looking in a shop at a 1956 AJS twin. The owner said, "Your bike won't be around when it's 40 years old". He was a little embarrassed when I replied that it was already 21 so I couldn't see any reason  why it wouldn't. It is now 33 years old and going strong. Well he was as wrong then as you are now.