I BOUGHT A HONDA CB250 THAT WAS LEFT ABANDONED FOR DECADES

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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[@dave8204]

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,

[@fozinwozz9738]

Man after my own heart find a bike close to death and bring it back to life recycling bikes well done to you 👍

[@Yorkmedia1]

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

[@stephenlatchford9850]

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) 😊

[@vulcano9200]

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

[@rexeverything100]

Absolute gem, honda build quality from a time when they were built to last, well done great find.

[@kelvinjolley6264]

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.

[@PJ-ml3yy]

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.

[@kelvinjolley6264]

@@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.

[@13conair]

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.

[@wibblywobblyidiotvision]

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.

[@tenbear5]

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.

[@anemone104]

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.

[@markmetcalf7582]

THE CX500 was top heavy and had bad handling its nickname was maggot

[@tenbear5]

@@markmetcalf7582 yup… apt really.

[@TedCornish]

Ahh my childhood friend. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@davidjames-rp6oi]

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.

[@andrewthrossell4053]

Had one in the eighties.very heavy compared to two stoke alternatives but absolutely loved it.brings back so many memories

[@philipcooke122]

My dad had one and I learnt how to ride on it , special memories of the old superdream 😊

[@Busaboy1300]

That bike brings back some memories,I'm defo looking forward to this series that's for sure.

[@Ivorbigaone]

I had one of them 30 years ago, it struggled to go over 60 mph. It was shit then and will still be shit! Cant wait for the next installment

[@douglasaitken3203]

Go on a diet then 😂

[@gordonwalker7792]

The 250 RS was much better, restored one with my Dad-great bike!!!!!!😂

[@tooyoungtobeold8756]

@@gordonwalker7792 I had one in the early 80's. Great bike. Went to Italy two-up with luggage.

[@markrainford1219]

I got a brand new one in 1980, at the same time mum bought a new Astra estate. Few weeks later we had a race on a dual carriageway. I was on the tank, flat out at 85, as mum disappeared into the distance. The shame. Did love the bike though.

[@JohannesC-c9k]

@@gordonwalker7792 Great wee bike.

[@grahamwild4375]

Always use compressed air to blow out the spark plug cavities before removing the plugs… looking forward to this build !!

[@thomaspenman4101]

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❤

[@thomaspenman4101]

My bike was the twin exhausts❤

[@chrismurphy4724]

Aluminium foil does the same thing as it is softer than the parent chrome

[@crazygrandad5540]

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.

[@pauldixon3089]

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. 👍👍

[@jimhedley7459]

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🏍🏍👍👍

[@markbikersfit]

Brilliant had one of these back in the day, good look on the restoration project Rye 👍🏻

[@BikesofRye]

Cool, thanks!

[@markbradshaw1413]

Great project bike. Nice to see these bikes restored

[@michaelmcdermott1877]

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.

[@geoffwilkins9125]

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 !

[@garyburton6833]

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.

[@WoodlandsArchive]

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 :)

[@krisowler367]

I love it. The styling. Its going to be so much easier than the thunder race. Hondas are great.

[@thatscubaguy]

My heart stops Everytime I see you turning screws this old 😂😂… keep em coming mate 👏🏼

[@richardsercombe8070]

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

[@iandunipace]

one of my favourite bikes of the 80s. had two 250s and two 400s. looking forward to this series. 😄

[@michaelmclarney1994]

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 👍

[@MeYou-yz2yz]

Yeah the 400 made sense. The 250N didn't really. I had a CB250 RSA and RD 250 back in the day.

[@michaelmclarney1994]

@@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!

[@MeYou-yz2yz]

@@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.

[@michaelmclarney1994]

@@MeYou-yz2yz thanks for confirming my memory is correct. Interesting that the ft500 fits too, I bet that went well?

[@sjk8273]

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!

[@theogridog]

My Dad had one the exact same colour, looking forward to seeing it come back to life. Good luck ☘️

[@andydomanski2876]

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.

[@johnmaltby8241]

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.

[@geraldhuxtable3835]

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

[@H-M-78]

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.

[@dukie1616]

That’s right Rye keep’m coming we love bike builds, and you sir are becoming quite the builder. Keep up the great work👏

[@BikesofRye]

Thanks! Will do!

[@3647Edd]

Excellent, another series to watch straight after the big Yammy. Bring it on my friend! 😀

[@jota1221]

I would love one of those now. Such great styling.

[@kalaharimine]

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.

[@tenbear5]

Kawasaki all the way… they made the best horny, grunty bikes out there.

[@wisecampmotorcycles8258]

My first bike was a Z250, new in1981 faster than the Honda 😂

[@theriggsworkshop8606]

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

[@jbcXR]

I'm loving it already, can't wait for more vids, also that Thunderace was a peach when you finished it ......👍😀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@BikesofRye]

More to come!

[@stillbreeze99]

My hats off to you sir,, you do like a challenge! Btw,, fast becoming my fave KZbin channel.

[@stevebandit1964]

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.. 😊

[@inglepropnoosegarm7801]

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.

[@garybarfoot9856]

​@@inglepropnoosegarm7801 yeah but the kh is a classic,the superdream aint.

[@paulradcliffe2391]

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 👍

[@iaingraham4107]

Superb,i cant wait to see you saving this as i has a blue 1980 one when i was a lad in 1986.

[@TheDusty1212]

This is the be that got me into biking when I was a kid. Looking forward to this

[@martinthompson54]

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

[@tim_pearson]

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.

[@mattc3656]

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!

[@sgtgrash]

I'm looking forward to this one, it's my era...

[@robinberryman5949]

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

[@tigsdudley6694]

Just wow this is going be my favourite love a barn find bud

[@MarkymarkF12TDF]

Yessss! Another rebuild mate can’t wait great choice of bike.

[@ianwheeler7903]

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.

[@timparker9235]

a lot of us guessed this was the bike, including myself - was kinda hoping you'd found my bike which I had in the 80s, when I was 19, but it was a W reg, so alas you haven't but mine was black - really looking forward to your touch on this. it looks fairly original to me so I hope you can keep it that way. I loved the twin exhausts but so many people swapped them for a 2-1 motad when the originals rotted away. good look with it!!!

[@aawj4749]

Can’t wait to see this bike rebuilt!

[@tichwykes]

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

[@cbrider726]

I have one of these . Waiting for a resto job. It did run well at one time . Good luck with the resto mate .Enjoy 👍👍👍👍

[@johncorbett8360]

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.🤞

[@MeYou-yz2yz]

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.

[@malcolmrowland6438]

Great old bike to do a full restoration on. When you start looking for replacement parts try Wemoto based in Brighton they are really good and great prices, got a lot of stuff off them for my 84 CB 125 twin. Good luck

[@BikesofRye]

Thanks for the tips!

[@alextrigg9913]

Have loved the Blackbird and Thunderace Videos. Good luck with this one. Had one back in the day ..... !

[@BikesofRye]

Many thanks!

[@robertmarsh3588]

Loved the Superdream. Still tempted to buy one all these years later.

[@johnimmins7302]

I will be really looking forward to this rebuild. 😊👍🏍

[@smerd1]

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 😊

[@michaelsnelson2748]

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 !

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

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.

[@tonycat721]

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...

[@MsJimclark]

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.

[@alcoholiday6954]

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.

[@gk73man51]

I had one as my last work hack in 2002 before passing my car test. Big and comfy with great 12v electrics, but wasn’t much faster then the Honda H100 it replaced. Personally I wouldn’t go to the trouble of restoring a 250 as it’s fairly joyless ride and they are complicated for what they offer (3 valves per cylinder, engine full of chains).

[@stephensmith1118]

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

[@lastdimestudios]

You’ve bossed the last 2! This one is in the bag!

[@getupandgo764]

Great channel and looking forward to the Honda, I had once of these almost 40 years ago 😂

[@philallen3261]

Iv never had a Honda always been a Yamaha/Kawasaki/Suzuki 2 stroke fan myself but I’m really looking forward to this one 👍👍

[@kanggoo57]

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.

[@gastramp]

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. 👍

[@hyposapien]

what a fantastic project geeza cant wait to see it in its former glory :)

[@ry491]

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 .

[@jaffamaddin]

You do like a challenge! 😅 good luck...look forward to the next instalment.

[@johnpaulwray4121]

Great bikes they are amazing sure you can get like bran new keep the videos comeing

[@BikesofRye]

That's the plan!

[@badmutherfunster]

250 superdream was my first bike after passing my test, loved it

[@thomaspenman4101]

Thats the exact colour of superdream i once had they are really great to ride❤

[@steverussell9340]

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 !,

[@bliss661]

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.

[@AndyWJP]

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).

[@paultownsend6085]

Really looking forward to this one

[@sinorman231]

interesting, yes a lot of work will look forward to seeing how get on

[@NWSTRX850]

You already deserve a bravery award

[@numptyadventures9207]

Nice machine,look forward to complete strip down

[@BikesofRye]

The easy part!! Me too 😁

[@GrandadTinkerer]

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.

[@matthewharmer1656]

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!!!!

[@BikesofRye]

Motocross bike is priority that is coming next 😊

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

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'

[@stephenplatt2078]

You don't see many around nowadays, Stephen.

[@andrewashman3333]

Excellent choice - that'll test ya.

[@BikesofRye]

Hope so!

[@wizball1]

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

[@jayflash2035]

Flippin heck, is there anybody that didn’t have one of these back in the day???

[@Super-Bike-Joe]

Looks in good shape. Hope motor isn’t to frozen. Careful.

[@ninjaf0x]

This is the second time you are working on a bike i also own. These 250s are about as reliable as anything gets. As long as you got fuel in the tank they will run, well by that i mean, you can remove the battery and take out all the fuses, and you can still turn the key and kickstart it. They have a secondary power system for the ignition which let them run with no battery. I reckon you just need to clean and rebuild the carbs get some new fuel in it and give it a few kicks, well and get some hand controls on it so you can have an ignition switch. Seriously, I ran mine a whole winter without a battery and at one point the main fuse burned out and the only way i noticed was that my blinkers didn't work.

[@rikstar.]

Just stumbled across your KZbin channel.Funny enough is I ve just picked up a cb200 😂 guess we'll be building them up at the same time... mines a bit worse off then yours though. Could even meet up for a ride when their done?