When I bought an old Honda Superdream as a non-runner for fifty quid I thought I was doing pretty well. It wasn't until I tried to take the motor out that I knew I was in big trouble The mounting bolts were seized in. As I suspected that the engine was seized up solid. I lost no time drilling the old bolts out. Several days, numerous broken drill bits and a lot of hassle later the engine was finally lifted out.
Most of the engine bolts snapped off when I tried to remove them. Much sweating and hammering later the crankcases were split, and the cylinder head removed. The poor old cylinder just would not budge; the pistons must've been seized in solid. As the rest of the engine was comprehensively knackered this did not bother me too much.
I had deliberately bought the 250 version for cheaper tax and insurance, but I could only find a cheap 400 motor. A bit of work on the engine with a grinding tool obscured this fact from the world and it was but a morning's work to pop the 400 engine in. But it wasn't until I'd replaced the ignition system that it was willing to burst into life.
What a disappointment after all that work. My first quick run up the road revealed a surplus of vibes, terrible rattles once the engine was pushed above 4000rpm and not much by way of power beyond 70mph. Examination of the engine revealed tappets with way too much clearance, a knackered balance chain and tensioner, plus smoke pouring out of the engine breather, which had been rather carelessly routed on to back tyre.
I took the engine out, had once again a good fight with recalcitrant bolts and enough outpouring of swear words to keep a slang dictionary creator in work for a decade or so. Broken oil rings were the most expensive fault found: the balancer chain problem solved by the simple expedient of removal of the whole gubbins. Camshaft wear was not too bad and even the tensioner looked usable.
Once more installed in the rotting hulk of a chassis, the motor rattled into life first press of the starter and settled down to a more or less even tickover. Joy of joys. Out on the road, most of the vibes had disappeared, just a slight buzz left at higher revs and there was enough power to push the madly weaving monster up to 95mph.
The original bike had done 42000 miles, enough to wear out most of the chassis. Dubious bodges abounded, resulting in various crucial hits such as brake calipers and swinging arm bearings falling apart when threatened with a spanner. The swinging arm bearings were bits of Coke can wound around the spindle and Araldite played a large part in the structural integrity of the front disc caliper and master cylinder. It was an accident looking for somewhere to happen.
A total strip down of the chassis followed, about 200 quids worth of the folding stuff slipping from my grasp in replacement bits which included a newish front end (the forks were bent and pitted, the wheel cracked...), a large pile of bearings from the local factor and a brand new seat and tank from the local dealer for next to nothing, as he was desperate to improve his cash flow.
The reconstructed machine, after some further painting and polishing. looked pretty damn good, but my original fifty pound hack had ended up costing nearly £350. The 400 engine had supposedly done only 24000 miles but anyone who believes breakers needs their head tested, it was in reality not much better than a good 250.
That vibration was less than with a balancer shaft fitted just shows how much of a gimmick was the original design - Honda would have done much better to use some better engine alloy, judging my the way I had to apply weekly doses of Solvol to avoid the dreaded white rash. Fuel consumption hovered around 50mpg for most of the time, which wasn't really acceptable for such a slow bike.
One fast thrash up the motorway, 100 miles in 65 minutes, wrecked even that economy with fuel down to 35mpg. It also almost emptied the sump of oil, only the realisation that something had caused the loose gearbox to become even more prone to false neutrals than normal caused me to check the oil level. After that it always refused to hold top gear. no great loss as acceleration was appalling.
I put another eight thousand miles on the speedo before it broke (the speedo not the bike) and then did probably another 2000 miles before the motor locked up solid at 70mph down a deserted country lane. The chassis still looked like new so the temptation to throw it in the nearby ditch and walk away in disgust was resisted. Luckily I had joined the AA a month previously and much to my surprise they were on the scene very quickly indeed.
Having perfected the art of the quick Superdream engine change I was greatly tempted to do a swap with a neighbour's immaculate example when he wasn't looking — he had only done 10000 summer miles in seven years! However, the local breaker took pity on me and swapped my old engine for a newish one plus a hundred notes. I subsequently learned that he had sold my seized motor as coming from the low mileage bike to some poor sucker.
Again, I was surprised that this low mileage engine vibrated more than my old one, but was reassured by the extra power available. This was more like it, the speedo I'd fitted in celebration of this newer motor fair whizzed around to 110mph and acceleration sufficient to see off a mate's Bonnie up to the ten made my day.
A thousand miles, or so. down the read. both silencers simultaneously disintegrated. Ever run a Superdream on open pipes (some past owner having already welded the rust prone balancer box), it sounds like a tractor falling out of the sky. Good citizens would've waved their hands at me in anger had they not been clamping their ears in anguish as Superdream and I majestically plodded up hill and down dale. The realisation that the drastically altered mixture meant it would not rev beyond 5000rpm soon had me digging through the local breaker's cast-offs for a suitable replacement. Yes, GPz550 silencers can be welded on to Supedream downpipes.
Next, the infamous caliper seized up solid despite the pins having been copiously covered in grease and daily prayers intoned. More hassle and expense. 3000 more miles of trouble free thrashing saw the rear wheel bearings break up whilst I was banked over in a 50mph corner. Talk about shitting yourself. Once l'd picked myself up off the tarmac I rushed over to the machine and kicked it hard enough to hurt my foot. This time I paid up for genuine Honda bearings.
Perhaps because of the great age of the wiring loom, I started experiencing all kinds of electrical faults. Bulbs would blow, the engine started cutting out and the battery lost its charge. An amusing weekend was spent adapting a car wiring loom to fit the Honda. The initial result was that the kill switch and light switch reversed function, and after that was sorted the battery boiled over. One cooked rectifier replaced at great cost (it would have been cheaper to buy a Honda loom after that expense) and all was hunky dory again.
I had become so used to the Honda that chassis limitations rarely bothered me. It might twitch and shake a bit through corners but as long as I remembered to avoid pivoting it on the stand prongs, it could be hurled through on the required line. The frame is a fairly minimal tubular affair, but it's aided by using the engine as a stressed member. Various races revealed that through tight corners the bike could keep up with most middleweight fours if I ignored the chassis saying enough was enough.
The bike came with Roadrunners which were adequate. A set of Michelins impressed until they were worn out in 4000 miles (against 7000 and 11000 miles rear and front for the Avons). I never bought a new chain, having numerous old ones hanging about which took turns to soak in Linklyfe. Similarly, I had acquired enough sprockets and brake pads never to need to line the pockets of my local Honda dealer again.
Oil was changed every 1000 miles although I never bothered pissing around with the oil filter. Engine maintenance was very straightforward but I didn't indulge it too often as everything, even the dreaded tensioners, seemed to stay in tune. Until they've done 25000 miles or more the engines are as tough as any other 400 twin, just so long as they get those regular oil changes.
There are still some low mileage Superdreams around that are well worth buying, anything else though has to be considered a hack that should be run into the ground and abandoned when it fails. Loads of bits in breakers and many knackered examples around for next to nothing. The 400 is the more useful of the two, but also the more expensive. I've still got mine and am hunting down a replacement engine ready for the next transplant.
Derrick Samuel