Most of the Superdreams were acquired as old hacks on their last legs. A few were already dead, bought for as little as twenty quid. The steady stream of bikes coming into my garage over the past three years has meant that my motorcycling costs have been minimal.
I have one decent chassis with a couple of spares for everything and two CB250N motors. These OHC, three valve twins are not difficult to work on, though the mixing and matching of different engine components does mean they rarely last for more than 12000 miles, No great hardship as I can put in the spare motor in less than an hour!
One motor has a reasonable condition balancer system, the other has it removed completely. Both vibrate but at different rev ranges. I prefer the balancer fitted as it gives a smooth 65 to 75mph cruising speed. A balancer with decent components can be left for about 6000 miles before the rattles become too intrusive. The later model engine has a simplified tensioning system and takes about 30 minutes to adjust.
By no stretch of the imagination could an old CB250N be called fast. I have a seventies CB175 in the garage, as well, with only 7 thou on the clock, which can see off the Superdream in both acceleration and top speed. But, the N is competent up to 80mph, is large enough to be comfortable, handles quite well with Sebac shocks and CB400N front end (for its twin discs), and only rarely does it let me down on the road.
I know when the engine’s due to fail because there’s a significant increase in vibes and drop off in performance. I usually swap motors before it blows, as the crankshaft itself is very tough and there is no point writing it off by having bits of valves or pistons running around the crankcases. The top end, camchain, pistons, balancer system and gearbox selectors are most likely to be worn out. No one thing has consistently failed, it's just general wear rather than any particular weak spot. When an engine had done more than 75000 miles expect the teeth to strip off gear cogs and crankshaft bearings to go.
The one on the road seizure I had was due to my pushing my luck with 12500 miles on a rebuilt engine that had originally come out of a chassis that’d done 92000 miles. That kind of mileage on a Superdream means the only original parts left on the whole bike are probably the frame and the electrics (spares are rare, though, as Suzuki GS owners keep stealing them). The rest of the stuff has either rotted through, broken up or fallen off.
I'd become involved in a race with an RD250. Unlikely and unduly ambitious, perhaps, but he was two up and the engine smoked like it was badly worn. The road: were curvy and the CB's chassis competent and responsive, at least in the dry when the Metz's behaved themselves. A far from standard two into one exhaust (stock collector boxes are very quick rot), lack of centre stand and stiffer suspension meant the bike could be heeled over until my boots scraped the tarmac - going any further makes the bike fall off the edge of the tyres and hurts!
The Superdream pretended to be sluggish when hurled through a series of bends but all it really needed was a bit of muscle power. No problem, I told myself, as I took the engine into the red in fourth coming out of the curve. I was actually ahead of the RD at that stage, so snuck up to fifth before my vision was blurred from the vibes, which would have made even a Bonnie owner cry. Fifth turned out, by way of the imprecise and unpredictable gear change that went really vile if engine oil wasn’t changed every 500 miles, to be a false neutral.
The engine responded to 15000 revs by hammering the pistons with the valves then locking up solid. I was already pulling the clutch in, being woken up by the explosion of metal. The locked up back wheel was only able to skid a yard each side as I flicked out of the corner into a conveniently placed hedge. Just my luck to pick the one bush in the whole country that had a bloody great bloated snake inside it, caught in the process of swallowing a rodent. He cleared off before I had a chance to scream.
The RD rider found the whole experience hilarious, reckoned he hadn't laughed so much since one bike mag proclaimed the Superdream a classic, which even I will admit is taking sucking up to readers a bit too far. His dad had a van, for the petrol money he’d come to take us home. Reluctantly, I agreed, as the CB was impossible to push with twisted forks and bent wheel. Overnight, I'd fitted the spares and second engine, shocked the RD owner by turning up at his house the next day, but we didn’t repeat the race.
That kind of madness really was pushing the Honda too hard and just asking for a fall from grace. Within the speed limits of the land the bike was capable of cruising for 400 miles in a day with comfort that was better than many so-called tourers. The CB had an excellent riding position and new seat that was supremely comfortable. The vibes and road shocks were merely taken as a test of my manhood. The only things I had to watch out for were heavy oil consumption and poor economy (about 150 miles per litre and 40 to 45mpg).
Doing that kind of mileage on what to many people would be termed a rat bike may seem incredible but between rebuilds the motor was generally robust. Anyone with extended exposure to the Superdream experience will soon pick up on any unusual rattles, vibrations or reluctance to accelerate, allowing them to avoid on the road failures.
I mentioned earlier that the electrics are more robust than most, but eventually the switches fail and the wiring rots away. Any sign of problems turn up as either blowing bulbs or a misfiring engine. The rectifier/regulator or alternator are unlikely to give any trouble, though bikes that are so old and worn that they give out constant churning vibration can ruin the electronic ignition module, which results in a dead motor.
I actually bought one bike as a non-runner for fifty quid and got it going within half an hour merely by replacing the ignition. I needn't have bothered really, as the whole bike was so worn out that it would be on the scrap heap within 1000 miles, which perhaps illustrates how well Honda sourced components so that they would all wear out within a couple of thousand miles of each other. Built in obsolescence rules!
The last CB250N was built twelve years ago but there are still a few low mileage examples on offer for £500 to £700. Most are rats by now but as shown it’s possible to buy a couple of bikes for spares and keep it on the road for next to nothing. Honda sold loads of the things before the 125 law came in and ruined the whole scene, and they still have the virtues of cheap insurance and spares. I find mine very versatile, very cheap and, er, very nice! Anyone wants to off-load any old Superdreams let me know via the UMG.
Chuck Davenport