I BOUGHT A HONDA CB250 THAT WAS LEFT ABANDONED FOR DECADES 

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

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 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❤

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.

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).

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 !

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 !,

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'

I bought a mk1 250 Superdream for £400 IN 1991, it was a great bike to commute on.

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

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 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

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 .

Can't wait for the videos mate

You already deserve a bravery award

The K4 model in my opinion was a good looker.

Let the build begin 🔨 🪛 🔧🤩👌

I think the super dream seems more acceptable now than back in its day .😂

Looking forward to this one as that was one of my first bikes mine had a micron exhaust will always remember this bike as my girlfriend at the time burnt her leg on it as they got so hot....

Love a classic retro rebuild, looking forward to this.

I remember when they were everywhere, a common sight

Had 3 of them bought as Winter workhorses, the last an immaculate low mileage NB late ' 81 model on an ' X ' plate in 1983 for £300 !.At the time , the learner law for 125cc maximum capacity had been introduced, and those learners with 250cc machines had to forfeit them and overnight you couldn't give them away !.Very popular in their day , the 400 was great but the 250N not exactly lively but very comfortable . When did you last see one ? , well worth the effort .

I can’t believe you bought it without a test ride 😂😂😂

we used to call it the "Super Slug"

my dad briefly had one of those when I was a kid and I remember melting my trainers on the exhaust while riding pillion. Looks like it will be a far easier bike to work on than the Thunderace, youll probably get it done in an afternoon. Is the scambler on the backburner?

Awesome project!!

This should be quite simple compared to your last one less carbs, less electric gizmos and easier access to the engine .

What's the music at the start? Thanks.

This bike is sweeeeeet!

I preferred the look of the Dream model before it.

I had a CB100n, it was awful, I believe these were even worse unfortunately

You paid money for that? They were a heap of shit when they were new, just more reliable than the other heaps that were available at the time!

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.

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,

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

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) 😊

I'd consider giving you my hand earned money if you make these videos longer dude but for now thumbs up will have to do

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.

Sorry mate, should of left it there. Lol.

Dude, I had one in 1986, paid 40 quid for it, with a brand new motad exhaust. It was in good nick, but, mate, it's the most boring bike ever, it's almost ridiculous, but have to say it never once let me down, and even outran a police BMW r100, but no love was lost when I sold it, let's say that. Just to inform you, this machine has zero street cred, but hey, ford Capri seems to have fans, so god bless you, and everything. Edit: this bike actually has less than zero street cred, it's about minus 7. Sorry.

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. 👍👍

Those things haunted my youth, more of them around than rats. Thought they'd all been made in to aldi bean cans by now, please do the same to this one.. we won't mind. 👍🏻

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

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.

This is the bike you should have started with and not the Thunderace. Good luck.

I’d do a ace cafe style build, my opinion.

Like a challenge? Hmmm, let’s look back at how frustrated you got with the Thunderace and talked about binning it in a couple of your videos 😂😂

What's the best thing to do on Sunday evening? Watch the Bikes of Rye! It couldn't be otherwise 🏍

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🏍🏍👍👍

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

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.

It's a Honda. Change the battery and it will start right up lol

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

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

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 👍

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

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

I thought the Thunderace was your dad's????? Barn find????

In my day we used to call them ‘Wet Dreams’, bit of irony

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.

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

What happened to the CR125? If you're looking to move it on I might be interested

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

Had a superdream 250 years ago. Probably the most boring bike ever. Will still watch the build though 😁

You don't see many around nowadays, Stephen.

Super nightmare more like 😂😂😂

Ahh my childhood friend. Thank you for sharing 😊

This time..... strip to its components....and start getting stuff coated from the ground up..! frame swing arm etc etc...engine strip...blast and coat...ooh and be prepared to be floored by the cost of chrome plating!! - if you wanna do the total retro mod...then moto gadget electrics throughout..! switchgear, munit, handlebar controls...clocks.... looking forward to it..!

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

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 hats off to you sir,, you do like a challenge! Btw,, fast becoming my fave RU-vid channel.

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!!!!

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 👍

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.. 😊

am 60 and had one of these in the 80s honestly it was the biggest heep of crap ever ! well done you for doing it up though ...Honestly my c90 was a million times better ..in fact a week ago just bought another c90 ..

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

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!

lucky you didn't try to start it . wouldn't want to suck that old air filter into the carbs.😱

I have a Honda CM..400.T.An original American import in to France ....The same UK model was The Hawk or The Rebel.....Mine is a 1979???.First registered in France 1982.....Very comfy ...Discs at the front....Drums at the rear....Self starter..W.Y.B......Goes well......David Silver is by Newmarket way...not London...My Honda is like the one on the film.Similar......... .. .. ...

iconic bike from the 80s, but overshadowed by the two strokes, Yamaha RD and Suzuki x7 but still a great choice.

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.

I took a friend's X-Reg CB250N Super Dream for an MOT test, back in 1991, after changing the rear wheel bearings for him. It was the most uninspiring bike that I'd ever ridden, truly living up to the then motorcycling press nicknames of "Wet Dream" & "Super Slug". I was even humiliatingly burnt off, at a set of traffic lights, by a C70!! The CB250N's biggest issue was that it was a heavy framed 400cc motorcycle powered by a gutless 22 HP (ARW) 250cc motor. It won Bike Magazine's 1981 wet alarm clock award for, "A non-existent throttle response", and, "Honda's FVQ (Fade Very Quickly) rear suspension, which deteriorated into a water bed ride, once warmed up". Top speed (rider prone) was 83 MPH (MIRA). An egg timer was used for the 0 to 60 MPH test. Fuel economy was exemplary, though. Both the Honda CB125T and CB200T were faster than the CB250N.

Just stumbled across your RU-vid 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?

I remember when the Superdream first came out, me on my RD250LC…cock a hoop…….until I saw one of these pass me by…wow, it looked so graceful, looked very modern…..maybe I would have changed over to one, if it was not for my very nasty accident in 1981….lovely bike, both the 250 and 400….some cracking bikes in the late 70’s and early 80’s…..look forward to seeing the dream become a reality…cheers..

I hope he might feature the Honda CB250RS one day, a great single cylinder bike.🙂👍 Restored a rough example bought not that cheap from a Dealer ( wish I'd kept it!!!!!!!!)🙄🤨

I fancied the CB 400N at one time but couldn't find one and ended up with a CX500 for a time , which was a bit of a mistake as it was an inch or so too tall for me. The CX Custom would have been a better fit. In my younger days, for a few years I owned a CB 250 G1 from the late 60s. It was a moody bike - reliable but moody as sometimes, when it was in a good mood it would really go. In top gear each 1000rpm equalled 10mph and occasionally it would red line (10,500rpm) with the speedo hovering just over the ton. When it was in a bad mood it was unhappy and near flat out at 80, strangely, I never found the reason but every time I became impatient with it and rechecked the points, timing, carbs, tappets, etc. and usually didn't have to adjust anything, the bike would be really happy - I think it just craved attention and needed to feel loved...

Old engine oil and paraffin in the cylinders n let it soak. Spray the whole lot wi WD 40 and of course let soak. Of course new plugs air and oil filters. New tyres and perhaps wheels need re spoking. Almost certainly after all that time. Free off the brakes, new pads. Obviously an oil change AFTER you turn it over first by hand then get it to fire up. Clutch prob stuck by now? Brake cables need checking. Lights obviously. Lots to do but this vid is inexperienced click bait. A rather rubbish video. No offence intended but mate, you lack experience.

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👍

With the normal maintenance, this thing probably run imidiatly. Looks horrible tho

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.

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.

my first proper bike when I passed my test back in 2001, it would do 65 screaming the tits off it. Had to stick the sump plug back in with jb weld as the previous owner stripped the threads on the pan. it felt like a proper big bike though after moving up from a 50 cc scooter

I bought a brand new Honda CB400N Super Nightmare from a Honda dealer - cam chain cracked at 500 miles within warranty & I never thrashed it.

Bought a 250 superdream after i passed my test, had no money and a young family but desperately wanted something I needed a full license to ride, swapped it with my 125 Benley i passed my test on, boy was i disappointed, there was no difference at all between the 125 and the 250, it soon went for a kawasaki 440 ltd, which nearly cost me my left leg, i now ride a GL1500 goldwing and i live in Rye!! where is your workshop?

Had one back in the early 80's used to be my dads it was heavy, slow and probably the most uncool bike ever to be manufactured, to make matters worse my mates had X7's and RD250's, I was a laughing stock.

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

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.

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.

Sorry to say it but....Super Dreams were shite even when they were brand new in the early 80's (Yes, I'm that old!) They couldn't hold a candle to their Two Stroke competitors of the day as they were so heavy and gutless in comparison.

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'.