Old Hondas are cool too, in fact they are Dreamy

[oldGSfan]

I took this little project on, a '66 305 Dream. It's not my cup of tea, but I enjoy working on the old analog stuff. I have had fun fixing my son's '79 ATC110, a '74 Trail 90 and a '67 Vespa 150 in recent years. They are cute little buggers. This one hmm.. It's an interesting bike, so important to Honda. Comparing to my '66 Norton was inevitable as they sat together in the garage. Honda: electric start, neutral indicator, enclosed chain, grease fittings all over, oil tight, reliable, docile. Norton: none of that stuff.

The 305 is surprisingly (to me) a 360 twin like the Norton, but OHC. It is a bit BMW-ish in black with steering damper, leading link forks, covered shocks, and big funky fenders. 16" wheels. It's tiny. I did the complete 'treamtent' on it which didn't reveal anything terrible. It sat a long time and fuel was varnish, the slide stuck. Put the carb body in the Berryman's (CA formula) can, and the can in my ultrasonic, which did the trick.

The headlight is a sealed beam square-ish thing, impossible to find, so I drilled out the bulb and cut an opening for an H4 LED. Others have done this, If I could find a metal H4 mounting base for a reasonable price, I wouldn't have Gooped it. This is reversible. The brake lever was very bent and I gave it some heat and a long pipe over the end to bend it back, It came out nice.

I also opened up the horn to file the points, adjust the screws and clean it. Now it's fine, quite loud. That horn is quite the little piece of engineering. It runs great, tomorrow I'll ride it around the 'hood and hope nobody recognizes me haha.

The bike really hits home how Honda made a bike that was appealing to non 'bikers' and opened up a huge market for themselves, and others of course.

 

[gustovh]

I rode my 250 dream from Portland Oregon to Helena Montana in 1969. It rained all the way, and yes you can draft trucks on one of those machines.

V

 

[Vmass]

I love an old Honda! Here is one I resurected a few years ago and gave to my son.

 

[650Skull]

Nice job. They are kinda odd looking but have a cult following. Weren't lacking in power from what I understand. Been a few restore threads on the dreams over on XS650.com.

Yea wear a Balaclava if you don't want to b recognised

 

[LAB3]

That looks like a fun little project, I'd give it a go if I could get one at a reasonable price. The second bike I ever had was a Honda 350 scrambler so it's the same in many ways.

 

[pdqford]

IIRC, (it’s been 60 plus years!), in my 305 Dream the pistons went up and down together while my friend,s 305 Super Sport the pistons were staggered 180 degrees out (like a John Deere tractor). Which way does that Norton twin run?

 

[dorkburger]

Nice work. I'm assuming you're joking about the neighbors seeing you, but I'll say this - my rusty old scooter has gotten more smiles and nods of approval last year alone then the GS probably ever has. They appeal to a more universal crowd is my guess.

 

[oldGSfan]

IIRC, (it’s been 60 plus years!), in my 305 Dream the pistons went up and down together while my friend,s 305 Super Sport the pistons were staggered 180 degrees out (like a John Deere tractor). Which way does that Norton twin run?

That's right, they went to 180 twin with the sport model. I think this was the last 360 twin Honda built. Choose your vibes I guess. I think they're equally bad, just different. The Norton is a 360 (up and down together) like most if not all Brit twins.

 

[oldGSfan]

Nice work. I'm assuming you're joking about the neighbors seeing you, but I'll say this - my rusty old scooter has gotten more smiles and nods of approval last year alone then the GS probably ever has. They appeal to a more universal crowd is my guess.

Yeah, mostly kidding, it's more that I look like a giant on it. But that's pretty much any bike I guess. When I hauled it home on my trailer I stopped for a burger, and a guy who saw me on the road followed me into the lot to chat about it.

 

[oldGSfan]

That looks like a fun little project, I'd give it a go if I could get one at a reasonable price. The second bike I ever had was a Honda 350 scrambler so it's the same in many ways.

One thing about this bike - the JIS thread pitch is different pre-67, gotta be careful and not just jam any old metric in or on. I found that some previous folks were not so careful.

 

[oldGSfan]

The LED headlight is great. Given the overall weakness of the charging system, it's good to have bright light and low draw. I got the new battery (AGM with 130 CCA, plenty for the starter) and took it for a ride. Runs perfectly but the clutch slips and the brakes are terrible. I'd fix them if the guy wanted to, but I think he only wants to get it running and sell it. I've already done more than enough.

 

[Rob S.]

Can we delete the "Gene's Cycle Center" sticker? And please charge this guy as much as possible. I don't like people who sell bikes with slipping clutches (present company excepted).

 

[Nessism]

That machine is a nice sample! I'd be happy to refresh such a survivor. How does it run? Have you ripped it up to redline yet? And what is redline anyway? 10k? Gotta love Honda. In 1966, anything above 7000 rpm, would have been mind-blowing!

 

[oldGSfan]

Hi Ed! It runs great. It's a Honda after all, and is tuned as well as it can be. It starts on the button (or kick), lopes along at any RPM, and has zero engine issues. But the clutch slips. Gonna see what I can do about that. It sat a long time and I put Rotella T6 in there because it's what I had on hand. I was a bit suspect on that stuff since it says nothing about JASO on the container like the T4 does. I just ordered 3 gallons of T4. If that doesn't fix it, c'est la vie, the owner can pay me to fix it. I dunno, it's 1.3 quarts or so, we'll see. I needed the T4 for my GS1100Es and Norton anyway.

Since its registration is current to '22, I'm just riding around the local neighborhood. I don't know the redline, but it's rated 24HP at 8K. More power than the chassis and brakes need. No tach on this one. It's funny, just like the Norton, the bars are pretty vibe-free but the pegs being so close to the engine will get you buzzin'.

It's such a contrast to the Norton. I love the Norton and it runs great, but it took me much more effort to get there on the British beast. Months vs days. The Honda is like delicate jewelry compared to caveman strength of the Norton.

This bike would be perfect for a badly paved city, like cobblestone road and manhole covers everywhere bad. There's no stiction and the leading link just soaks up minor bumps like they aren't there at all. I have been playing with the steering damper after gorrilla-grip, heat and PB blaster to free it up. A tiny bit of friction seems to be good.

I think I'd like a Super Hawk if I could find one mildly moldering somewhere cheap. If you look at the engine you can see Laverda copied it.

 

[oldGSfan]

I love an old Honda! Here is one I resurected a few years ago and gave to my son.

Super nice bike. The guy that owns the Dream said he may get a CB350. Not a bad bike, but the 450 rings a lot more bells for me and I recommended he look for one - they aren't as common tho. I remember they had the respect of my older brother and his pals who were all riding British iron. They wanted Sportsters, but Triumphs were plentiful at around $900-used for many years in the late 60s, early 70s. Sportsters were a few hundred more, and out of reach. Plus guys like Rob S rode them (hahah sorry Rob but I know you are on this thread).

My brother traded up, up up from a Yamaha 180 2 stroke twin, to a Honda SL350, to a Triumph Tiger 650, then Bonneville OIF, then a KZ900 LTD. Now he rides a HD and a Guzzi (he always wanted a Guzzi)

On the lines of that engine, this is a good watch. A bit melodramatic for my taste, but most of these shows styled after Top Gear are.

 

[steve murdoch]

That's a great looking Dream.
The brakes on my Superhawk are almost as bad.
A good resource for those bikes is www.hondatwins.net
Lots of tech tips and a fairly active Marketplace.

 

[Rob S.]

My first bike was a CB350. Eventually bored it to 435cc and put the most extreme cam possible in it. You meet the nicest people...:listening_headphone

 

[LAB3]

A set of new clutch springs would probably take care of that slippage considering how old that bike is. Looks like Honda wants $8.50 ea for OEM, eBay shows full sets of aftermarket springs for $13.

 

[oldGSfan]

The headlight conversion worked out great, basically $17 for the bulb and $5 for the 'Goop'. It is super solid; the 'Goop' glue has the needed temp ratings and seems right. Grabs and holds pretty quick but takes 48 hours to cure., If the LED dies, a good sharp knife or an exacto will get through it. Dunno, over time may harden too much. If so, sue me. I love little mods like this. Low beam in pic below.

 

[steve murdoch]

My first bike was a CB350. Eventually bored it to 435cc and put the most extreme cam possible in it. You meet the nicest people...:listening_headphone

A buddy had some t-shirts made up for a Vintage event.
MANY shops turned him down over incorporating the Honda wing logo. :-$