22nd Feb 2009, 18:26
Hi, well the bike rings many bells. I've had 4 Superdreams, best bike I've ever had. Now have the Honda CB750F. More of a father looker to the Dream. Have to say the Superdream lived up to its name, never fault her once. Thinking of even going back and getting one. Best, and will always be the best bike ever. Regret to this day getting rid.
Kevin, UK.
24th Feb 2009, 06:52
Cheers for the review and information. I am 18, and I just passed my 33bhp restricted test, and I am about to buy one of these as a stepping stone to a bigger bike.
First bike was an Aprilia Rally, 2nd and my current bike is an Honda CG 125.
3rd May 2009, 21:26
I have a 1981 Superdream CB250N. Has been resprayed in the past and not the best of paint jobs, but it shines well when cleaned up. Been away from biking for a few years (passed my test at 18 on a Suzi GP100) and been driving tin boxes since, but this Superdream came up at a price I couldn't say no to. Done about 2000 miles since I got her (why are most bikes female?), and never had a problem apart from shearing a rocker bolt taking it out, well, it had been in there for years so obviously didn't want to come out! Easy to maintain, just remember to change the oil and filters at the set intervals in the Haynes manual and you should always make sure the chains are tensioned correctly, and valve clearances set as stated, and the engine should go on for years as it is reliable and almost bulletproof.
Very good small engined bike, ideal for learners stepping up as it's under 33bhp, with the stance and feel of a bigger bike. Parts (as has been said many times in the comments above) are easy to get a hold of, with Ebay, Wemoto and David Silver Spares having most of what you would require. Can be run on a very cheap budget. Overall a damn good bike that I would give 8/10.
14th Aug 2010, 06:46
Just been given a 1981 CB250N, which had been SORNed since 1990. Pretty good nick and only 8,000 mls on the clock!! Cleaned the carbs, new battery, oil and plugs, and it started 1st time! Just put a MOT on it, which just required new throttle cable and a couple of tyres off Ebay.
The only problem I'm having with it is getting it into neutral when the engine is running and the bike is at a stand. The rest of the gears are effortless when changing, and it goes into neutral no problem when the engine's not running?
Anyone got any advice?
Cheers Steve.
16th Jan 2011, 07:56
Been riding and owning motorbikes off and on since I got my license at 15. The best bike I ever had was a 1958 Triumph 650 Thunderbird.
However, 11 years ago I managed to pick up a 79 Honda CB400 Dream that had been neglected, and after some mainly cosmetic work, it looked reasonable and sold it off at a small profit.
Last year I got the bug again, and picked up a 1981 CB250n that had done 34,000 klms. Needed a new rear tire and the lights and electrics fixing. I now have a nice looking bike that starts first pop, is good to ride, and should last me for a few years.
My only gripe with the bike is the weight (184kg) and the high center of gravity, which can be a bit rough on the body when one hits 72 years of age.
I'm going to lay it up over the winter, and deal to the timing chain that is quite rattly, but apart from that, these are great machines, and still look good after all these years.
23rd Jan 2011, 12:37
Well done sir, a triumph at 72, you rock!!
Myself, a grandpa at 48, have not been riding for about 15 years after my CB250 was stolen and a bit bashed up. I got it back, but it has lay for all this time in a damp garden shed, nobody loves it but me. Yes, I have better things to spend money on, yes I will get killed, and yes that hall needs painted again.
It's getting done now, or it will be another 15 years without the buzz of a blast up the road. Let's face it, if all OTHER bikes were gone, we would still love our C90 TT.
Ride on!
20th Feb 2011, 09:25
Just bought a 1979 CB250N Superdream. This one was SORNed in Kent for ten years, I took it to London, MOTed and taxed it, changed the oil and filter, and filled it with new petrol and a little bit of engine cleaning additive. I then headed for the M1, M6, M56 and into Holyhead. Took the ferry to Dublin, and then rode another 180 miles home..
Was able to sit at a steady seventy mph all the way, and was able to get well over 85 mph on the motorway when overtaking.
It has 31000 miles on the clock, running like a new one. I think that the fact that the exhaust system has been changed to 2 into 1 has made a big difference to speed, as the last one never seemed to perform as well.
30th May 2011, 15:32
The Superdream is an excellent bike. I have owned a 250 and 400 Superdream.
I highly recommend, if you can find one, get a 400 Superdream. It accelerates very quickly, and is just as good (or bad) on fuel as the 250..
In a 12 month period on my 250 cc Superdream, I clocked an amazing 15,000 miles. It had an engine replaced twice in that time. I didn't look after it... with a 400 Superdream I definitely looked after it... as it is a rare machine.
12th Feb 2012, 00:06
I agree that the best bike I ever owned was a 58 Triumph 650 Bluebird.
Hahaha, that was many years ago now, and I wish I still had it.. However I now have a 1981 Honda CB-250n, which has done 35000 klms, and it is a good machine as far a reliability is concerned. My only gripe is the weight of the bike and the high center of gravity. Not good for us over 70's. I may have to look for a light weight 125 or similar bike.
20th Mar 2020, 17:58
Having owned several variations of these over the years, the only thing you need to look out for is country of origin; the parts for American/Canadian ones have several different sized parts to European versions of both Dream, Superdream and CM models.
Not all of the chassis parts are interchangeable; universal parts are sometimes a better bet as they are designed to be suitable for several different models and years.
I currently have an American and a Canadian model of the Dream, called the Hawk; again there are a few niggles getting parts to fit mine and mostly require modification to fit.
CM parts don't fit CB, some Hawk parts fit the CM however.
Engines and electrics have some differences too, as do carbs due to American emissions laws and recirculation of gasses.
17th May 2023, 22:53
I used to love looking at all of the different bikes sold in the 70s & 80s on the other side of the Atlantic, not sold in the UK. All those factory custom bikes with drum front brakes and oddball automatics. Cheaper than here too. HD should have simply continued with their classy 50s to mid-sixties models rather than the crude bikes they did turn out?
The Honda Super Dream 250 & 400 are and were very underrated machines. The engine's unburstable and with decent 12v electrics and big bike looks, it would still sell today. I dislike most modern bikes which are too complex for their own good. ABS has its place, but in 20 years time all of that tech will be unfixable. There will be few modern classics in the future. I'm buying a brand new road legal YZ250 whilst I still can. As an OAP, it'll last me and is endlessly rebuildable and will outlive me unless people really will reach to be 110 in the near future :-)
13th Jan 2009, 12:46
Referring to Alan's comment asking for help in sorting out his Superdream:
It might be useful to replace the coil, leads and plug caps. I had a similar problem with my bike and I managed to sort it out by replacing the above parts. It will only cost about £30 for the parts.
Aaron