Honda CB250n SuperDream Refurb: BAD START TO THE END

Monday, April 19, 2010

BAD START TO THE END

Went into the garage tonight and fitted the battery - main fuse blew instantly! Grrrrrr! Not really in the mood for it tonight, so I disconnected it and locked the garage up. That'll teach it!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: Quite right you have to let them know their place :-)
The bike is looking mighty fine, how long do you have to go before its completed.
One thing i would like to know is what criteria you used when you first bought the bike i.e. did you make sure the cosmetics were in good nick or did you want a running engine etc
regards Phil; 20 April 2010 at 09:05
Tom McQuiggan said...: Hi Phil,
Once the "short" is sorted out, it just needs the petcock refitting, petrol and a prayer! Should be up and running by this weekend.

With regard to criteria, that depends on what I'm doing. If it's a full-on restoration, I guess the condition of the bike is not so important (although the better it is, the less you'll spend, obviously).

In the case of this "refurb", I was keen to have a low-mileage bike with a sound engine. The rest of the bike could be rusting to pieces. Having said that, if the bike had needed new rings or valves, it wouldn't have been a problem. I wouldn't however, have expected to do a bottom-end or gearbox rebuild.

Thanks for dropping by.

Tom.; 20 April 2010 at 10:14

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IN THE BEGINNING....

Way, way back in August 1980, I was working as a young steel-erector in Newcastle Upon Tyne and around the corner from where I worked was "Ken's Motorcycles" on the West Road. In the window was a brand new CB250N Superdream in shiny black - and I wanted it! So I got got the brochure (shown below), begged my future father in law to act as guarantor and signed on the £820 dotted line.

I loved that bike - it got me back and forth between Bolton and Newcastle with no problems or hiccups and lots of fun. From memory, it did something like 60 miles per gallon and could burn off most cars. What else does a young lad want?

Anyway, 28 years later, I decided to get another one and refurbish it over the winter months. I've done similar projects in the past and really enjoyed them, so I'm hoping that this one turns out as well as the others. Having said that, this project will be a REFURB as opposed to a rebuild.

The donor-bike looked to be in pretty good shape at first glance, but as usual, it all turns pear-shaped when you remove your rose-tinted glasses and start to see what's REALLY there!

The first thing that I want to do, is spend a little time finding out whether or not the engine needs a rebuild. If it doesn't really need it, so much the better. If it does need doing, then there'll be a significant delay as I spend time clearing out the garage to give me a lot more space.

I estimate that this project will take 3 or 4 months to complete but due to other interests/hobbies, it may go longer.

So, I'll start off with a few photos of the bike in its current condition and then log the progress of the refurb as I go along. Please feel free to comment or offer advice. Hope you enjoy!

Tom

http://www.mcqart.com/

SEE ALSO... HONDA CB450 K1.