LONG LONG TIME

 WOW! Just stumbled upon this blog after years of forgetting about it. I've had a few bikes since finishing the old CB250N and my current bike is the new (2020) VFR800. 

I rebuilt two Honda 400/4's, a CB450 Black Bomber, a CB750/4 and this CB250N.

I no longer refurbish bikes - they just cost too damned much and I've got too many other hobbies, LOL 😂

A NEW DISTRACTION

Yet again, I've been distracted from the SuperDream by another bike. This time, my Yamaha FZ1 in the very unusual 'Teal' colour. I've fitted a Nitron Shock, IXIL Exhaust, Tail-Tidy, Puig bellypan, clear indicators, heated grips and satnav.

ANOTHER WINTER, ANOTHER GO

Well, the summer's over and I've had lots of fun on a FireBlade, but it's that time of year where I start the annual pilgrimage to Superdream Land. Started this bike in the winter of 2008 and here I am 5 years later without a usable bike. Will this be the year that I crack it? Can I really find out what's ailing the old girl? I feel like that doctor in the program "House" where each episode they struggle to save a dying man and are unable to diagnose the problem(s). Maybe I should get Hugh Laurie to take a look at it :-)

Here today's current state....

WELL, WELL, WELL....

My ugly mugshot was chosen to cover the Spec-Sheet on an online magazine called "SHOOT YOUR BIKE". Well, it wasn't so much my mugshot, as my beautiful SuperDream. I was caught on camera riding over the West Pennine Moors sporting my 70's helmet and leather jacket.

Click Here.

EXHAUSTED!

Someone said they bought a replacement collector box and had trouble with the dimensions of it - they had to fabricate some brackets to get it to fit. Well, I've experienced the same issue!

The box I purchased from Wemoto looks like an EXACT replica of the original (it's not one of those box-section replacements), but there's something amiss with it. It forces the silencers back about 25mm so they won't attach to the footrest hangers.Rather than make brackets, I might cut down the front end of the silencers.

Not sure yet - I'll have a proper look at weekend. I'm a little disappointed (to say the least).

MORE PARTS ORDERED

While I wait to get around to installing these 2nd hand carbs, I've decided to order even more replacement parts! One thing that I've not mentioned up to now (not sure why cos I'm not trying to hide anything), is the fact that the exhaust system is blowing.

The leaks originate from the collector-box. Although it was in overall "okay" condition, it did have some corrosion damage around the input and output tubes, which result in leaks. Since I've replaced everything else on the bike(!) I decided last night to buy a new collector-box and 4 new seals, plus two new header pipe gaskets.

Why do that now? Well, I met a guy at Rivington Barn on Sunday and he had a CB250NA which was in great condition and when he started it, it struck me just how whisper-quiet it was. I then got to thinking that I should sort mine out plus the leak just might be reducing the back pressure to an extent that it's making the bike run rough. Can't see it, but it needs sorting anyway.

So, I spent another £100 on the above, along with a replacement front brake pistion and seal to sort out that pathetic braking issue that I've written about previously.

ANOTHER SET OF CARBS!!!

Spent this afternoon stripping ANOTHER set of carbs and ultrasonically cleaning all the bits and bats and setting the float heights. Will do a bench-test to make sure there's no fuel leaks and then fit them to the bike to see if they make a blind bit of difference. I'm not expecting great things :-(

FLOATS ARRIVED

The new floats and float valves arrived from CMSNL. These are the fixed-height floats and therefore needed special valves. I installed them without removing the carbs, simply by removing the float chambers. All very simple and quick.

I'm pleased to report that everything went perfectly well and there are no more leaks. Hoorah!

 

 Unfortunately, the low-rev problems persist and I'm buggered if I can resolve the issue. I just don't know what else I can try - I feel like I've replaced everything that matters on the bike and all to no avail.

 

That doesn't mean I'm gonna give in though! Oh no. Winter's approaching and that's when I tend to spend a lot of my leisure time in the garage, so maybe I'll solve the mystery then.

 

FIXING THE IDLING

Two issues remain. One is the rough idling and the other is petrol overflow problem. The carbs that are currently on have been totally refurbished, ultrasonically cleaned and fitted with new jets, needles, etc. All measurements and adjustments have been checked by myself and a professional bike mechanic.

So I have decided to remove them and make up a set from the total of three that I have. Maybe I'll manage to get a good working pair. Or maybe I'll be making a monster :-)

UPDATE :
Okay, so I made up a set of carbs with ALL the bits ultra-sonically cleaned and checked. Everything bang on!! Fitted them to the bike and the petrol overflow problem seemed cured. Hooray! Unfortunately, it's now running like a bag o'shite. Very rough tickover, spitting and farting and basically worse than it was before.

Oh my God, I could kick this damned bike down the road! I've just sent off to www.cmsnl.com for two pairs of floats. They are constructed completely from plastic and have preset float-levels, so there can be no mistake there. Let's see how they go (when they arrive).

If ANYONE has a set of carbs that are absolutely 100% known to be in perfect working order, PLEASE let me loan them to see if they cure everything. I've removed and refitted carbs on this bike so many times that I can now do it like an F1 Pit-Crew member!!

And just to make the day perfect, the right-hand carb overflowed :-(

ON THE MOVE

Here's some more photos, but this time with my ugly mugshot included. As you can see, I'm sporting an authentic 70's Kangol helmet :-)

SMALL RIDEOUT

With the weather being so nice today, I went for a rideout on the old girl. Could only be a quickie because my dog has just had a litter of puppies and unfortunately started to have seizures, so we are hand-rearing half the litter. It's like having a load of babies that demand food every 2 hours. Incredibly tiring!

Anyway, I'm pleased to report that the bike goes very well indeed but it idles like a total pig!! Need to get that sorted. The front brake seems to be getting better and better, so it was after all, just the new pads needing bedding in. The rear brake is spot on.

It was fantastic being out and about again on a bike, even if it was just this old 250. I've missed it so much.

And here's a photo of my beautiful Boxer and her babies....

SOUNDS CRAZY BUT...

I know it sounds crazy, but after the summer's gone, I think I'll strip down the bike again and powdercoat the frame, swingarm, etc. Originally, I had only wanted to "spruce" up this bike and wanted to avoid lashing out any money, but now that I've had the bike so long (the longest time I've ever kept a bike), I think it only fair to treat her to a proper job.

Might fit a twin-disc front end to it too (although that would obviously spoil the originality of the bike). We'll see. The job would only take 2 or 3 weeks, because all the other parts on the bike are pretty decent.

BIKER CHICK

Not seen my Mum for ages, so I thought I'd pop by and say hello. Wasn't long before she was sat on the bike, lol.

BRAKE CALIPER

I know it's a long time ago, but I can't remember the SuperDream front brakes being this crap! I've obviously been spoiled by the modern MotoGP technology of today's sports bikes, but even so, surely they should be better than a mild deceleration?

I decided to strip down the caliper and take a closer look. It had been stripped before obviously, but that was a couple of years ago - maybe something had seized? Well after stripping it down, I could find no problem. Everything was like new and well greased with CopaSlip, so I applied some more and rebuilt it.

Took it on a test-ride and still the same. Odd!

EVER THE OPTIMIST

Ever the optimist, I installed SatNav to my bike today :-)  Well, not exactly installed, more like "attached" it. I used a ramball mount on one of the handlebar clamps. Don't think I'll bother hard-wiring it in though - not unless I'm gonna go on a long journey.

BIKE RUNNING GREAT

Well the bike runs well now and there's no hint of any problem at 5k! That's the good news. The bad news is that I am WAY too used to modern brakes and I'm struggling to accept the pathetic brakes of the 80's. I'm also not happy with the bike starting and tickover. Will look into that more when I have the time.

Here's some photos I took today up Rivington. Used a shite compact camera, so they're nothing special/

5K PROBLEM - GONE!

Well, I don't quite know how, but I've managed to cure the 5k problem. Tonight I bled the front brake and took the bike for a spin after warming it up. I purposely put the bike under load by going up a long, steep hill. Everything went fine, but the fuelling is still a little suspect.

But the main thing is, it doesn't die at 5000rpm, so I'm well and truly on the final leg of this ridiculously long journey which started out 3years ago as a quick "spruce up". Need to book my MOT for Thursday and see what happens. Once it's taxed and tested, I can concentrate on the fine-tuning.

And then sell the bugger! LOL

A BIT CLOSER

A bit closer to getting her back on the road today. I had to remove the top yoke because brake-fluid from the old master cylinder had leaked onto it and made a mess of the paint, so it had to be redone and then refitted. Also removed the exhaust system and fitted brand new sealing bushes in the expansion box. Finally, I refitted the headlamp and all that's left to do (another day) is to bleed the new master cylinder.

Here's some new pix...

NEW START

Optimism is a great thing. And so is sunshine. Both those things came together today and led me to open up the garage door for the first time in 5 months! The bike had reached the stage where it just refused to even start anymore. Very, very disheartening after all I've been through.

Without an engine that will even tickover, how the hell am I supposed to find the "5k" fault? Anyway, I removed the carbs YET AGAIN and checked everything over. Nothing was out of place, so I refitted them, checked the valve clearances YET AGAIN, checked the plugs and finally fitted the fuel tank (which was brimming with fuel). I had also removed the headlight to check all those "crammed in" connections - and they all looked fine. While it was accessible, I temporarily switched over from the new 3rd-party ignition switch to the old original one too. I took readings with a multimeter and found absolutely no difference between the two switches, so I replugged the new switch back in.

Battery-Booster connected, I pushed the starter button and after a little resisting, she gave in and fired into life! Bit of spluttering and farting, but after a careful tweak of the choke and throttle, I managed to get her ticking over calmly and even revving throughout the rev-range once warm.

So, so far so good. She now starts up first time every time but I have no idea if the "5k" problem still exists because you can only tell when the bike is under load. I won't be in a position to ride her until I've re-prepared her for an MOT.

Got a few little jobs to sort out before that though.

Letter From Australia!

Maddog, my name is Beau and I am a 25 year old from Australia. Because of this blog I now own a CB250N Superdream that was running perfectly until three weeks ago. It now has a crack around the sump plug in the crank plate and also a tiny rust leak in the fuel tank. Do you know anywhere that I can buy both of these parts new or used? 

Also, I started reading your blog last night and was up till 3.30am doing so this morning it has now made me keen to refurb my whole bike! What you have done inspiers me to go for it. Please continue with your blog and bike, as it is the most interesting and exciting read I have ever had.

Many thanks for the time to say my words
Cheers mate, Beau.