New guy just picked up a dream.

[carolinaboy]

Just picked this up today. Needs a ton of cleaning along with the following items:

Cables
Headlight
Tail light
Front wheel
Tires and tubes!

It starts and runs. The clutch won't disengage, so I'm thinking the disc are probably gummed up or stuck.
The seat is an aftermarket part and sits further back than the normal solo seats. It came with the original, but it is trashed. I also have the carb covers and some other unidentified bits.

I'm a little overwhelmed when I look at it now. I have a cb360, just about everything seems backwards on this one. I'm lost. I need to find a manual.




I'm not sure if I'll go full restore. My first priority is to get it road worthy.

I do have a few questions.
Has anyone replaced the stock rear shocks with other options?
Is there an affordable source for headlights?
Are the Coker Firestones as shitty as I hear they are?

[Hahnda]

Nice find. It looks to be pretty complete. How are the mufflers?

Your list...

The shocks could probably be replaced with something but the square shocks are full of character and look good on the Dream. They work terrible though.

Headlights are tough. Some have cut open a sealed beam and then replaced the bulb. If you search the forum you will find some details.

For the parts you are looking for eBay or members here are probably going to be your best bet.

I have tires available. 3.50 x16 Cheng Shin tires at $100 a pair shipped or Heidenau 3,50x16 tires for $156 shipped.

http://www.scramblercycle.com/honda-305-tires.html

Thanks

[carolinaboy]

Great! Thanks for the tips and the tire info. I may contact you for some soon.

Anybody have a headlight they'd be willing to part with. Doesn't have to work since I'm gonna cut it open anyway. The one I have has some peeling of the reflective material.

[conbs]

Get Bill Silver's Restoration CD for Dreams. You will thank yourself. You will find an enormous amount of help from this website, too.

Get it cleaned up and put some new tires on it and shake down the mechanical aspects of the bike. If things can be repaired easily keep repairing until everything works. If you end up with a big problem that requires something like pulling the motor, then it will be time to consider paint, etc. In the mean time - enjoy the ride.

For Christmas, my daughter bought me a book on restoring classic automobiles ('69 Mach I). The first advice the author gave is: Don't tear the whole thing apart if you don't have to. The task just becomes overwhelming if you do and very few folks have the drive to stay with a project where progress can't be seen. He suggested restoring one piece at a time so you can always survey your progress. I think it is very sound advice. Every bit of riding time will encourage you to do something else to improve your bike.

[carolinaboy]

I think that's brilliant advice. Thanks so much for responding.

I am wrapping up a cb360 build now. I took it down to the frame and I can confirm that it is very hard to stay motivated without small victories. With this Dream, I will do exactly as you suggested. My 360 sat for over a month several times in the 6 months I've been working on it. It should be done within a week though!

I have a bit of a game plan. I drained the oil in an attempt to get started on freeing up the stuck clutch.
Some stripped case screws stopped me from moving forward. I didn't have a good size drill bit to drill the heads off, so I quit for the time being. I'll get back to it some time this weekend.

As far as I can tell the clutch is all that needs to happen for me to be able to ride it around the block.
Then to get it road worthy I need the following:

Clean the carb and air cleaner. When I started it, the throttle seemed to cut out when I twisted it sometimes. I'm assuming that's either a carb or air filter issue. I'll address both and see where that gets me.
New rubber and clean wheels. Tires have been ordered and should arrive next week. The front rim needs attention. The brake is not currently working, but I suspect the shoes may be missing. The rim is severely rusted. If I can steel wool and sand it and it looks ok, I'll paint it and go with that. It may need replacing though. The rear wheel looks like it'll pass with just a cleaning.
Lights. No lights are currently working. They look to be in bad repair, so I'm hoping it's just a matter of replacing them. Otherwise I'll have to fish out some wiring issues.
Footpeg rubbers. Mine are missing. I've seen some on ebay. Not too pricey. I'll feel safer with them, and will appreciate the vibration dampening.

Once those things are acheived, one by one, I'll start addressing other concerns.

I'll also pick up that restoration cd. I've been eyeballing it. I don't have a proper manual, and haven't been able to find one.

[conbs]

I use a #3 phillips bit for case screws and it seems to work okay. They are JIS screws, though and there are some on the forum that have posted links to JIS phillips screw dirvers. Some guys even get diamond coated tips or use valve grinding compound to increase friction. A hand-held impact driver is another good idea. You will be dealing with these screws a lot, so you might as well figure out what you think will work best and get set up with those tools.

Someon suggested putting ATF on the screw heads and letting it soak in around behind the head. I think Davomoto says to put a #3 phillips bit into the screw head and give it a sharp whack with a hammer. It helps loosen things up. Good luck whatever method you try.

Lots of different ideas about stripped heads. I have some left-handed bits. I use a small one to drill out the center. Then when I start a bigger one, normally it catches and backs the screw right out. Some use a dremel tool to cut a straight notch and then use a normal screw driver. I have done that, too.

As for freeing up the clutch disks, you might try putting the bike in 3rd gear, pulling in the clutch lever and pushing the bike, then letting the clutch out while moving to try to unstick the disks. One guy said he just rode his bike and the heat borke the clutch free after a while.

Hope this helps.

[Hahnda]

The clutch can be freed up by driving it around. You are probably going to have to get someone to help you push start it while its in gear. Then just work the clutch lever while riding it. Usually works quite well.