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'63 CA77, or is it?

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:24 pm
by primer63
Bought a basket case '63 Dream over a year ago. In the interim moved halfway across the country so the project has moved very very slowly. Up until today, most of what I've done has been sorting, cleaning, and cataloging parts. Today, I actually made some forward progress, putting some vintage rubber on the rims. I am a newbie here so as soon as I get the picture size figured out I'll be posting pictures. As suggested , I'll be using the posts to document progress. Thanks from a first timer to all the veterans here who's information has been invaluable so far.

Well it ain't a '63

Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 9:38 pm
by primer63
Thanks to Loud Mouse and Mr Honda, we have discovered that I have a Dream Sport, 1961 vintage. In the interim, I have acquired a titled 1965 parts bike, including a matched motor that turns freely.

I am trying to get the '61 to a roller, with main stand, front/rear wheel and cushion, and handlebars.

As this is my first restoration, I have a lot of basic order of assembly questions, and the ones that are stumping me today are as follows:

1) Did the '61 steering stems have roller bearings top AND bottom, and are they press fit? I realize this may be a dumb question, but if this is the case, then I am missing the '61 bearings and the '65 steering seems to be set up a little differently.

2) Does anyone have pictures of the assembled front steering assembly for an early pressed '60/'61 steel handlebar setup? I have the proper exploded parts diagrams, but they are a little unclear to this novice..
Attached is a random picture of both "bikes", well really just embellished frames with bits attached.

Thanks for any help!

Some new parts

Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 10:09 pm
by primer63
Fortunate to score not just one, but TWO of these jewels. Apparently these are as hard to find as the proverbial hens teeth. Dimensionally correct, this is the direct replacement for the Yuasa items that are no longer manufactured.

I am finding that the hunt for the items is almost as fun as the actual wrenching! I hope I can maintain the enthusiasm for the next couple of years, as I expect that to be how long it will take me to get this bike back together again. Anything short of that will be a bonus.

Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:19 pm
by sarals
That's a really good outlook! I had first thought three months on my Old Girl...and here I am almost two years later. The hunt is fun, isn't it? There's research, and learning history, and meeting people...it's all so good!

Enjoy this journey!

Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:33 pm
by primer63
sarals wrote:That's a really good outlook! I had first thought three months on my Old Girl...and here I am almost two years later. The hunt is fun, isn't it? There's research, and learning history, and meeting people...it's all so good!

Enjoy this journey!

I have to laugh!! As I was posting on your thread, you were posting on mine! Thanks for the encouragement!

Re: Well it ain't a '63

Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:52 pm
by primer63
primer63 wrote:Thanks to Loud Mouse and Mr Honda, we have discovered that I have a Dream Sport, 1961 vintage. In the interim, I have acquired a titled 1965 parts bike, including a matched motor that turns freely.

I am trying to get the '61 to a roller, with main stand, front/rear wheel and cushion, and handlebars.

As this is my first restoration, I have a lot of basic order of assembly questions, and the ones that are stumping me today are as follows:

1) Did the '61 steering stems have roller bearings top AND bottom, and are they press fit? I realize this may be a dumb question, but if this is the case, then I am missing the '61 bearings and the '65 steering seems to be set up a little differently.

2) Does anyone have pictures of the assembled front steering assembly for an early pressed '60/'61 steel handlebar setup? I have the proper exploded parts diagrams, but they are a little unclear to this novice..
Attached is a random picture of both "bikes", well really just embellished frames with bits attached.

Thanks for any help!
I've been pondering the steering bearings for a better part of the day. I kept looking at the schematics and the answer was in front of me but I did not see it in the steering cross sections. They clearly show a ROUND bearing. The '61 has round ball bearings that essentially are assembled veeerrrry carefully. The later bike has the "self contained" cylindrical bearings in a flexible cone. Doh!

I'm still puzzling through the top of the steering assembly.

Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:06 am
by G-Man
Primer

A Dream sport? that's a rare beast indeed. It probably used a lot of parts which turned into the later Dream but it would have had tubular handlebars, 18" wheels and a whacky tank.

http://www.examiner.com/article/1959-ho ... stery-bike

One or two of the handlebar components for the early CA77 carry the 257 (Dream Sport) model code in the part number.

Enjoy the journey.

G