Kals' CB250N Superdream

[Kal]

Just because I can, and it'll help me keep track with things as they need doing/get done...

This is how I bought the superdream in 2005... eBay non-runner, it set me back £105. My misses has already struck and it is now known as Scooby... (apparently Scrappy was too obvious)

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/CB250N.jpg

Before I bought it the Superdream had spent at least a year sitting in a field as it's previous owner had been banned. After I bought it ended up in my garden (I wasn't licenced at the time), It spent the best part of three years sitting in the garden under a bush before I got garage space for it.

And this is how it looks now (2009) it is mostly running... So far I have invested nearly £300 in parts and labour to get it sorted.

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/CB250nSuperdream001.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/CB250nSuperdream002.jpg

The tank had to be swapped for an item that Lesters had to hand as when I visited them there was a pinhole in side of the petrol tank which was spraying high pressure petrol 8 inches away from the bike.

Pictures make the bike look a lot better than it is. The tank is painted in Gloss housepaint, comeplete with brushmarks, ridges and runs in the paint.

The front indicator housing was smashed while I was at work in town. As the brake pedal moved and the exhaust was loose afterwards I believe it was dropped on its side by someone 'playing' on it.

The spring for the brake switch was in the wrong position, so I have used a cable tie to bridge the gap and that seems to be working fine now.

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/CB250nSuperdream007.jpg

A visit to Odie to get the carbs balanced and track down the running problems suggested that it is the wiring that is causing most of the running problems.

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/CB250nSuperdream004.jpg

What's not showing so well there is that the solinoid is wired backwards, additional earths have been added to make things work, there are connections where the wires have just been twisted together and wrapped in cellotape.

In short it's a bit of a mess. A CB400T wiring harness is on its way, hopefully that should be a straight swap for the Harness on it at the moment.

If anyone has any ideas on where I can pick up a Dream kickstart and righthand engine casing, would be most appreciated.

The plan is to sort it out properly and then rat it. I have plans, oh yes I have plans...


The to do list...

Replacement Carb/Airbox rubbers with clips.
Change Indicator Bulbs
Bleed Front brake
Fit new Wiring Harness
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[TUG]

[ms51ves3]

£300 in parts and labour + £103 purchase.

You would have been better off flogging it and buying a minter for £450.

[Kal]

[ms51ves3]

[Kal]

Needs work so not mint. Is pretty tidy though.
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Gazdaman]

[Ant132]

[Kal]

Looks pretty tidy there Ant. You have the engine I want to fit when I can afford it - a 400 lump with a kickstart.

[Ant132]

Yeah, thats why i got one because the parts for them are so readily available and get the choice of the two models. Ive seen plenty of engine go by on eBay, cheap enough too! Plenty being broken.
____________________
1980 Suzuki TS50 ~ 1984 Honda CB400N ~ 1992 Triumph Trident ~ 1998 Suzuki Bandit 1200

[Odie]

[Kal]

I have a list around here somewhere that looks just like that.

Not sure what to do about the camchain, I've only out 70 miles on since seeing you and it is rattling like a good un when cold again.

Air box has been cleaned, and the CB400T wiring loom arrived today. It looks good so I am skiving in an attempt to get it fitted. (Fingerscrossed)

Thanks to British Telecom I am offically broke already, (and I haven't gotten Jules a Valentines Card!) so the carb rubbers will have to wait until payday.

Thinking I might try some heavy duty zipties on them until a replacement can be sourced.
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Odie]

[Kal]

[Odie]

I am asuming that you have checked this loom for breaks / shorts and dodgey connections.
Get a ribbon, its just as good
Rick
____________________
You are so ugly when you were born the doctor said "I?m gonna drop it, if it falls is a rat, if it flies is a bat."

[Kal]

[Kal]

To give you an idea of how I today has gone I managed to knock the spare room door off of it's hinges while vacuming up this morning... (I'll be replacing that later once I remember which safe place I put the spare in)


Back to the bike as my back is now up to the strain again;

The good news.
Completely working front main and dip light, rear light working (but is constantly on as the brown ignition wire appears to have a fault. I cross wired it so it is constantly on) Brake light works, starts on the button (thanks to another solinoid I found at the bottom of my electrical salvage box), rear inidcators work.

The bad news. At some point in the late stages of the rebuild the front inidcators stopped working and I don't know why.

I shall be going back out to have another crack at the wiring once I have posted here.

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/15-02-09_1643.jpg

I spent all afternoon pouring over the wiring, mostly in the housing and the wiring diagram (which now has extra notes!)

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/15-02-09_1644.jpg

It was only after I a bulb working acorss the front and not the rear that I realised I had wasted the day trying to workout what I thought was a single problem that was actually two completely seperate problems!

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/15-02-09_1656.jpg

The light bulb from the CB250 light didn't want to fit in the casing from the CG125W and to complicate things the CG125 bulb really didn't want to work.

Fortunatley I have a CB500 item that I purchased a while ago in my spares box and the rim on that was small enough to sit in the CG125 housing. The only issue were the flanges on the rim of the CB500 bulb, they were far too big. Having come this far I wasn't about to let something like that stop me and got the tin snips out to trim the flange.

Result a bulb that fit the housing and works.

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/15-02-09_2249.jpg

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/15-02-09_1710-1.jpg

Now if you will excuse me I have to find out why my front indicators aren't working when my rear ones are.
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Kal]

Ka'Plah!

The word for today is bodgtastic. At some point I need to get some OEM type connectors soldered onto the loom for a permanent repair - however the halfords ones are on at the moment and working!

Given the issues that were going on I decided to junk the Superdream inidcators and fit some NTV ones I had lying around in a spares box.

Before fitting them I tested them by using the power and earth on them to bridge the gap on the solinoid. Sure enough both had good bulbs and wiring.

I decided to fit them. Unforunately no matter how tight I cable tied them they showed a worrying tendancy to move when mounted high up where I wanted them, so I've mounted them only slightly higher than the OEM ones and used the original spur to anchor cable ties to stop them being pushed backwards.

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/15-02-09_2249.jpg

Much experimentation led to me fitting an additional earth in the headlight and then connecting the three main lighting earths to it. Connecting is a good ephamism for what has been perpetrated - but hopefully I will get that sorted very, very soon!

Saldy all of the experimentation led to the expiry of the relay. Fortunately I had come across a spare earlier in the weekend. Now the spare relay I found is a fair bit deeper and has an irritating sounder on it. It took me a while to place when and why I had purchased it. A couple of years ago my girlfriends Escort had some indicator issues and I had bought this is to see if it was the relay that weas the problem - it wasn't and needed some proper attention but I kept the relay.

Anyway much wire cutting and fiddling later and I have it up and running. All electrics working within the legal requirements, it now starts on the button everytime and no longer has the starter trying to engage everytime the front wheel is over to the left!

I took it out for a belt when it was done, and it had all of the old problems straight off of the bat.

It struggled, the camchain rattled and it was a complete dog. However within half a mile it had warmed up and it was like riding another bike.

Lots of fun, although I could have done without the roads being so greasy, having the entire bike slide sideways in a comparitively slow corner was a little more excitment than I needed!

Ka'Plah!
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Kal]

Believe it or not...


This is the back garden of the old house... The Superdream lived like this for a year...


https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/Kal_hybrid/Bike/CB250/000_0064.jpg

Can't complain too much about it running rough...
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[jack_zxr400]

you should donate of the those bikes round the back to the needy.. aka me
____________________
Previous Bike: ZXR 400
Current Bike: R6
Test Date: 8/8/2008-PASSED

[Kal]

I am running the Superdream at the moment, the other superdream motor is in John Byrnes Rat (appearing in at MFN shortly!), the yellow CM125 is my Misses bike and the CZ is lurking with intent on my patio.

The plan is between sorting the Superdream out to put the CG125 back together and sell it with the full ticket, or if too badly mangled eBay the bits.
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Kal]

Yikes. Off the road again. Monday morning saw the superdream fail to turn over and instead it just made a nasty click-click noise.

Seeing as the starter relay I fitted the other week is of unknown vintage I have ordered two new ones off of eBay. Hopefully they will be here soon!
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Blue_SV650S]

[Kal]

If it is I am going to have a red face. There is no spark across the terminals on the relay, otherwise I'd have just shorted it to get to work all week.

Electrics except for starter are working. The battery itself was brand new a couple of months ago and the alternator was replaced at the same time but the starter relay I am using came out of the bottom of my salvage box so I am hoping it is that.
____________________
Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Blue_SV650S]