60's Honda motorcycles

[Rivervalleymgb]

Anyone else into vintage motorcycles? 

I have a passion for 60's era Honda's. Currently have a 1961 Honda 300 Dream, 1966 Honda 160 Dream, and a 1969 Honda 305 Scrambler.

Since my search for better and better sound is down to just trading up for a few pieces, I have put my energy into Honda motorcycle restoration. Not that I am any good at it, I just enjoy playing with them. Much easier than my old love of MGB's which lasted many decades. Sold all my MGB's and now looking for specific motorcycles to rebuild.

[Ceptorman]

There seems to be a huge resurgence in 60s and 70s Japanese bikes. Some of those a worth a pretty penny. Do you have any pics?

[Budman]

i have a 1971 CB 750 honda in the garage. 836 kit in it with stainless steel valves, RC engineering 4 into 1 header, double roller chain, 92 was the last year i rode it.

grew up with the dream 160 and the 300 my brother had and he still has the original 450 from the early 60's. my first was the 450 scrambler and went straight to the CB 750

bought new in 81 the 900F and then the 1100F in 83

Edited May 31, 2015 by Budman

[sputnik]

This is my (true) high school sweetheart, a '72 cb350.  I hope my old girlfriend that rode on the back of it has aged as well.  

Restored with all OEM NOS except for the replica mufflers and tires.

 

Edited May 31, 2015 by sputnik

[Rivervalleymgb]

I will have to take some pics. My phone camera is iffy. Both the Dreams are in the restoration stage. My daily rider is a '92 Honda 750 Nighthawk. I grabbed the Dreams since I was looking for something smaller due to age. Picking up the 160 Scrambler this week, but it needs a complete engine rebuild. 

Edited May 31, 2015 by Rivervalleymgb

[Ceptorman]

i have a 1971 CB 750 honda in the garage. 836 kit in it with stainless steel valves, RC engineering 4 into 1 header, double roller chain, 92 was the last year i rode it.

grew up with the dream 160 and the 300 my brother had and he still has the original 450 from the early 60's. my first was the 450 scrambler and went straight to the CB 750

bought new in 81 the 900F and then the 1100F in 83

Those early 80s supersports were some nice bikes. I went the V4 route in 82 with Honda, V45 Sabre, had about 14 V4s since.

 

This is my (true) high school sweetheart, a '72 cb350.  I hope my old girlfriend that rode on the back of it has aged as well.  

Restored with all OEM NOS except for the replica mufflers and tires.

 

That bike is absolutely gorgeous.

 

I will have to take some pics. My phone camera is iffy. Both the Dreams are in the restoration stage. My daily rider is a '92 Honda 750 Nighthawk. I grabbed the Dreams since I was looking for something smaller due to age. Picking up the 160 Scrambler this week, but it needs a complete engine rebuild. 

Do you do the engine rebuilds also? Good luck on the projects.

[mustang guy]

I have a Honda 550 Four in a crate somewhere. I started restoration on it, and warehoused it when things got busy. Some day, I may get it back out.

 

edit: Mine would look like this restored:

 

Edited May 31, 2015 by mustang guy

[wvu80]

How hard is it to find parts for that Dream 160?  I remember all those 1960's Honda's very well.

+++

 

I am an old dirt bike rider from the late 60's to mid 70's.  I've owed a few mid-sized street bikes, but I still think of myself as a dirt bike guy even though I haven't been on the dirt for 30 years.

[twistedcrankcammer]

Nearby car dealer has literally hundreds of restored bikes in 3 huge buildings. He has a Honda 350/four, a 550/four and a 750/4. Owns an original Evil Knievel jump bike and just tons of bikes including an extensive old bike collection. I never new that Evinrude started out making motorcycles, but he owns one. He has flat track racers and even two ice racers.

Roger

[wvu80]

I have a Honda 550 Four in a crate somewhere. I started restoration on it, and warehoused it when things got busy. Some day, I may get it back out.

 

edit: Mine would look like this restored:

 

 

I used to ride a Honda 550.  They are geared a bit low, but are super smooth.  I geared mine to the moon for highway riding, added a handlebar mounted fairing and spent a summer riding from Washington, DC to the Florida Keys.

 

MG, how in the world did you get one in the crate?  And HOW is it that you have one, and don't know where it is? 

Edited May 31, 2015 by wvu80

[Coytee]

He's gotta be a serious collector if an Evil Knievel bike ended up in Bluffton.

 

I always preferred dirt bikes.  Mom was a nurse in the operating room so I heard horror stories on any subject she wanted to traumatize me with.  (in hindsight I wonder if she just played me like a fiddle)

 

Irrespective of that, I always figured if I was going to be in a wreck, I'd rather it be my fault hitting a tree I didn't see rather than getting hit by a car that didn't see me.

 

Spent some time on a Yamaha RD-350 and felt naked most of the time.

 

In the dirt world, had a Yamaha YZ-465 and just a number of years ago, a 1983 Maico 490 that was bought as parts in four boxes.  Prior owner crashed it, broke a shift fork and took literally, every single nut & bolt apart to find it.  Maybe he was going to restore it....I don't know.  But if it came apart, he did it.  I had the fun (as in fun, not sarcastic) of putting it all back.  Indeed, when the boxes arrived via Greyhound, I couldn't hold myself back so started a dry run with the engine.  About 30 minutes later, I found the problem and had the entire engine put back together in a trial fit.  Took back apart and commenced to fix properly.

 

Both of those bikes were nothing but serious fun!!

[MORE KLIPSCH PLEASE]

Never really been into the bike thing......but my dad loves bikes. Before we moved to the U.S. he raced bikes in England. He raced Triumph's and Nortan's. He remembers when Honda first came to the race track. They cleaned up on the track. Nothing could touch those Honda's.

Back when I was working at a dealership the lot guys were cleaning out a storage shed that the owner had. They pulled up into the lot in a pick-up truck full of junk they took out of the shed.

I saw this motorbike in the back.....I new what it was....it was a Honda Dream. A quick chatt with the GM of the dealership it was mine. No keys no title, no problem....

Well I didn't want the bike.....but I know who would. I called my dad and told him to pick up his new bike. He loved it....With in 24 hours that bike was running.

At the time my dad was still into bikes.....race bikes...he did old Yamaha's and road raced them at a few track here on the East Coast.

He raced in a vintage class....he didn't run with superbikes and those 20 year old guys.

He raced up till his late 60's. I finally talked him out of racing right before he turned 70. My mom really wanted him to stop. Also at time some of his race buds were getting out of it.

My dad was a horse jockey for many years, he worked all the East Coast race tracks. So racing is in blood.....yea dads a nut....lol lol

So the Honda Dream......he did a resto on it and sold it to fund the racing......he got good money for it. I tell ya, if he still had it....would be worth twice as much....

I started with Honda (cars) back in 86.....I love all the old vintage stuff....old Japanese stuff, old muscle cars....if it's old I like it..

MKP :-)

[billybob]

Just sold my old 82 Honda gl500. Man what a topheavy beast. Was just thinking about the dream the other day.

Edited May 31, 2015 by billybob

[ssh]

I had a '69 CB350. My longest single ride was 532+ mi., from south AR to south TX. I only stopped for gas. I was in my twenties, then.

SSH

[twistedcrankcammer]

He's gotta be a serious collector if an Evil Knievel bike ended up in Bluffton.

 

I always preferred dirt bikes.  Mom was a nurse in the operating room so I heard horror stories on any subject she wanted to traumatize me with.  (in hindsight I wonder if she just played me like a fiddle)

 

Irrespective of that, I always figured if I was going to be in a wreck, I'd rather it be my fault hitting a tree I didn't see rather than getting hit by a car that didn't see me.

 

Spent some time on a Yamaha RD-350 and felt naked most of the time.

 

In the dirt world, had a Yamaha YZ-465 and just a number of years ago, a 1983 Maico 490 that was bought as parts in four boxes.  Prior owner crashed it, broke a shift fork and took literally, every single nut & bolt apart to find it.  Maybe he was going to restore it....I don't know.  But if it came apart, he did it.  I had the fun (as in fun, not sarcastic) of putting it all back.  Indeed, when the boxes arrived via Greyhound, I couldn't hold myself back so started a dry run with the engine.  About 30 minutes later, I found the problem and had the entire engine put back together in a trial fit.  Took back apart and commenced to fix properly.

 

Both of those bikes were nothing but serious fun!!

Richard,

The car dealer is an import dealer from Kenton, Ohio by last name of Brim. All kinds of bikes I never knew existed. He has two or three Honda CBXs, but also another inline 6, a Kaw or Suzuki, don't remember which, but I never knew any of the other mnfgrs made an inline 6 besides Honda.

I have a 1985 Yamaha V-Max with over $27,000 in modifications. Aftermarket intake and flat slide carbs, headers, ignition, nitrous, 3 inch over drive shaft chrome swing arm, 200 mm tire, air shifter, billet rims, a lot of custom pieces and chrome.

I used to have a 250 RM Suzuki when I was a kid, and my buddy had a Yamaha 360 YZ. I'll bet those bikes of yours were monsters with your little butt sitting on them!

Roger

[twistedcrankcammer]

I had a '69 CB350. My longest single ride was 532+ mi., from south AR to south TX. I only stopped for gas. I was in my twenties, then.

SSH

Try that kind of ride on a V-Max, you are sitting with your legs pretty wide with the two scoops for any distance riding.

Roger

[Frzninvt]

My all time favorites are the Honda mini trails like the Z50, CT-70, XL-70, SL-70, XR-75, CT-90, and the original Odyssey mini dune buggy I absolutely love these.  I remember the very day in the late 60's when my Dad came home with a '69 Z50 in Blue/Silver.  Always wanted a CT-70 but never got one but my friends had them and some of the others that I listed.  I must have put a million miles on that Z50 and rode it everywhere and loved taking it to our ranch.  We traded many years later for a Suzuki RM-125 when I got older, the Honda dealer was amazed at the condition and shape it was in after all those years. 

 

CT-70's especially the early 4 speed manuals go for big money on eBay.  I have always hoped to find one in my general area one day.

[wvu80]

My all time favorites are the Honda mini trails like the Z50, CT-70, XL-70, SL-70, XR-75, CT-90, and the original Odyssey mini dune buggy I absolutely love these.

 

I had one of the first Honda Mini-trail 50's

 

and a Honda Trail 70, both in candy apple red. 

 

They had hard rubber knobs where the handlebars would unscrew so you could throw it into the trunk of a car or boat.  Every time you would wreck your knees would hit those stupid knobs, and the brake lever (one each for front and back) would break off, since the bracket was welded to the handlebar and the levers were made of cheap brittle pot metal.

 

My first MX race bike was a Honda SL 100 with the lights taken off and knobby put on the rear. 

 

I was 14 when I crashed out in the first turn of my very first race and broke my left arm in two places.  In the 6-weeks I had to wait for the arm to heal I would duct tape my arm to the bar so I could ride.  I couldn't wait to get on the track again.  I raced for ten years. Those were some of the best times of my life,

Edited June 2, 2015 by wvu80

[Frzninvt]

Yep those knobs to lower the handle bars for transport I remember them well.  Oh yes, I replaced many brake levers as well.  Damn I love the CT-70 such a beautiful mini-bike, the candy apple red is stunning!

Edited June 2, 2015 by Frzninvt

[Montego]

 

 I built one of these in the 70's.  Put this one together over the last few years by collecting parts from ebay.