As kids, we all had that one friend who always had nicer things than we did. They had nicer clothes, a nicer house, a nicer bicycle, and even more painful, a nicer motorcycle. This 1966 Honda CA77 305 Dream can be found here on craigslist in Yardley, Pennsylvania. The seller is asking what seems like a very reasonable $1,500. Thanks to a very reasonable Roger for sending in this tip!
You were most likely just reaching motorcycle riding age in the early-1970s for a bike like this 1966 Honda CA77 305 Dream to have been on your dream bike list. As in, born in the early-1960s, learned to ride in the late-1960s, and a friend had a nice used one in the early-1970s and you didn’t. Not that I’m still bitter or anything. No, we had a Yamaha YL-1 Twin Jet 100 street bike, a two-stroke gem, but a neighbor had a Honda Dream and it seemed so much nicer, so much bigger, it seemed like so much more of an adult bike.
The Honda 305 Dream, or more officially, the Honda CA77 had chrome tube handlebars as most of us are used to, but there was another model of the 305 Dream, the C77, which had pressed-steel handlebars. You can see that this bike looks like it’s in great shape overall. The seat cover is a bit wrinkly but other than that, I don’t see too many flaws here. The seller says that this one was restored but they don’t say when or if they did the work.
The turn signals are interesting. Those are the little amber-colored little squares sticking out of each side in back of the luggage rack, for those of you who don’t know what turn signals are. I’m kidding, sort of, but not many people use them anymore. The engine is Honda’s 305 cc parallel-twin which had around 23 horsepower. The seller says that this one starts and runs well but there is no title. I didn’t have any problem getting a title for one of my 1984 Honda Gyros a couple of years ago so it’s doable in most states. Have any of you owned a Honda Dream?
The 250/305 Dream definitely had its share of admirers. It had an engine that was indestructible. It started easily, purred in traffic and was essentially about as boring as a motorcycle could get. Honda built that engine for a good ten years. I remember this Spokane dealer catalog from 1959 showing a Honda 305 Dream. I’m wondering if the 305 actually came out before the 250 because the catalog only showed the Cub and the 305–with upswept exhausts. My older brother had a ’59 model which I rode from time to time. His friend had the 250 version. They rode together a fair bit.
Myself I preferred the Hawk/Super Hawk; they had a lot more class, not to mention a fair bit more power. Of course, twin carburetors also meant that they needed tuning a bit more as well. But I still must say that this would be welcome at my place. Some people would cast a strange glance in my direction but why should things be any different than they are now?
could someone help me find a 305 Dream I’m in South Dakota
Had a 66 CL77 the 305 scrambler was a mule to start some mornings but was a blast to ride. My first bike bought it used, the 305 was a great running motor. Took about a 700 mile trip on it before I went into the Air Force. Ran without a hitch just young and stupid!
Here’s a blast from the past. Honda also made a “Benly” 125 and 150 twins, with similar square styling. While the Super Hawk was considered the 1st muscle bike, the Dream had more civil folks in mind. I believe, the Dream was considered the 1st Asian touring bike, and I’m sure many did just that with these. Great bikes, bullet proof motors ( 3 main bearings instead of the usual 2, I read) but in a few short years, the 750 came out, and it was good-bye Dream, but at one time, this was Hondas top of the line cruiser.
I was thinking the same thing…these set the stage, but when Honda came out with the new CB 350/450/750 series it was a home run!
One thing I wanted to mention was that even though I considered this series of engines indestructible, the first catastrophic motorcycle engine failure was on a friend’s Super Hawk. They had cast liners in the block and one cracked down under the flange, It caught the top ring and tore the crown off the piston. The crown got turned at an angle and when what’s left of the piston came back up again it bent the rod. The local Honda dealer wanted to sell a whole slug of new parts. I found a place in CA that sold me a set of liners, and another place that a new connecting rod plus was able to rebuild the crankshaft. The entire rebuild was aftermarket at a fraction of what the dealer wanted, and the engine ran great. I might add that it was quite a challenge replacing the liners but some old-school diesel mechanics coached me through it.
The listing is already gone. At $1,500, this was a screaming bargain.
You don’t need 1800cc and 150 hp in a bike to have fun. This one would have been a blast.
Incidentally the “turn signals” are officially called “winkers” by Honda
The first motorcycle I ever rode was a old 160 Dream I think. I was smitten, hopelessly lost forever to 2 wheels, a motor and a tank with the Honda ‘wing’. It too was red like this. Traded my Schwinn Varsity for my first 305 Scrambler that had been sitting in a garage while the owner was in the Navy in Vietnam. Of course all it needed was a battery, fresh gas and those teeny-weeny carb jets cleaned. My dad of course taught me that if you pull a wire out of an old wire brush it’s narrow enough to clean the jets and orifices without too much altering of the channel size. Mostly didn’t even need a rebuild kit if you were careful. That was the first of many, many Hondas. Still have a 305 scrambler I’m refreshing………………Good times.
This was one massive nail in the British motorcycle industry’s coffin.
It was absolutely reliable, it didn’t leak oil every time it was parked, it had electric start, and turn signals as well.
Maybe it didn’t handle as well as a Brit bike, but for everyday commuting it was hard to beat. And it didn’t leave a trail of nuts and bolts down the highway from excruciating vibration.
They sold like hotcakes thanks to excellent engineering and brilliant advertising:
“You meet the nicest people on a Honda” said it all.
A friend of my brother had a NSU Supermax, which rode like a Caddy, had absolutely no vibrations, leaks or things falling off and started instantly, despite minus Zero temperatures. Despite all the superlatives, I preferred the DKW ¨RT-350¨ for the same qualties, PLUS the beautiful smooth 2-stroke sound and the delicious, elegant stryling.
Lucky, Great comment.
“And it didn’t leave a trail of nuts and bolts down the highway from excruciating vibration.”
The Brits almost owned the motorcycle industry from the 30s to the 50s. The worst mistake that was made was to put the designer of one revolutionary motorcycle (1937) into management instead of keeping him designing new stuff. His design went straight to his head and he figured it would last until the end of time. The other British builders rested on their laurels instead of advancing their own rides. Designer, Burt Hopwood, warned management at Triumph that if they didn’t get something going, and fast, that the Japanese were going to beat them at their own game. Good ol’ Eddie confidently blew him away, saying that when the beginning riders were tired of riding Honda Cubs, “they will buy ours.” Well, some of us did, while some did NOT. And it was the latter that helped Honda to take over…
Nice story, but not quite. During the 1920´s they controlled the market for lack of competition. In the 1930´s they were overtaken by Germany, DKW becoming the worlds largest manufacturer and exporter, e.g. in Scandinavia they sold more bikes then the, the local manufacturers like Husquarna or Monarch. In South America, wherever you went, you saw DKW´s, NSU, BMW and other german makes – practically no British who had earned the reputation of oil drippers, refusing to start on cold mornings, and losing nuts and bolts while driving due to their vibrations, which didn´t do the kidneys any good either. The British owned the North American market (such as it was) in the 1950´s and beginning 60´s, when the Japanese began to overtake them. There was no motorcycle market as such in the USA before the war; almost all motorcycles sold back then went to the various police departments. You had to be an individualist of the first order to be seen on bike.
I don’t think there’s any point in arguing this one. I’m going by the three reference books that I have and you obviously have references of your own so we might have to call this a draw. I might add that I don’t know much about the European market (other than the British market) so I could learn a lot from there. I will say that there were a lot more bikes in the US (and Canada) in the late thirties than you think. and they picked up at a rapid pace immediately after the war. Dealers sprung up everywhere, even in the late 30s. I know of several bike shops that have actually been around since even the early 30s and have lasted for multiple generations. There was a dealer way up north in a place called Saskatoon, run by a couple of brothers who set up shop in the late 20s. One of the brothers wrote a book entitled; ‘Modern Motorcycle Mechanics,’ which was first printed in the 30s and was revised, I believe 8 times (I have copies of #1, #2, #4 and #7); it was used as a textbook in motorcycle mechanics training courses the world over, and a lot of guys just used them as manuals (they’re that good). I’ve been in guys’ Man Caves in Houston and saw copies on their shelves.
The Japanese have been great imitators for centuries.
They copied military tactics and weapons from the US and Germany as well as other western countries long before WW2.
As far as motorcycles go, they also copied the BMW boxer twins (Marusho) and the old BSA A10 vertical twins (Kawasaki).
I’m a gearhead and have owned a bunch of cars but only one motorcycle. A 305 Honda. I live in a busy area with lots of traffic and was never comfortable on a bike. I sold it to a friend who drove it for years. It was trouble free.
I have a 305 dream. It’s titled as a 68 but I learned that the title year has little to do with the year of manufacture. The bikes were titled for the year they were sold. Not the year they were made. In high school I had a Yamaha YDS3. I friend had a 305 dream. We often traded and I really liked the Dream. I bought a fully restored one about eighteen years ago but rarely rode it. As a matter of I haven’t ridden it in over ten years. I drained the fuel and pulled the battery and it now sits covered in the shop. I’m too dang old at 71. One thing I’ve noticed though is that neither the bike I ride back in the sixties nor mine came with turn signals. By the way I would live to find a nice YDS3
I purchased a ’65, 305 Super Hawk in ’66 for $550, a lot of money for a 16 year old cutting lawn back then. In the spring of ’67, I rebuilt it, installing a Webco 350 kit, which upped the displacement to 350 cc’s, a hot drag strip camshaft, high performance valve springs, a Barnett clutch assembly, did a port and polish job on the head, crossed switch 2nd & 3rd gears, which made the transmission more evenly spaced, dropped a couple of teeth on the output shaft sprocket, removed the starter, and installed a magnetic reed relay on the starter circuit, and wired it into the ignition circuit. I could then just hit the starter button, which killed the ignition while applying pressure to the shift pedal. It would change gears without having to use the clutch, which saved a lot of time in the quarter mile. I also had a Honda tuned racing exhaust system. My best time was 12.34 seconds at 108 MPH. Very respectable for 1967, and just 21 cu in! That engine would rev to 14,000 RPM, and I never had a reliability problem with it at all! I also had a lot of fun cruising Woodward Ave with it, and surprised a lot of hot cars at the time! (;-) The only outstanding thing about the bike was that it had a white metal flake seat. Sadly, I sold that bike, and like a lot of guys today, I wished that I still had it! (:-(
What was the bike in “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance?”
It was a Honda Dream— I think a 305. There’s a picture of Pirsig and his son Chris with the bike somewhere. You can probably find it online.
Wonderful book about life, mental health and riding motorcycles.
That’s the picture TBAU. Looks more like a 305 Superhawk.
1st bike, 50 yrs ago. Only 3 more since (’78KZ750B now – 2cyl).
Started a good deal of fun, commutes, and wrenchin.
Amazing to see now, all these yrs later…
When I went off to college I found a 62 Honda 150 Dream, it didn’t take me long to start mondifying it. cut the rear fender back, took the front fender off, and got rid of the big seat, and put an SL tank on it. put shorty mufflers and Zbars on it painted it yellow with red flames. I rode that bike all over Kansas, top speed was about 60 mph. A couple of years later, post Easyriders movie, Ifound a running 1952 panhead for 400 bucks, From Dream to Harley 74, I never looked back. I had both of them for about thirty years, and I think the Dream is still in a shed someplace on the farm. made a neat little cafe racer before such things were popular. I am not sure but I think the parts I took off are still up in the attic of my mom’s garage.
Hi guys. You mostly right about our, Brit, bike industry, wretched management wouldn’t listen. However, it took quite a while before jap bikes could stay ahead of ours, due to their quite appalling handling, and the similiar stainless disc brakes, that didn’t come on for a few secs when wet. Once Japan started employing europeans to make their bikes handle, that was it.
I remember a mate got a 500 kwacker triple, astonishing acceleration, but the back would hop out on corners, ( we have a lot more corners, here in UK) an we always had him. Not many small Hondas an that were sold, us actual bikers went straight to the 500’s an over. Cheers, Mark.
That bit about wretched management of Britains bike industry applies equally to the automotive world. It´s called arrogance.
My first bike was a 150 Honda Dream. Great running and riding bike. I was 13 yrs old and had a blast on that bike. My dad bought a 305 Scrambler it was awesome to ride ride as well. I have an opportunity to buy a 305 Dream restored but the guy is at 5,600.00 for it. He has no bites yet.