Very Cool Old Honda

[the Ferret]

I consider myself an amateur historian on motorcycles. I have loved motorcycles since I was a kid, and have quite a collection of historical reference books on them (20 books at last count..4 of them dedicated to Hondas alone.)

This month's Road Runner magazine came in the other day, and much to my amazement in the back they featured a Honda I had never seen or heard of before.
Made domestically for a few months in 1956 and 1957, there are only 5 known to exist IN THE WORLD today. One in India, one in Myanmar, 2 in Japan and one in England.

In 1957 it commanded a price of 187,000 Japanese yen (almost $11,000 in today's dollars adjusted for inflation). A ton of money in post WW2 Japan.

Called the Dream MF 350 is was a 344cc single that boasted 20 hp. It had a host of features that were technically years ahead of it's time. An overhead camshaft, a 7.5:1 compression ratio, (much higher than other bikes of it's era). Ram air style air intake around the steering head. A gear indicator, electric turn signals, rubber dampers in the rear wheel, and the rider could go from top gear directly to first. It's acceleration and top speed of 75 mph were impossible to beat in Japan, even faster than the 22 hp Harley-Davidson based Rikuo 750 V twin and the 19 hp Cabton Indian based 600 parallel twin. With a light tune up the MF could hit nearly 95 mph.

and to top it off.... it's simply stunning to look at







How impressive was the mind of Soichiro Honda?

[pekingduck]

There's at least one in the US. My friend just sold his, but kept his Dream 250SA, a more common bike that looks similar except for the forks and fat pipe.
They were well-finished, but tourers, not racers. They were somewhat influenced by the Horex Regina, as everybody in Japan copied someone back then. I'd love to have one, but they were a bit fragile.

[the Ferret]

this one (of the 5 supposedly) sold at Bonhams for $ 31,898

https://www.hondatwins.net/threads/the-r...56.128998/

You sure your buddy had one of these?

https://www.hondatwins.net/threads/the-r...56.128998/

[peterbaron]

Tell me if you recognize this one:

[the Ferret]

German MZ

[GoldOxide_imp]

Tell me if you recognize this one:

Well, ... look at that lump. So naked. So organic.

[pekingduck]

this one (of the 5 supposedly) sold at Bonhams for $ 31,898

https://www.hondatwins.net/threads/the-r...56.128998/

You sure your buddy had one of these?

https://www.hondatwins.net/threads/the-r...56.128998/

My error, he had a 350SB (or ME). It had the same leading link forks and he had all kinds of trouble making the bulging exhaust pipe, finally trying to have it hydroformed to no avail. He finally sold it with a straight diameter headpipe from a 250. The 350s were a stop-gap bike as the twin cylinders were released shortly after.
Nonetheless, it is a rare bike, and handsome too.

Tell me if you recognize this one:

Well, ... look at that lump. So naked. So organic.

Well, ... look at that lump. So naked. So organic.
That's a bike that was designed in East Germany in the '50s and lingered fairly unchanged for decades. If you know you're going to sell all that you make, and there is no competition, why improve it?

[peterbaron]

It's an East German (DDR) 1960 MZ ES 250, which change roughly every decade or so.
Very reliable, easy to work on and hard to kill.
To me that MF350 and MZ 250 look similar..??

[the Ferret]

See post 5 ...what do I win?

The MF 350 definitely showed European/German influences as did the original 1949 Honda Dream D to my eyes.

[PowerDubs_imp]

That MF350 is lovely!

I would happily just park that and look at it.