The differences between the US model (CA77/78) and the European model (C77/C78) are the winkers, wire harness, parking light, handlebar switch gear and a few other, minor differences. Mine is the late (1964) C78 model, which has the tubular steering handle.
I disassembled the engine of the bike many years ago, and I can’t even remember in what state it was. I took it apart because it used oil (smoking), but other then that, I'm not aware off. I was planning to fix and assemble the bike, but then came a CB72 to my shed, and the dream was forgotten. However, over the years I bought a lot of parts of 250's / 305's, but mainly CB stuff. Since booth bikes share more or less the same engine, I have plenty of parts to rebuild the engines. Later came the CB450 K0, but I kept restoring the CB72's in a slow pace, but never started to build-up the C78.
Family, work, travelling, other bikes, there were many reasons not to start the assembly. The dream wasn't a very popular bike to restore also, the prices of parts were high, and the value of restored dream was low, not a good combination, taking all these things into account, I can understand why other projects were getting more priority and attention. The dream was also an old-fashioned bike, a dull tourer, not able to maintain high speeds on the high-way, and the styling, well, you love it or you hate it (and most people hate it). A square headlight is period correct and acceptable, but square rear shocks ? really ? Well, times have changed, and looking at the dream while walking by in my garage did put a smile on my face lately. It's also the styling itself, it didn't change, it still has the square headlight, and the square shocks, but I think my taste changed a bit over the years, appreciating the classic Japanese appearance more and more. It was the time that Japan was searching, trying, experimenting, and copying. It was the time of the European monopolism on reliable bikes, and the dream has elements of the Adler MB250s, Puch's and many other European manufactured bikes.
So, I decided that the time has come to restore / rebuild the bike. I can't make the bike much faster (I will try to change in few things in favour of top speed), but I can make it a more modern. Since this is one of my last or even the last complete ground up restorations of the 250's / 305's (I have an incomplete C75 in parts, but I don't know If I will ever come to it), I will do a decent job.
The bike will stay black, but not with the same paint process of the CB72. Glossy, quality, that's what I want deep black, with a clear cote. It won't be a trailer queen, but a nice example of the distinguish style of the 60's. Always underappreciated and called an ugly-duck, discarded by many. In all the shows I've bin (in the Netherlands, and Belgium), I have never seen a nice, restored dream due to the reasons mentioned above.
