here is what the bike looked like when I pulled it out of the shed after 20+ years. with very little work I've got it running and riding
hoping for a little helphoping for a little helphey there. I'm new to the world of vintage bikes. just aquired a dream from an aunt that past away. i'm hoping you guys can help me with a couple quesstions I have. I'm pretty sure that it is a 1964, judging by the frame number (CA78-402610) and what I've read on this site. The engine number has me a little confused though CL77E-1024929. has this engine been replaced? I'm also trying to figure out if the paint color is original or not. it is a goldish yellow. I have not been able to find anything that says they were ever made in this color.
here is what the bike looked like when I pulled it out of the shed after 20+ years. with very little work I've got it running and riding Hi and welcome to the forum
'64 looks good and the engine could be from that era, too. There were two types of numbering in '64 and one of our experts on CA78s will be along soon to put us right.  Dream003 by sdaley80, on Flickr I have fixed your link to the picture. The color is definitely not a standard color but if you like it there's nothing wrong with individualism (others will disagree). There are plenty of Dreams restored to showroom condition that will keep museums supplied for a while.... Well done for getting her running. Some basic maintenance such as cleaning the centrifugal oil filter and the oil will keep it running for longer. G '60 C77 '60 C72 '62 C72 Dream '63 CL72
'61 CB72 '64 CB77 '65 CB160 '66 Matchless 350 '67 CL77 '67 S90 '77 CB400F Aunt's bikesdaley, Great story on your bike. I hope Auntie shared some of her adventures with you as well.
All 305 Dreams came with "CA77E" engines so, if it says CL, the engine has been replaced. CL77 didn't start until 1965 and I would guess your top case is from a 1966. LM is the final word on Scramblers. Since your aunt (or???) had the bike repainted, you should consider keeping it that color - unless you hate it and are dedicated to a complete restoration (and have the time and money). After a good scrubbing, try some rubbing compound, then polishing compound and then a good Carnuba wax. Its amazing what a little elbow grease will do. On the right side just above the spark plug, take off the little cover. How many sets of points do you see? If only one then you have a 360 degree engine and info for a Dream applies. If you see 2 sets of points, then you have a 180 degree engine and you will have to approach it as a CB/CL. It looks like you only have one carb so at least the head appears to be from a Dream. Let us know. Welcome to the Dream world and to this site. As you have already seen, you will find a lot of help here. thanks for the help. the engine most definetely says "CL" so i guess at least the crankcase has been replaced. as far as the paint goes i think i'll probably end up painting it a different color... not a big fan. pretty much the entire thing is covered in surface rust so it will need to be painted at some point. surprisingly the chrome isnt in too bad of shape. a little steel wool has most of it looking pretty good. i'll post updated pics soon.
finally got a couple pics after it was cleaned up a little bit.
  rode it a few more miles the other day. its smoking from the right pipe and has some engine noise so i think it might need some work this winter. just to be sure everything is right i wanted to check the ignition timing. at one time i saw on this site where someone had posted the procedure for setting the timing. now i cant find it. maybe i'm just having trouble with the search function. any help with finding it would be greatly appreciated. thanks, shaun
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
