The Honda Dream motorcycle was and in many ways still is the single most empowering force that has pervaded every level of Thai society during the last 50 years. The opportunities that were afforded to lower income families and individuals upon ownership of this humble two wheeler are countless. Suddenly the immediate world shrank, no long fettered by the restrictions imposed upon us by unreliable public transport and the hefty expenses demanded by taxis, we were able to travel further to work, to school, to restaurants, to see distant friends and relatives, to visit temples and beaches that were far beyond the borders of our immediate neighbourhood.
My first year living in Thailand (Krabi), I relied on a bicycle and the public transport system to get me to work and into town for dinner and drinks with friends. Motorcycle ownership seemed like a rash decision considering I had no idea how long this adventure would last. The following year my family visited me. My father took one look at my humble lifestyle and declared - I think one of those scooters is what you need son! Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I let me wife deal with it and suddenly we had a brand new Honda Dream 125cc, 4 speed motorcycle, paid for in cash at the local Honda dealership. Here she is circa 2002. A stock standard, off the showroom floor Honda Dream, no disc brakes, no bells and whistles, nothing fancy, cheapest option they had.
I swear this motorcycle by Honda is an engineering masterpiece - I'm not a mechanic but what I can say is that for 18 years I drove this poor girl into the ground, she never had undercover parking, she never received the care and attention she probably deserved, she had an oil change once a year and new tyres when the current ones were so threadbare the mechanic insisted on changing them. She has been crashed and dropped multiple times. She had transported washing machines (im serious), televisions, bricks, cement, drunk friends and many many more ridiculous requests of her small engine.
Then suddenly she was abandoned - left to rot in the rain and weather of tropical south Thailand for a year without being started, as life took me on a rollercoaster ride that didn't require an old motorcycle.
A call came one day from a friend. Brother, he said - Im going to bring this rotting motorcycle to you because nobody here is using it and it's making my garden ugly. Guess what, we put some fuel in her and kicked her over and she started 1st time. It was at that point that I decided a little restoration project was in order. I limped her to my mechanic and told him do whatever you want to her, just make her whole again!
I heard nothing from him for a month or more when suddenly these photos appeared in my message inbox. My humble family transporter was undergoing some kind of apocalyptic, Mad Max transformation.....
I was so excited to see her looking so mean and powerful, gas shocks, offroad tyres, mag wheels and a cool AF black paint job....Oh Yeah! This was exactly what I wanted - a complete rebirth of my 20 year old Honda Dream.
Another week passed and my mechanic sent me these......
It was all coming together now and the new fairings were the last part to complete her makeover.
Im so happy that instead of letting her rot and die and eventually being scrapped for parts, that she has been fully restored to something far beyond the little bike I rode out of the Krabi Town Honda showroom back in 2002. Now I explore the trails and tracks of the Phuket mountains with her, she has her own garage and is lovingly taken care of finally. People look twice when I'm stopped at the lights and I get thumbs up everywhere I go. I think I may be the only person in Thailand to pimp their humble Honda Dream! I have never seen one like her. What do you think hivers?
