California Dreaming
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
The one that pointed the way
THE VERY MOST COLLECTible Japanese motorcycle? Easy. Any race Honda ridden by the great Mike Hailwood.
But after that, the bike you see here just might qualify.
This is a 1953 Honda 3E Dream. It is owned by Japanese collector Yasuo Watanabe, and is in the United States under the control and care of one Jerry Guidroz, a 41-year-old vintage Honda enthusiast who makes his living in Southern California’s construction trades. He also buys vintage Japanese bikes and ships them by the container to Japan. That’s how he met Watanabe, who purchased the contents of some of those containers. And as a thank you for services rendered, Watanabe sent Guidroz this old bike. “He knows I love old Dreams,” says Guidroz. “He told me I could do anything I
want with it. including buy it, sell it, restore it, or not.” The bike, unlovely in its present unrestored form, is powered by a 146cc, ohv Single, with a two-speed transmission. It weighs about 215 pounds, and when new, developed 5.5 horsepower at 5000 rpm and cranked off a 45-mph top speed.
No telling what it might do now. Guidroz claims it runs, but the old Dream showed up at CW s offices with a pair of flat tires and a distinct inability to do anything but break wind when its kickstarter was booted.
Still, it can be argued th^t this bike is important not for what it does today, but for the direction in which it pointed almost 40 years ago.
Los Angeles area vintage Honda enthusiast Tim Means notes that this bike is the first Honda to carry its model name in English. “That fact signaled nothing less than Honda’s intent to enter the world market,” Means says.
Guidroz claims the 3E is one of just 20 known to exist, and he says that rarity governs its worth, which he places between $5000 and $7500. If restored, the Dream might go for as much as $ 12,000, Guidroz says.
What would it cost to restore?
Guidroz thinks for a bit, then says, “It runs and shifts fine—if I did it myself, pinching pennies, maybe a couple grand, huh?”
But for now. Guidroz is far more occupied with the enjoyment of his prize than he is with the problems associated with its future.
“Yasuo has sent me a little bit of Japan, and I’m just enjoying it,” he crows.
Then he adds, nodding his head in self-affirmation, “I don't drink, I don't smoke, I collect. My wife thinks I’m crazy. She’s a psych nurse, so if she says I’m nuts, I guess I’ve gotta be nuts. This old bike might look kinda nasty, but I just love it. And it's the only one in the U.S. That makes me feel neat.”
Jon F. Thompson
