Will It Start? This Motorcycle Hasn't Ran In Decades

[@The_Bearded_Mechanic]

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[@Chopsandslots]

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[@jvalusmc0331]

We had a Hodaka Super combat wombat sitting in our shed for years my brother traded for that he never got running back in the early 90s. I knew what this was as soon as I saw the tank. Can’t wait to watch!

[@ManuelPerez-ip4bb]

Very smooth blending of the promotion, nicely done.

[@smittyghostey1955]

Craig. Have you ever worked on a Bmw k75?

[@NFI_Racing]

You guys do know Combat wombat is Australian army slang for soldiers on leave cause they eat,roots,shoots n leaves.......😂😂

[@daveallen8824]

These thing used to absolutely RULE the small displacement classes in the desert. Best trail bike there was at the time.

[@davidlove1335]

At age 14 the Wombat was my dream bike. Now at 67 I’d still love to have one!

[@thereve]

The Plush Platypus would definitely be Hodaka’s answer to the Gold Wing.

[@Rom3_29]

Bigfoot Super Shadow

[@ChazAndTubbs]

I had the same thought

[@soho71]

Dude! I had a 1971 Hodaka ACE 100cc when I was 13! (53 now)Loved that bike. It even came with a new motor in the box!

[@rustypotatos]

It came with an extra motor with the bike? Whaaaaa

[@johng4250]

I remember well in the middle to late 60’s those Hodaka 100’s would run circles around my Honda 250 in the dirt.

[@jimp.7286]

Awesome. Another owner. My first real motorcycle; ace 100. Got it in 1970. They were really popular around here, (central west coast), for short track racing. People ported them till there was little metal left in the cylinder or the piston ring would get caught, hahaha. And yeah, they'd blow up. All gears down so you could stomp through the gears thinking you'd beat the other guy in a drag race. Ahh. Great memories. I've thought about hodaka's often throughout the years. Cheers.

[@StephLyons-s7e]

Imagine if they still did this ? , the value of bikes would go whacky and soon the companies would realize just how not feasible it is and how much money they are losing and stop doing it and 50 years later on whatever social media platforms are around , someone with a beard would make a video or whatever it's called at that point and say " remember in the 2020s when they came with extra motors , man that was great " and the alternate me would make a reply with this exact reply.

[@patrickreyl3903]

Bless you that insane!

[@lawrencebrennan3122]

My first bike was a 1978 Road Toad right off the floor. I was in 8th grade. Best Birthday Present ever.

[@randallyoung6647]

I had a road toad that had the hi low transmission it was a good bike

[@hodaka1000]

I have plenty

[@henryfreab960]

Loved my 78 hody 2 stroke 250 so fast

[@psalm2forliberty577]

I had a Hodaka 80 near identical. I believe the engine was manufactured by Fuji Motor Company Japan. Bought brand new for $299.95 at The Scooter Shop on El Cajon Blvd San Diego CA in 1977. Rode the tar out of that thing - no hiccups just solid & reliable. Had to premix fuel. Suspension was just OK but ok to keep me from killing myself. Great memories ! I now rock a 2008 Suzuki V-Strom 650 ADV at 60 years old & tour it regionally. Praise God for the fun we get to enjoy exploring His amazing world 🌎. Ride safe Brothers !

[@thetoymanator7723]

I may be wrong but Fuji Motor Co. also make Subaru motor vehicles so there's definitely a link to quality manufacturing there!

[@titosyettos2689]

300 dollars for that is such a deal

[@daveweaver2558]

Hodaka motorcycles were made and assembled in Japan by the Hodaka Industrial Company. Importer Pacific Basin Trading Company (PABATCO)--located in Athena, OR--designed and engineered the bikes.

[@jerry-xi4gi]

🌍👎it's a flat plane, 🤘😎

[@wyattcampbell980]

I actually have a Combat Wombat I built for AHRMA, I'm 29, restored it myself and took it to its first race 2 months ago!

[@jjcrash50]

I live 45 minutes from Athena and never heard about Hodaka. It's a tiny town of 1100 people in the middle of nowhere. Searched it up and they hold Hodaka Days every year in June.

[@MarekLewandowski_EE]

Two tips: 1) put a coffee filter in the funnel when draining the Evaporust - it will catch particles of rust and other junk so that you don't get dirt into the next tank you use Evaporust on. 2) For cleaning small things I found a cheap electric toothbrush a magic tool. Especially scrubbing springs, inside corners and small crevices goes so much faster. I found that the generic toothbrush heads are quire solvent resistant too. Keep up the good work! Thanks for your videos!

[@tjmac1453]

Dude I used to have a Hodaka Dirt Squirt. Man I loved that bike as a kid. Blinded by the sun reflecting off the chrome gas tank LOL. I will never forget the sound.

[@tedecker3792]

I’ve got an extremely well restored 74 Dirt Squirt. Anyone interested?

[@beetelish]

Had a combat wombat!

[@68gto83harley]

My first bike. In 1972 saved my paper route money and got a '68 Hodaka Ace 100. Mine had the chrome tank. Loved that bike.

[@CatmanToxo]

Souns good

[@recoilrob324]

The 'Super Rat' immediately came to mind when I saw 'Hodaka'...they were THE bike back in the early '70's.

[@ethics3]

when i was 13 my dad came home with an ACE 100 ( duel purpose ) AND a Super Rat ( off road competition ) We got the rat running using a few parts from the ACE 100 and I used it for 2 years

[@Slane583]

I have a Hodaka Combat Wombat saved on my FB Marketplace list. I just don't have the money to bother the guy. Other than that it's mostly just a "someday" bike for the collection. :)

[@georgepalm2307]

Super rat scared me. Sold it and bought a 750 Honda in 71

[@johng4250]

@@recoilrob324 I remember fondly the hodaka Desert Rat 100cc. I’m surprised so many folks can remember these bikes, greatest dirt bikes. Everyone that remembers these 90 and 100cc bikes running circles around the 250’s please raise your hand. Might be hard to raise your hand because most of us are in or near care home time.

[@jamespalmer4727]

A friend of mine had a super rat. It was nice. Then I got a 350 kawasaki bighorn. Lots of power, needed better suspension. It was still awesome.

[@divhandyman]

I had a friend in the mid 80s that had that same exact bike. We all rode each others bikes, but everyone always wanted to ride his Hodaka because it was so cool. Thanks for the video, I forgot about those days of riding until I saw your video.

[@Steelythestacker]

My man!! You brought back some great memories for me today. My first "real" motorcycle, if you want to call it that, was a 1976 Hodaka Dirt Squirt 100. I saved my money up from mowing grass over a summer, then when I turned 12 and was officially allowed to have a bike I bought that beast the next spring for 250 bucks back in 1988. It wasn't a speed freak, it wasn't nimble, it had ugly dual shocks and an old red steel tank. It was freedom for a 12 year old though. I wish I still had it even if just for posterity. Edit: you are right about the sound too. Nothing else sounded like that bike running. I'm not sure if it had rotary valves or what but it sounded like it was going to blow up every time it ran.

[@gavingraves4803]

On Saturday last weekend, I had a trike come into a turn to hot and came into oncoming traffic and hit me head on I was on a Gsxr 750 I went and looked at the bike at the tow lot and instantly thought of your channel The bike is in pretty bad condition, but I think I can save it thank you for posting these videos it’s giving me inspiration before my crash and now even more after I can’t wait to be back to 100% to start the project and process

[@brucevotipka2959]

When I was a kid in San Jose in the '60's, my dad bought me a used Hodaka Ace 90 that we rode in the fire roads outside Santa Cruz. Loved it. My dad also had a couple of other rare bikes. His was a Greeves 250 dirt bike. My first bike he built from parts -- two Jawa CZ speedway bikes parts in boxes. He built the bike but didn't have an expansion chamber, so.. he taught himself Basic programming, calculated the optimum dimensions of an expansion chamber for the engine, then fabricated it. A natural engineer.

[@nicozimmermann8672]

Bloody legend is what he is. That is some dedication.

[@spikemcnock8310]

Need to make longer videos with these builds, I could quiet happily watch hours of them. Keep them coming dude 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@navscycles]

I bought one earlier this year mine also hasn’t run in 20+ years but it’s an ace 90. I’ve thought about selling it but now I want to work on it 😂 I know the people of KZbin love these bikes.

[@Fuzzybunny10]

My favorite this about this channel is just the happiness and comethst comes from starting a bike every time. Always makes my day

[@johnnybravo3869]

Athena OR, apparently still celebrates its connection to Hodaka with Hodaka Days, held Thursday-Sunday on the last full weekend of June. Trail rides, trial runs, etc. It sounds like a great time.

[@CharlieRice-eq5hb]

My wombat had the chrome toolbox on the rear rack. It had been modified with exhaust and gearing. When I couldn’t get first gear, the previous owner tore the transmission apart and found the bad spring he had installed the previous winter. Had it back together within two hours.

[@howardwilliams1218]

Brilliant. That little spanner is a points spanner for the cable

[@PreacherwithoutaPulpit]

Man that sound, I was almost one of the lucky ones back in the mid 70's who had a very cool uncle who bought a pair of the 125 Wombats for my cousins Mike and Jeff. I was to young at the time for him to buy me one, just to short or he actually might have. They were 125 Wombats and truly beautiful bikes, being designed for both the street and offroad and they did both very well. They had chrome tanks, fenders, light assemblies, gage clusters, chain guards, tool canister, not just the expected chrome on bikes from this era, they were chromed out. Being to short to ride alone, I couldn't even reach the ground or even just the pegs. My cousins would let me sit in front and take the bars, controlling throttle clutch and front brake, they'd sit behind me to go thru the gears and use the rear brake. Some of the best memories I have from childhood was riding with my cousin Jeff, he'd almost always offer to take me with him unless they were going on a more serious ride. It was a different time back then and as kids we'd roam and ride until dark, in that time if you were in the house in good weather it meant you were in trouble or sick. I have had many of my own bikes since then but there's truly nothing that sounds like a Hodaka and I'm still trying to find my own 125 Wombat to restore as best I can. Thanks Craig and Crew for bringing back to mind some of the best memories from childhood I have. Take care and God Bless...

[@juliancrooks3031]

I used to have one of those back in the 70's. Sturdy little bike and fun to ride

[@jacobgibson4035]

I had a 1970 Hodaka Ace 100 as my first bike! I dug it out of my friend’s dad’s barn like 12 years ago. It had been sitting forever, but took almost nothing to get running again. It was a neat bike.

[@user-sk2kt1vy6y]

Looks a lot like the first motorcycle I ever rode. A friend's parents had an old 70s bike they let us ride around at a birthday party once. They let us take it off of this little ramp and I laid that thing over after a sketchy land. I really wish I knew what that bike was.

[@JorgeM523]

Hey, I am Not a motorcycle guy, never had the opportunity...different story, but I am totally enjoying your channel. I really love your recollection on the history of the bikes you work on. Videos are truly fun to watch and you guys are great characters as well as amazing at your trade. Keep up the great work and keep them running.

[@JorgeM523]

...and Thanks for the Merch! Just ordered my shirt!

[@blbeach]

I had a 1969 Hodaka Super Rat as a kid in high school. I wish I still had it!

[@johnathandavis3693]

OH God! I wanted one those so bad! The rich kid on the next block had one. I'll never forget the cool rat sticker on it. In '78, I saved up from my dishwashing job and bought a '74 YZ250A, the one with the straps on the fuel tank. THAT bike sounded cool...

[@wendellbrown8030]

I had an ACE 100 B, if I remember right ? It was a great little bike and i& I knew back then what I know now, I would have taken better care of it and I have no doubt that it would still be running today ! It needed a clutch and the kickstarter fixed but, I had the engine and transmission completely split apart and it was one of the simplest designs and one of the easiest bikes to work on that I’ve ever seen !

[@Patrick_Cooper]

Flash back Friday. I remember lusting after these back in the day. I had to settle for a lawn mower powered minibike.

[@gregkellow4723]

When I was 13 I save my grass cutting money and bought a very used 1971 Hodaka Ace 100. It was identical to this bike, except mine had the headlight still intact and working and mine had a cylinder head with 2 spark plug holes. I later traded it and another bike, for a Suzuki TS 250.

[@stevegeorge9681]

That is amazing, when I was younger; I had the Hodaka Wombat 125. It was a huge pile of trouble, but I had days of fun on that heavy old bike. Thanks for the memories

[@stevegeorge9681]

The Wombat was just below the Combat Wombat 250

[@jamesadams2334]

My uncle raced a Super Rat. It hadn't been run in 44 years. I cleaned the rust out of the tank, cleaned out the carb, put fresh gas in it and it started 4th kick.

[@hodaka1000]

That's really odd it should've started second kick 🤔

[@tacticooldennis]

When I was in my teens, I rebuilt a Hodaka 90 with my dad. We got it running and took it out to El Mirage Dry Lake Bed. Somewhere between the lakebed and i395 the bike just fouled a plug, and I had to walk back to the truck. I had to walk around a mountain range and back to the main road. My dad's 2WD truck couldn't get back there to find it. So basically, I lost to the open desert.

[@The_Bearded_Mechanic]

OH NO!

[@tacticooldennis]

@The_Bearded_Mechanic yeah it sucked. We painted the tank orange an had our club name on it. But we never saw it again.

[@iancameron198]

​@@The_Bearded_MechanicI have a 1974 Honda ST90 AND IN NEED OF PISTON RINGS AND JUG ANYWAY YOU CAN HELP.

[@shaunodriscoll]

Glad you put out a new video as I’ve just finished watching your back catalog! Your videos are great so much fun!

[@TommyNitro]

Those are the coolest model names I have ever heard.

[@fredmaldonado9204]

Another amazing video. Love to see old bikes brought back to life again. It’s the simple things in life that makes it worth the effort.

[@chrissimpson3580]

I had a friend when I was young who had a hodaka road toad ! Street and trail !

[@dastardlydave1455]

Wow! My neighbor had one when I was growing up. He had a brilliant idea to remove the exhaust so it is louder/cooler. Debris ended up going in the exhaust, scoring the piston, ruining the bike.

[@gerhardscholtz]

Now this is something that deserves a full restore! Please?

[@junkyardvinyl4811]

Rode a friends 125 back in the 70s in Colorado. Rode it up a 4 wheel drive pass at about 12,000 ft. Heavy bike with the steel frame. Was very fun.

[@jimp.7286]

YAAAAAAY. For me the best episode yet. Hodaka ace 100; my first real motorcycle - circa 1970. Pronounced; hoe dah ka. Not ho daa kaa. LOL. Poh tae toe/ poh taa toe. That's how everyone pronounced it back in the day anyway. Many people now days have never heard of them but they were really popular when I was growing up. They were a big thing at Saturday night short track racing. People modded the heck out of them. So many memories. Thanks a bunch for this one!!!

[@danparker1976]

I was gonna comment the same,im like he's pronouncing it wrong..I remember hearing it like you described..Thank you for the comment, and in my opinion, you are correct

[@jimp.7286]

@@danparker1976 👍👍

[@Richard-r1x7d]

There is a whole video about them on you tube somewhere. I saw it probably a year ago or something. Which is the only reason I had heard about them before.

[@jimp.7286]

@@Richard-r1x7d It is strange that such a once popular brand mostly vaporized. People know about bulltaco, montessa and other dirt/enduro bikes from that era but hodaka probably sold far more than those companies did. Price had a lot to do with it. Also, hodaka partnered with bonaza mini-bikes and sold a hodaka powered model that every kid lusted over. ME, lol. Steen, taco mini-cycles and others too. The engines were everywhere. Now mostly forgotten. Now you know more than you probably want to. Cheers.

[@TerryBerg-d6b]

You are correct sir on the pronunciation

[@4ager505]

Had a early 70's Super Rat. Found some help from a 2 stroke mechanic...installed big carb...reed valve...finger porting in cylinder. Seemed like power and RPM doubled, speed and acceleration greatly improved. Many hours of desert riding, if something happened, it was lightweight and easy to push back to the trailer. One of the most fun bikes I ever rode. Good times, good memories...

[@rsereday]

My best friend had one of these that we rode in the late 60's when we were about 12-ish. Fun bike for little kids.

[@mannyfauth4677]

I had a Hodaka 100 and a 125 when I was growing up my uncle gave them to me and I drove them all over the country in Montana I had a blast with them

[@christopherseivard8925]

Great story! Way back when, the wantAdvertiser came out on Thursday, and was immediately poured over, mostly by me shopping for a car. Eventually, you’d settle on motorcycles. Before pictures, the Hodaka Combat Wombat? It always sounded cool!

[@Kim_Miller]

Nice. I had several Hodaka Wombats here in Australia in the early 70s. I'd do them up for performance - in effect a road going Combat Wombat - and sell them and buy another one. Quick jump to 2008 and Kawasaki brought the Versys 650 to Australia and I bought one. I got so weary of people asking what Versys (silly name) meant that I de-badged it and got a sticker shop to make me some stickers that branded it as a Hodaka RT750 (the Road Toad was green like the Kawasaki and I lied about the 750). Suddenly I had older guys wanting to tell me about their Dad's Hodaka and how they loved it as a kid and how excited they were to see the name back out on the road.

[@tiredagain6722]

A buddy had a Wombat in 74. You could hear him coming 2 blocks away 😊

[@Brian-mp2mv]

I miss my Wombat from 45 years ago!

[@HobbitHomes263]

I was 13 in 1972 when I had mine. Abused the heck out of it and I just refused to break. Dad was into radio control airplanes and mixed his own fuel. There was always a jug. Of nitro in the garage. You'd be amazed how strong a 100cc will run on 20% nitro! Fortunately 8 could get gaskets, piston and ring for $3.95. With no power valve crap you can pull the jug and be back on the trail in 15 minutes

[@HobbitHomes263]

The Wombat runs best on a fuel mix we called the Hodaquiri

[@HobbitHomes263]

They did make the Farting Spartan from 76 to 78. It was a 300cc. Kick start was up on the handlebars

[@scottwyatt2614]

A buddy of mine had a Wombat as well. Some years later, his parents said that if they'd known how powerful that bike was they never would have bought it for him. That 125 made absolutely stupid power.

[@blondiejoe]

Craig's passion for all these crazy bikes is what makes this channel special.

[@3rdpig]

I was born in 57 and big into the dirt bike scene in Washington state, so I used to see Hodakas all the time. I had a Kawasaki 350 Bighorn and loved it. It fit a bigger guy like me really well.

[@AsswipeGarage]

Damn, you old, dog! 🤣 (I'm a 1965 model)

[@evelkoloski]

my neighbors had a Hodaka Dirt Squirt and a Combat Wombat that went like a Wombat outta hell!!! they were so fast, I had a 79 yz 50 bought new and just passed down to my grandson!

[@WilliamJWalshIII]

Thanks for the memory, used to own a Wombat 125, back in 1970

[@darinmcnew9240]

I had a Hodaka when I was a kid.. I loved it and I also bought a Bulltaco!! both bikes were alot of fun..

[@johndavis-tn3il]

What was the line "ain't got time for valves" ? That was was classic!

[@minnesotatomcat]

It’s because 2 strokes don’t have valves like a 4 stroke does. I don’t think it was a movie line or anything but I may be wrong on that.

[@BobKeen-wc7ub]

I had the dirt squirt. I loved the chrome fenders and tank.

[@Brian-mp2mv]

My first bike was a Hodaka Wombat... 45 years ago. I'd love to have another one!

[@kentspangler3401]

I had he 90 cc ACE with it stripped and a expansion chamber, it had lights and fenders like stuff you tear up. Lots of fun

[@williammccartney4833]

I know a guy who has a ton of old historic bikes at his house street bikes and dirt bikes anything between bull tacos to indians he has a combat wombat that is showroom!.

[@MrFurious1993]

First dirt bike I owned was a Hodaka Dirt Squirt 80. Fun little bike, but back in the pre-internet days of the mid 1980's made keeping it running a real challenge. There was one place over in PA that advertised Hodaka parts in the back of the magazines back then, but they didn't have a whole lot for the little Dirt Squirt.

[@jweav151]

I guess I have to buy a "Fix it 'til it's Worse" shirt since I commented it should be a shirt on the last video. 🤣

[@davessparetime83]

When I was growing up Hodaka and Bultaco were big. I had a 1970 Bridgestone 100 that had that dual sprocket set up. Chain has two master links so you can take that the short chain section out for the highway Sprocket.

[@johng4250]

@@davessparetime83 just hearing the name Bultaco makes my heart beat a tad faster. Not so much the Persang (red one) but the yellow one streaking through the desert, be still my heart.♥️

[@user-McGiver]

Malaguti Ronco was my first [13 yrs old] motorbike... it can't get more ''Italian'' than that... between a few Malaguti, and Sachs Simonini [all 50 cc] we were ''terrorizing'' every 50cc Japanese bike rider in my city... some 100-125cc too...

[@Samathachavez-k1w]

@@user-McGiver Hi dear Good evening . I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don’t a normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺

[@Ch-ui6mw]

Craig!!! Cool history lesson. Out here near Athena, Oregon, we still have our annual Hodaka Days!! Wanna see a whole herd of Hodakas? This is the place!

[@RobertBucks-xh9tt]

I remember Hodaka. I had a neighbor who had a Combat Wombat. He'd ride the trails near our houses and yes you knew when he was coming. My cousin had a Road Toad and I loved to ride that bike. He was selling it about the time I was saving for a car so I had to pass on the bike. I believe Hodaka made a Super Wombat too.

[@donkarnes5946]

Love these bikes! Sounds like a chain saw, perfect for Oregon woods

[@DiscoDevilDog]

I grew up on a farm and used to drive a Hodaka Ace 90 to school when I was like, 8, maybe 9 years old. Upgraded to a Yamaha YZ250D when I was 10. Moved to "The city" when I was 14 and was so depressed that I wasnt allowed to drive dirtbikes to school anymore. I miss that Hodaka.

[@AsswipeGarage]

YOU RODE A YZ250 AT 10?? 😳🤯 AND LIVED?? Your parents must have HATED you! 🤣

[@DiscoDevilDog]

@@AsswipeGarage The 250 was a hand me down from my big brother. In hindsight and two broken collarbones later, it may have been too much bike for a 10 year old.

[@AsswipeGarage]

@@DiscoDevilDog Don't feel too bad; I managed to break 2 leg bones on a puny Honda XL70 at age 10.

[@macsloan58]

My best friends had a Hodaka Combat Wombat 50 years ago when we were kids. I had a Honda trail 90. We had a blast. As long as theirs was running that is. Lots of issues with the magneto. But……we learned a lot about working on our bikes in those days.

[@johnnyt2832]

Battle toad, street fighter, and street sharks? That’s a lot of nostalgia in 5 minutes ❤

[@Jet1ranger]

Nailed it! That sound! I was making as you were doing it!

[@danward48]

My mom learned to ride a motorcycle on one of these in the 70's!

[@JackHood-gy3cj]

I’m 68 and there were a couple in my neighborhood when I was a 12-13 year old kid. They were tough and would scream. I was a Honda kid.

[@jfk64kennedy95]

Never knew anyone that owned one, but I remember these bikes in the Motorcycle magazines of the time, I was 14, in 1978..

[@jessekauffman3336]

Craig you are the man when it comes to motorcycle history

[@Tolbat]

Well good morning Mr. Beard. Top of the morning to you.

[@The_Bearded_Mechanic]

Morning!

[@shira22horse]

It's amazing to witness people taking a chance, working really hard, and working smart, and seeing it pay off!

[@vtxfan]

ringdingdingdingbladaladalatt… my new ring tone. Thanks Greg 😂👍🏻

[@tomdunn7147]

Greg is a beast, so is Craig

[@highpower3006]

When I was in high school back in the 60's, Hodaka's were the thing to have if you wanted to trail ride. Not as heavy or expensive as a Triumph or BSA single and a ton (literally) lighter. I too think their names were cool. As I recall the first ones were the Ace 90's and the 100's didn't come out until around the very late 60's.

[@mechmany2k]

Ahhhh the memories, I remember those bikes well. 😀

[@DavidRuff-u5w]

So many memories. 14 yo, used paper route money and bought a go-cart that someone installed an Ace 100 engine. Seeing the inside of the carburetor and hearing the sound brings back great memories. My bike was a 69 Kawasaki 90, full size frame. I was 11 and couldn’t hold it up with 2 feet on the ground. Paper route money buy. Learned mechanic work at an early age on these 2 machines. Thx

[@HebuTheLoneWolf]

i would have perfect name for Hodaka chopper if they made any. Street Rat :D and the idea totally did not come from mentioning old cartoons "i use to watch Biker Mice from Mars a lot as a kid" xD

[@richarddobie8239]

They were marvelous, p/n 904613 used to wear, making gear changes interesting

[@danhooper8652]

Back in the day I had a 1973 Wombat 125!

[@ebandcamp]

Had an ACE 100 in a mini bike as a teenager ( I’m 68 now) with no brakes . Just down shifted ! I was an idiot . Had a Hodaka MC also in TEXAS when I was in the USAF . That bike was a blast . Quick and nimble on the dirt and drove it for miles . Thanks for letting me to have a blast from the past !

[@elund408]

I lived in Oregon for 30 years, I had to google where Athena is. That bike needs to be restored and put back on the street. (just to tick off the neighbors)

[@brianreese9318]

I’m in Myrtle Point Oregon

[@markjones3273]

Gotta love old 2-stroke dirt bikes. My first motorcycle was an Allsport Steen with a Greeves fork. It has the exact same engine as the one you worked on. Same air filter too. IIFC it was a paper element.

[@Socalhodaka]

Restore that Ace and come to Hodaka Days, next June in Athena put on by the Hodaka Club. Next year will be celebrating 25 years of Hodaka Days.

[@yamaman2711]

Hodaka were famous for their chrome gas tanks and their unique gear shift pattern at the time. To shift the gears on a Hodaka, you had to pull up on the gear shift lever for 1st gear and then push down on the shift lever for 2,3,4&5 gear. Which is now known as the "GP" shift pattern.

[@hodaka1000]

The later ones like the 1970 model in this video are regular one down four up this type has the word Hodaka cast on both side covers The ones with one up three or four down have Hodaka cast on the right hand side cover and Ace 90 or Ace 100 on the left side cover, Ace 90s are four speeds You can fit the later Hodaka left hand cover to convert them to the regular pattern but the later covers are one of the rarest and hardest to find Hodaka parts

[@schmutz1g]

lol this channel is definitely the " lets start all of the projects and never finish them " channel, but like.. isnt that how life is?

[@darrinwoodward14]

Had the super rat! Ran very good,but the powerband never hit in the same spot!! Literally never knew when it would come on the pipe.favoritevbike I had in the mid 80's,it was a maico 490 sand spider!

[@cableguy6843]

The app sounded good until you said ,when you punch in they can see where you are....naaaaa keep the app

[@PeterPeer]

Half an hour spent watching Graig is time well spent. Very entertaining, inspiring and interesting. 🎉

[@robertlogan2080]

I want a Freedom Ferret more than I want my next breath

[@VeauDeau]

I think Dan need some love for his editing! He KILLED IT this week! Thanks for all the laughs and taking us along for the journey fellows.

[@chrisrussell1800]

I think a cool name would be "Pit Pig"

[@GratefulEd907]

Blackjack Rabbit. I hope this becomes a thread of new names

[@willernst2721]

Bog hog, a fat tire bike equipped with up swept exhaust and snorkel and the interstate primate could be an old school chopper. Probably do a fat cat as well, another fat tire bike with a obese liger for graphics and marketing. Do a real slim electric dirt bike and call it the mountain goat.

[@adamwood6281]

I like Log Frog

[@SixAutos]

bring bikes like this back. simple. easy to learn and fix, and cool tool kits

[@TokyoCraftsman]

A buddy of mine had a 1975, IIRC Hodaka Road Toad, it was very green LOL. Good little bike, he road it for years, but had the piston seize on it and sold it for parts.

[@DirtBoyTrilla]

I'm only here for the Honda Spree appreciation. ..terrible candy; possibly the greatest machine EVER MADE.

[@The_Bearded_Mechanic]

Haha that's funny

[@Mike-rd2mn]

I live in Athena, some say you can still hear my Honda Spree with its expansion pipe, ripping off in the distance.

[@dangrefrath9852]

In 1977 I had a 1973 Honda XR75. My friend got a new (77-78?) Dirt Squirt. Loved that bike.

[@ricktoole9991]

Ok , I'm ready for another post from my favorite motorcycle mechanic

[@rwklueg]

I bought a wombat 125 ( as my first and only motorcycle)in Jacksonville Florida in 1973 while in the navy and took it home to upstate NY where there were no dealers. Loved trail riding that bike. Had a hard time getting it repaired Took two years to get the gears realigned after I hit a branch. Sold it shortly after I got married but I still miss it.

[@hodaka1000]

They have the simplest gearboxes I suppose you might be talking about a damaged the left-hand side cover the left side cover contains about two thirds of the gear selector parts

[@rwklueg]

@@hodaka1000 I was it stopped shifting the day I had to leave home on a 6 month Mediterranean cruise and I took it over to a local guy who said he could fix it started taking it apart while we talked putting parts in a box. I told him I’d be back in 6 months to pick it up. 6 months later it was still in the box and told me he couldn’t fix it. Drove it to a repair shop an hour away dropped it off two days later picked it up running perfectly he said all it would have needed was a quick adjustment. So I just drove it more carefully which just made it less fun.

[@hodaka1000]

@@rwklueg There's a Wombat in my thumbnail photo it's pretty high mileage it's hard to say how far it's travelled it's on it's fifth speedometer and it has a lot of wear in the left side cover These left side covers are one of the hardest to find and most valuable parts I've shimmed and packed as much of the moving parts in it as possible with washers and packers I cut from teflon milk bottle and that seems to have helped a lot, good gear the old milk bottle a friend told me about seeing it used to pack a boat propeller shaft and how it had lasted for years without a problem They have a gear change ratchet spring in the side cover that càn break but it takes about a billion gear changes for it to happen To adjust the gear change you need the bike up on a milk crate so the back wheel can be turned and you do the adjustment through the little inspection window above the gear change it's trial and error to get it right but not really that difficult The left engine covers from the early Wombat 125 and similar late Ace 100 are made of unobtainium they could be broken they are prone to wear and can be used to correct the reversed 1 up 4 down gear change pattern on the earlier Ace 100 so everybody is looking for them if you happen to find a reasonable lower mileage one it could be selling for four or five hundred dollars U S