Wayne, I think the hard-to-get neutral is the nature of the beast. The 250SL indicator light panel/nacelle has the neutral light location blanked out from the factory. However, I find that if the revs are at a high idle (and you're wishing upon a star) you can sometimes find neutral at a standstill.

Perhaps the best solution would the development of a remote condenser kit, using another brand (Honda?) condenser manufactured with a lead and connector -- and not subject to the potentially damaging heat of soldering when installed.

Don't be dumb like me. Last time I changed a tire I made a hole in the rim band and put the rim lock through like it was a valve stem. Don't know what I was thinking that moment.

I think you mean Vancouver Island. If so then I live on it too. I wish I knew this fellow with the storehouse of parts but never heard of him through the local grapevine -- which is usually pretty well connected. However, a couple years ago at Costco in Nanaimo I did meet a fellow that called himsel...

If you prefer to maintain the stock look then vintage KMS 340s are the way to go, and there still seems to be lots of NOS units around. They've improved the ride on my Wombat over stock. However, the KSMs are the stock length (13.5"?) and I can appreciate the advantage of taller units. I went u...

Here's my latest buildup technique on a 250SL rear brake cam. It's a little bit country but quite functional just the same. I built up the cam with a sectiom of 1/2" (nominal) ID copper pipe, Type "L" wall thickness. The round pieces on the sides are nail shanks which serve both to ce...

A non-Hodaka friend of mine went to the 2019 Lynden Show and Shine where he took a pic he sent me of a 1976 Wombat in what I'll describe as Concours d'Elegance condition. I'm curious about this bike's original condition. For example, did it start out in pristine original condition or did the restore...

bobwhitman wrote:Sounds like a great Resonator article!
Bob

Stay tuned for another rousing Hodaka tale of adventure and derring-do!

Hodaka Parts gold or the yellow stuff? Clarence The yellow stuff. Actually did find the old placer mining operation and cabin today. I think they also panned in the gravel beside the river. Reportedly this was a Depression-era "New Deal" sort of Canadian government project to teach hobos ...

I wish I had an answer for you, but I've never seen them available.

I'm also racking up the miles on a 250SL (looking for an old gold mine tomorrow) and will need clutch plates sooner or later.

Darrell

In my experience, with the original flasher my blinkers used to actually hyperflash -- when riding the 250SL at highway speeds. A new flasher slowed them down to normal. In all cases, the flashing rate is too slow when the engine isn't running -- even with a new battery. I don't recall 6-volt turn s...

thirdstone wrote:There will be rear brake shoes very soon on the Hodaka parts web site

Thanks -- relieved to hear that. Got to be able to stop as well as go.

I hope you can put these into production.
Last time I checked there were no rear brake shoes available from Hodaka-Parts.

Maybe. I didn't get one. But I'm in Canada so it might take longer to arrive.

Hi Darrell. I'm not super surprised regarding the sprocket wear. Essentially all my local off-road riding involves a very heavy dose of sand which is absolute murder on the secondary drive train. I would be interested in hearing about your chain maintenance program. Also, when it comes time for rep...

After 4,200 miles on a 94 Wombat, mostly off-road, I assumed the original clutch bushing, control shaft ball receiver and springs would be significantly worn. Sticking to a predictive maintenance schedule (replace the part(s) before they fail way out in the middle of nowhere) I ordered a new bushing...

Ed, did you ever find that "sticking your toe in the ground while applying the brake" is a kind of a braking assist? Sort of like the way Fred Flintstone stops his car with his heels ;) Anyway, here's my brake cam buildup solution. This time I attached the cam/shim wrap with Kesters "...

While the custom cam is one solution, simply having brake shoes which are properly sized for the drum seems better to me. These "properly sized" shoes are elusive though. There are other makes/brands of 130mm x 25mm out there -- just have to figure out which are compatible. But for all th...

Thanks for all the think-tanking over this issue! The brakes have been this way since I got the bike at 830 miles so I'm assuming the problem doesn't stem from worn parts -- unless there are pre-existing manufacturing deficiencies (wrong cam?). Brake action has always been spongy too, except for whe...

My 250SL runs out of rear brake adjustment well before the linings are significantly worn. Logically, it seems the drum is oversized, though I don't have a device to properly reach inside and measure it. To compensate I wrapped the brake cam with copper sheeting and JB Weld previously. After that th...

I did the electrolysis treatment before, then I learned that it gives off hydrogen gas .

I don't want a Hindenburg repeat in my garage so I went back to vinegar. There are also cleaning and pickling vinegars available which are slightly more acidic than plain vinegar.

That’s not a bad price! But when I have a seat recovered I usually need the foam rebuilt as well. I have a local upholsterer with over 50 years of experience. I take him a seat or seat pan, and he rebuilds the foam & covers it. Usually, if I take him a seat after 12 noon, he has it ready the ne...

It was a nail-biter but I got the broken tank bolt out using a double-ended damaged screw remover bit. One end drills (counterclockwise) a divot for the other end that does the grabbing and extracting. These bits are actually designed for damaged, but intact, Phillips and/or square drive screw heads...

thrownchain wrote:Replace with a stock one and hope for the best.

Hope springs eternal! I sent off and order for that bolt and some other stuff.

And then I just noticed that a tank gas tank mounting bolt also sheared off flush with the boss on the steering head

I think I could use an extended warranty...

It may have failed for a couple of reasons. First would be a defect in the bolt, second is it was loose and fractured the bolt head off, third is it could have been massively over tightened and the bolt was stretched and failed. We're any of the other bolts loose? Are the bolt holes on the frame ro...