Case screws, use an impact driver. I have always used the kind that you strike with a mallet, but an electric one will work. Front axle, not sure what's missing. Post a photo. WD40 isn't a penetrating oil, it is a water dispersing oil. WD tends to work, but isn't as good at loosening old bolts as ot...

I don't tune by plug color and never have, but I do check plug color if I change jetting, and sometimes to double check something I hear or feel. Not a primary guide to tuning, but useful when used carefully in combo with all other tuning tools, or for fine tuning for conditions. Bottom line is the ...

Your frame looks very like the same color as the one in the earlier photo. Not a common color unless you own a Caterpillar. Having the same patina as others from that age suggests it was painted a long time ago. But apparently not by the Japanese. Probably, then, someone took the time to strip the f...

Bill in Virginia-- The comments by the others were civil, and were simply the personal opinions of those others, which is about all you can get from a public forum. What is over the top is calling anyone, much less another forum member, "stooopid." There are any number of folks here that h...

That would be my guess. When working on the bike did you have the control shaft out, and if so, did you replace the springs? If not, they can be replaced by pulling the control shaft out through the clutch side. If you wish, you can tip the bike on the left side and not have to dump the oil. Clutch ...

I would put reinforcing washers on the outside of the tabs for the reason Vic mentioned. The rear tabs are, as you say, under the seat. Unless you stand on your head, you won't see them. If welding is needed here, I would weld tabs, but have it done by someone with a TIG unit or a means of keeping w...

I would not cut the tabs off and reweld, as this will almost certainly affect the chrome on the tank in proximity. Instead, I would straighten and flatten carefully, and if necessary, weld a washer on either side to reinforce each hole. Since the holes are covered by rubber grommets anyway, you won'...

Frankly, I would not leave the bell on the sleeve even if it doesn't interfere with any rotating parts. As mentioned,the bell is pre-scored for easy removal. That means there is a stress riser built into the sleeve at the bell. Installing the sleeve knowing that there is potentially a stray, vary ha...

Years ago when I was in the trade, we used to build custom cables for clients with off-brand bikes (usually the British and Italian stuff) or mismatched carburetors, like an Amal on a Hodaka. These cables were not hard so make but did require having the correct barrel ends and tippets to match the t...

Hi Bruce - what am I gluing?? The foam? I thought the seat cover is held on by clips in the underside. Maybe I'm mistaken... If you laminate the foam, you will need to glue the layers together or they will shift around in use and end up looking like a bag lady's caboose. Without looking at the exis...

I didn't mention just how many types of pipe thread there are in the world, mentioned the two most common in this country simply for clarity. English pipe thread also comes in at least two different configurations, although the Brits call them long joining (straight thread) and mechanical (tapered o...

There are two kinds of pipe thread, straight and tapered (NPS and NPT respectively.) Most common pipe threads are tapered (NPT), so the farther a piece is turned into place, the fatter the insert gets and the tighter the threads get, helping to form a seal. Straight and tapered threads of the same p...

The front fender on the Ace 100 sits naturally with the front aspect tilted slightly up with relation to the tire. I always thought it looked a little odd, like the fender is the wrong size for the tire, but that's the way they were made. Here is a photo that shows the front fender, and if you notic...

All batteries will lose voltage over time. Assuming your battery regains full potential, it should stay above 6 volts for a month. These old school batteries are not maintenance free by any means, and they don't last forever even when maintained reasonably. I don't think I have ever had one last mor...

All lead acid batteries must be charged to full capacity before placing in service. This usually takes several hours to overnight depending on rate of charge, and whether you are using a tapering charge device. If you did not fully,charge the battery before using it in the bike, it was never "u...

Thanks for finding the old chart. Copy saved to my files. Looks a lot like the one on the HP.com site.

Did they ever make 13360 combat wombat engines? I doubt it they started with 00001.----------Clarence Hodaka-Parts.com shows the engine number for the J engine starting at 00001, and frame starting at D 14501. Paul used to include engine start numbers on his chart, but all that data was apparently ...

All seals are identified by their size. Even places like NAPA have book references they can use. If someone at the counter can't answer the question without a computer and a make of vehicle, ask them to look it up in the book. Or, go to a real bearing supply house. They use sizes for reference, not ...

You have an implied question regarding authenticity of the engine number. I don't think anyone is going to be able to answer that question. Personally, I have never seen an engine or frame with an overstrike number, but lots of folks have seen altered ID numbers on vehicles. That would be where the ...

The answer is that you can use it, but don't leave it connected indefinitely. Seven rated volts output probably translates to nine or ten in reality depending on load. All battery chargers make more voltage than the label rating, and all batteries need and hold more voltage than their "rating.&...

Because your tank is half or less, I would drain the tank and the carburetor, and leave them empty for the winter. Fuel stabilizer is great stuff, but I don't think it actually stops evaporation completely. The problem I see is that you intend to leave the bike sit for six months. For that long a pe...

Not sure what your question is exactly, but if you want to know if there is a difference in how to go about jetting the different style carb, the process is the same no matter whose carb you have, and I would expect the jets to be the same between the two styles assuming both are Mikuni. But just in...

X2 on the Super Combat roller. Simple system, welded to the swingarm, the roller lifts the chain so that it can not contact the swingarm support. You can also use a slider here, but no one makes one specifically for the Hodaka, so making one is up to you.

"Regarding the peak voltage readings - using an adapter many DVOM's will read peak voltage and this is a common test for CDI ignition components...." You realize of course that an Ace 100 isn't a CDI system. I would not draw comparisons with capacitor discharge systems and magneto/point sy...

I have to admit I don't think it is the primary coil at fault. I also don't think I have ever seen a voltage output reference for the primary coil. The comment about digital reading is interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that they sample voltage rather than read it, but then just use an analog mete...