The Hodaka Club Forum

Not quite a new Topic as I remember much to do about Yellow Frames ( Did that get worked out?? BLM special order??) but I am curious if there were ever CONUS (Continental US) Factory Black Framed ACE 100 Hodakas? I looked in the Hodaka Book and found a paragraph on 200 Specially Painted Black Framed Ace 100's for the Nigeria Police. I didn't find any thing about paint frame color other then the photos when I skimmed the Ace 100 Section & the Nigerian POPO.

Where did the repaint for Nigeria get done??? @ The Factory or in Athena??

Just woke up today & saw a Black Painted Ace 100 in on EBAY - just in a curious mood I guess!

LBM

Back in the 60's and early 70's I ordered in anything new hodaka offered for sale. I ended up ordering a batch of the Nigeria police models. They were all black but the red tank badges remained the same I think and the taillight remained red what do we do about that? All other metal and plastic pieces that were normally red were black. They arrived wrapped in plastic inside a wooden crate.
I believe Athena dropped shipped hodaka's directly to the distributors, as they always had the models in stock. Many people think the black was always painted over the red not true. I have seen headlights painted black over red and several frames painted black with no red under the paint. The company went out of it's way to make it black, plastic gas cap's, oil dip stick's and battery cover's. This is all part of what I know, think and say. And I am going to say the paint not repaint took place at the factory and the motorcycles were shipped from the factory. I could be wrong on this. Has one such Hodaka ever surface in Nigeria??
Clarence

Interesting - How many in a Batch?? 2 or 3 - half a dozen or so??? I wonder if the ones you got were part of the 200 Nigerian Black Frames that didn't get shipped or over runs?? Are the black framed Ace 100's "sought after" or no big deal. This all started for me because I saw a Black Painted Ace 100 on Ebay and out of curiosity I ask about the black frame - thinking someone just decided to use black instead of Hodaka Red. He sort of didn't know because it was that way when he bought it but thought the guy he got it from and was a "purist" and I kind of thought someone doing a pure resurrection wouldn't use black on an original Hodie Red frame. Little did I know there were Black Frames in the early 60's. Always something new to find out on Hodaka's!!!!

LBM

Hello, I too have one of those Black Hodaka,s, I have had several conversations with persons, on the west coast whom have seen them, some painted up from other red framed Hodakas, but some like mine really are one of the orginal black bikes. Limited production I am sure for a special order. Clarence being a past dealer can talk to this matter better than I can. He purchased some from Pabatco, in the old days to sell. What I would like to know of those persons out there that think they have one of these, please submit the frame and eng numbers and then a time frame can be established, as well as guessed quantity built. Mine is Frame #36644 and eng #p-39864. Lets hear from others. Bruce Young

I was also wondering about a data base for the ACE Black Framers! Wondering if the "200" ever made it to Nigeria or were canceled and then just fed into the normal sales line and how many over run bikes there were?? I think the black frames came into full effect with the Wombats and the Hodaka Red frames were for the Original 90's and early 100's. Is that anywhere near correct?? It would be kind of cool to find and original Nigerian Police Hodaka stuck in some box over in Nigeria and bring it back.

LBM

Was the black Hodaka's a model 92?

I'm going to guess you are asking about the Nigerian Ace 100's - if so - as far as I could find in the Hodaka Book - they were in 1969 and that made them a Model 92 (1967-1969) per Appendix C again in the Hodaka Book. That also shows for the ACE 100 -(mostly?? Red Frames) Frame Letter as "A", Frame numbers from 17381-37204, Engine Letter "P", Engine numbers from 20001 and 19,824 engines built if I read across the lines correctly. ?????? I would think the special orders would be somewhere in those numbers unless Hodaka issued special frame/engine numbers.

I'm certainly not anywhere close to being knowledgeable here - hence my curiosity.

If you were asking about Bruce Young's black frame - he'll have to chip in here to clarify.

Maybe Captain Eddie can chip in here with something since he lived through that era??

LBM

I hired on at PABATCO in 1971, so the black frame Nigerian bikes were past history when I got there. What I know about those bikes can be found in the book.

Ed

Thanks Ed.

LBM

I suggest to really find out when and where these black Hadaka's where built, please anyone whom might have one submit frame and Eng. number and someone could keep a list. That list may give one a time span for the builds. There is no other way to try and nail it down, It seems no official info is available. Unless these posts, dig up some. Lets here from you old dealers out what you remember and such. Bruce

BRUCE

Just finishing my model 92 project. I will be interested to compare the vin # on my bike with the vin # range on the Nigerian bikes.

What is the Vin number of your bike. We are interested in collecting only already black framed Hodaka,s that seem not to have been repainted over
OEM red. If anyone whom has one of those black frame will cooperate and send in their vin or frame number we should be able to see a pattern, of date and times. Thanks Bruce Young

Going to add to the intrigue here. I picked up a 66’ model 90 that has yellow paint over primer, not red. Seller had in family and 2 mi from USFS headquarters. It was street legal but turned racer.

Just like today, many paint using their favorite colors. It could be the one I painter yellow in the old days, always regretted it. ____________________ Clarence

Wasn’t sand blasting available in the 60’s and early 70’s also? Seems like just about anyone could sand blast a red frame & paint it black, or other color.

I sandblasted an Ace 90 frame and painted it blue, with self etching primer under it. So it is not difficult, sand blast & paint a different color. No red to show through because all the red is gone. Black with no red under it? Sure! Yellow with no red under it? Easy! Same with any other color. I used Old Ford Motor Blue! Victor

I think Clarence correctly described the situation with the Nigerian batch of bikes. And Vic nailed it on how a bike could be the "wrong" color and not have the "right" color underneath. Finally, the photo of the yellow bike with over spray yellow on the serial # plate at the rear shock clearly indicates a "not-at-the-factory" paint job. (Regardless of only having primer under the yellow - see Vic's comment.)
Ed

Was directed this thread and wanted to add my part. Caught someone heading into the dump with the hodaka in the back. Black frame black gas cap black head light . It’s Oct/69 ace 100 model 92

the Nigerian black hodaka had a black gas cap and black dip stick to check the oil. I have the receipt when I sold one of mine. I will look up the date. Clarence

taber hodaka wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 6:21 pm the Nigerian black hodaka had a black gas cap and black dip stick to check the oil. I have the receipt when I sold one of mine. I will look up the date. Clarence

Also a black wiring harness cover I believe.

The hodaka, painted black Nigerian motorcycle also had a black wire cover. They were offered to the dealers at quite a discount as I remember, or else I would never have bought them. My receipt shows that I sold one June 26 1970. my hodakas sold fast sometimes ordering 6 a week. I sold mine to a customer in Kalispell Montana. The serial number for the engine was P39328 and the frame number was A36634. The price was $379.00 and it also included a spark plug and a can of Bardahl two cycle oil, the very best. Sold by my lead mechanic and racer Alan Frank. I think Nigeria cancelled the order but I could be wrong. ------- Clarence

I'm no expert on the topic but having seen the picture, I think it's possible that this could might actually be a Nigerian Police model. The black paint inside the headlight bucket , and especially the black gas cap and dip stick make it a possibility in my limited knowledge.

I had forgot the black battery box and the black naugahyde mud protector. It would be nice to see the frame serial number. Bruce's is just ten off of mine. my spelling ?? Clarence

Off topic of color, but did you notice that the bike still has the elusive "Tire Pump" under the tank? That alone is a rare find.