The Hodaka Club Forum

Can a piston from a (97) super combat cylinder be used in a (94) cylinder ?

2nd question ......can an exhaust from another model be used with a (97) super combat cylinder ?

3rd question...... can a (94) carburetor be fitted to a (97) super combat cylinder easily ??

1. No. Model 97 has reed valve holes in skirt. The 94 would also need a reed valve.
2.. Some. A Model 95 will work if you use a 95 exhaust manifold. Same with 01 02 03 pipes. Use matching manifolds.
3. No. The 97s used a rubber mounted spigot carb. 94 is a flange mount. Adapters would need to be located.

A lot of parts can be made to work with a dose of tinkering.

Are there any markings or numbers on a super combat to verify that it is one?

That brings up another question, which I'm sure has been answered a zillion times before. Are SC and 03 Wombat pistons the same? If not, are they interchangeable with or without mods? The basic answer to the above question is that it has to be a 125 cc piston with the skirt milled for reed induction. The complete answer will be to answer mine. Those are the only two options.

The 03 cylinder and the 97SC cylinder are almost exact copies. I have raced with both and the power difference is hard to detect. The 03 piston and the 97SC piston are not the same. The wrist pin location is different between the two. The 97 and 03 heads swap, the 97 having a smaller squish area. 95 CW pistons will work in a 97 once you add the reed holes in the skirt.

You can sometimes visually identify an 03 cylinder if its rubber noise damper blocks are still in the fins. If not you have to measure the exhaust port height to the deck. I believe the 03 is 2 mm lower than the 97. Cant recall the exact measurements.

I think I read an older posting it said 26mm top of exhaust port to deck

Reason for my posting is I have a chance to get a super combat cylinder and piston with a wombat (94) bottom . Are SC cylinder and piston hard to find ?

model 97 cylinders are rare and bringing top dollar right now. 97 pistons and rings in all sizes are plentiful.

As in how rare and top $$$$

Recent ebay sales of 97 cylinders between 400 and 800 dollars depending on attached parts. They quit making them 45 years ago. There are a finite number left.

olddogs check your messages

Sorry for the questions, but it would be really cool to know if there are any other makes where the cylinders could be machined to fit. I've seen some people pull off some magical stuff. That would be good general Hodaka knowledge for someone trying to keep a bike in service with no concern for OEM parts.

Nope. Wombat, Combat Wombat, Super Combat and late red tank 03 Wombat cylinders will all work on 94 95 or 97 bottom ends with piston and reed valve modifications. The 03 bottom end is its own animal due to crank changes. Talented guys like Rich Gagnon could probably make a John Deere cylinder work, but in my 50 years of building Hodaka engines I have never heard of any brand that would cross breed.
Nikasil spray liners will become more popular as the supply of useable cylinders runs out.

03 cylinder and 97 cylinder are different primarily in terms of exhaust port height. SC (97) cylinder has 26mm "power stroke" (measurement from head gasket deck to top of exhaust port). 03 cylinder has 30mm "power stroke". There may be small differences in transfers or intake passage (not sure about that). 03 gives wayeeee better bottom end. Gotta keep the revs up with 97 cylinder.
Ed

Not to disagree, but, my understanding is, you can run a 97 piston in a 94. The cylinder must be ported for reed valve operation and a reed valve intake must be added. But given those limitations, yes you can run a 97 piston in a 94 cylinder. Victor

Number 1 in the first response states the piston will work if the 94 also has a reed valve. As it turned out the 94 cylinder had a GEM reed already installed. The owner had been lead to believe it was SC cylinder because of the reed valve.