First bike underway!

[viclioce]

Finished the wiring for the two brake light switches to day. All the wiring is now done. Just waiting for the new chain and the 6 volt battery charger to arrive so I can charge up the the new battery and connect it! And the oil for the tranny should be here by Monday too! When the battery is charged and it and the oil are in, I can mix some new 91 octane and give her a start! Hopefully, the points are already set correctly. If not, just a few minutes to set the points and I should be running up and down the street on her, even if the shocks are lousy! ; D Victor

[RichardMott]

I hope your 91 octane fuel is ethanol free. The oil premix choice is probably not as important. There are several opinions about the ratio of the blend. On an older bike, a bit more oil shouldn't hurt as long as it doesn't cause plug fouling. I have been running Pennzoil outboard motor oil at 20:1 for years on all of my Hodakas with no problems. Before that I was using Super M synthetic at 50:1.
Not much difference in performance or smoke.

Just my 2 cents.

[bobwhitman]

Confirming Rick's comment - We should all be using ethanol-free gas. The corn blend is murder on small engines, and nearly everywhere in the country ethanol-free fuel is now available, tho you may need to look a bit.

Bob

[viclioce]

I have one near me which offers 91 octane and 87 octane with no ethanol additives. Thankfully I can take a 5 gallon can, mix at the pump and bring it home before we go riding. I've been running Yamalube at 32:1 and it's worked well. Hope to fire up the Ace the end of this week! ; D Victor

[viclioce]

Yee Haw! Well I finished the Ace 100 tonight! Just waiting for he 6 volt charger to get here so I can load & charge the battery! I only need a spring for the rear brake switch. Bike is all together (with the chain guard removed), and the only other item to do is order and replace the shocks. New chain went on. I found when I pulled the shifter cover and cleaned the counter shaft sprocket that it had one broken tooth. Had a spare on the other bottom end and changed it out.

I even checked the timing. Cleaned the edge of the left case again today and rubbed it with paper towels. The marks started to show so I got a small file and improved the visibility of the marks. And moving the magneto by hand in neutral, I could see the point break open at the Right mark and become fully open at the Left mark. So the gap setting looks probably as good as I could do it if needed.

I actually put the Road Toad on the lift tonight and started what little dissasembly is remaining so we can strip the frame and repaint it! I started hammering on the one good tab on the exhaust manifold that had a bolt hole left on it and of course it broke away. So soaking in vinegar is the next step, but it's an awkward position to soak it!

When my 11 year old grandson came over for dinner tonight, he got out of the car and saw the bike. He ran up to the bike and started hugging it around the seat! LOL! Really gave me a great feeling to see how much he enjoyed it! He through his leg over the seat and sat on it with one of those ear to ear grins on his face!!! ; D Victor

[hodakamax]

Victor, you're a good grandfather!

Maxie

[Bill2001]

And better still if his Grandchild picks up working on the bike. We need to pass the Art of Wrenching on before it becomes a Lost Art...

--Bill

[viclioce]

OK! Here's new shots of the Ace from 4 angles! Still waiting on that darned 6 volt charger. But hopefully soon. If you look at the left view of the bike you can see the original mud apron! I didn't paint it, yet......... ; D Victor

[viclioce]

OK a tech question. My key is stuck in the switch and I can't pull it out. Before I pull the switch and go to my friend who is a locksmith, which position, of the 3 possible is off, on and I'm guessing accessory? My shop manual doesn't seem to cover that. Or I'm just not sure where in the book to find it. I assume off is where the key comes out? Need to know before I charge the battery. Don't want to leave it on! It has 3 positions; 45* left, straight up & down verticle and 45* right. Thanks! ; D Victor

[Dale]

Fully left is Off. One click to the right is the Day position and 2 clicks right is the Night position.

[viclioce]

Thank you Dale! That was my guess but it's sure nice to have it confirmed! ; D Victor

[viclioce]

Shock report! I finally put those gas shocks on the Ace and rode her around the block and jumped a few speed bumps.

They seem good so far! I must say much better than 45 year old worn out OEM shocks for sure! I did have to turn the right one and put the reservoir forward, so I'll probably switch the left side to match. But at least I didn't have to mount them upside down!

Now that it's warming up I am going to take the Ace out to our local track and run it around a few times and see how it handles in the dirt, or maybe just off road it out in Diablo Canyon on the northwest side of town.

But for $65 a pair they will seem to do nicely! At least I'm not bottoming out the rear fender on the tire any longer! And when I left the ground and landed again, over the speed bump, it seemed to handle the way I remember a bike this size handling! ; D Victor

[Bullfrog]

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! (I know that excerpt from a long ago TV show dates me . . . but we all know I'm an old guy . . . so what the heck?)

Ennnnneywayeeeee, this should serve as a caution to all Hodie riders . . . IF your rear tire EVER contacts the fender, you should IMMEDIATELY take action to prevent that from EVER happening again. That is the single most common way to break a transmission in a Hodie ever found. (Hmmm, it might be tied with continuing to ride when the shifter is out of adjustment and shifts into 2nd or 4th bang in-and-out a few times before finally catching.)

The rear tire contacting the fender is a SERIOUS issue which requires immediate fixing.

Ed

[viclioce]

It's already done Ed. ; D Victor

[Bullfrog]

Yeah Vic - I got that you had resolved the tire/fender contact. It just seemed like a "coachable moment" for all the other Hodie riders who are reading things here. Rear tire/fender contact isn't something that should be fixed someday when a person can get around to it. It is a serious problem which requires immediate attention. Yes.

Ed

[---]

Distinguish between 1) new shocks and springs are stiff enough to handle the rider weight without allowing bottoming and fender contact, and 2) shock length is correct for application and will not allow tire to make contact even when bottomed out. Bottoming the shocks is not all that good a situation, but is better than turning the tire into a giant drum brake. The problem is made more difficult to judge by mounting larger than stock tires that have more outer diameter and need more clearance. The swingarm doesn't have "bump stops" built in. The shocks serve that purpose. And, no, the shocks should not bottom out in routine riding but might if you get some serious air someday. Cranking up the preload might prevent bottoming and fender scrub, but isn't the right way to tune a suspension. A stiffer rear end just makes the bike pogo around on small bumps.

[viclioce]

Greg. The shocks are the same length. 320mm or 12.5". I have them set in the middle tension setting. Very little difference in placement. I was able to pull of one old shock, replace it and then do the other side without much of an issue. There was maybe 1/2" more extension in the new shock compared to the 45 year old ones! ; D Victor