‘71 B+ resurrection……First post newbie!!

[RevvinKevin]

Good morning from Cottage Grove, Oregon!
I’m revvinkevin, a 65 year old retired architectural glass worker living in the stix in rainy Oregon.
I became the owner of this Hodaka when my beloved older brother passed about 20 years ago.
He owned the local Yamaha shop and had many bikes, but this Hodaka was his hands-down favorite. The chrome and red details really spoke to him……and me! This bike was last started and ridden by me about 30 years ago. I remember that it was very slow with it’s larger rear sprocket installed, very low gear!
Now I have pulled this bike from the shed to fix it up. I recently traded my 2010 HD Road King for a Jeep (deep regrets…) and my only other bike is a 1970 CT-70 mini bike. This mini bike hates me because I weigh north of 300#’s…….I’m guessing the Hodaka will not be too happy either!
My KETO diet has begun. Let us pray.
To start with, I have sent my tank to Moyer Tank Renu in Greensburg PA for derusting. I hear he’s good.
I put in a new battery to see what works electrically. So far only the horn honks.
I wonder if the engine needs to be running for the lights to work?
The rear wheel is not too round anymore and I have a replacement to install today. Got it on eBay 2 years ago or so.
This bike has about 4000 miles on it and the motor still kicks over. I’ll be checking to see if it has spark soon! I appreciate any and all input coming from the Hodaka Brotherhood which will help move this project along. I’m not a great mechanic.
Blessings and good roads!

[RevvinKevin]

Just figured out how to add pictures…..I think!

[Dale]

Welcome to the Hodaka Forum Kevin. You have a great looking project there. The B+ is my personal favorite Hodaka... It will wheelie down the road regardless of one's weight!
Most of the electrical does require the engine to be running. I would have to look, but I believe that you should have horn and brake light only. Also, look at the back of the headlight bucket. There should be a toggle switch. That switch should be in the AC position but can be switched to DC to allow the headlight to function off of the battery. This function is for emergency only use.
Again welcome. You have access to some great Hodaka knowledge and experience with folks that were front and center on the Hodaka scene from the beginning.

[RevvinKevin]

Thanks Dale! I have sprayed the rear wheel nuts with penetrant and it’s soaking.
More progress coming…..

[viclioce]

My grandson loves his Ace B+. These bikes are easy to work on and parts are available from Hodaka-Parts.com

Terry Larson & his Wife Bev, are the owners and really great people. You’ll be able to get whatever you need from them.

The website also has a great library feature with all the specs for each bike. And the microfiche parts listings are Great exploded views and a good reference and easy way to look up parts and check part numbers!

Welcome aboard! Victor

[taber hodaka]

Old chat in 1970 hodaka made three models ace 100, ace 100B model 92A and the super rat MX model 93.
In 1971 and 1972 two models the ace 100B model 92B and the super rat MX model 93A.
In 1973 three hodaka's the ace 100B model 92B+, the super rat MX model 93B and the Wombat 125.
good good looking hodaka!
------- Clarence

[RevvinKevin]

Nice bike Victor! And thanks Clarence for the communication! I appreciate the resource tip too!
Kevin

[RevvinKevin]

IT looks like my bike is a 100B, not a B+ with a frame number A-64486…….
Took the back wheel off and going to the local Cycle Gear for a tire dismounting and remounting on a better wheel. I checked spark and found it! Also a light in the speedo came on. Before I kicked it for the first time in many years, I squirted a little WD-40 down the hole for luck. I wonder what the best crankcase oil would be for this thing?

[taber hodaka]

Transmission/clutch oil, not crankcase oil. ---------- Clarence

[viclioce]

Ahhh….oil discussions. Funny thing….

Had a discussion with Lee Fabry a while back. He said “Think about the motor oils which were available in the mid ‘60s-70s. Straight 30w oil was what was mostly available & used. The bikes were designed to run on that kind of motor oil. Today, the closest thing to that kind of oil is the 30w store brands you find in most auto parts stores. Yes, the cheap stuff. Anything else you can buy today is far superior to the oils folks put in their trannies back then.” That’s paraphrased, but that’s what Lee said.

As long as you stick with an oil which is safe for wet clutches, i.e. carries a JASO/MA/MA2 rating, you really can’t go wrong in my opinion. To that end, diesel oils like Shell Rotella and Chevron Delo meet these standards and you can buy a gallon of 10w40 or 15w40 for about the price of the lesser expensive quarts of MC oil. I’ve used the the Rotella T4 in my VTwin Suzuki for almost 15 years now. And I’ve also been using it in my Hodakas. No clutch issues, runs cooler than most oils & at $20 a gallon, I get 6 oil fill ups out of one jug!

OK. Now I know others will likely jump in and say “I use 75w90 gear oil only’” or “I run strictly ATF in my transmissions.” Each have a different rating system than your typical motor oil. So, I believe it comes down to personal choice. I won’t argue with anyone about what they buy/use. I’ve made my choice & it’s what I stock with.

The only thing I don’t like to do is mix oils. If I have to change brands for a reason, I will fill, agitate and drain the new oil, then re-add the new oil again, just so there is very little carry over. Victor

[RevvinKevin]

Thanks Victor! Rotella sounds good to me. Now, I’m trying to find a headlight bulb. I’m thinking about carving out the existing sealed-looking assembly to fit an LED. Don’t really want to do that but…the availability of stock is spotty.
Thanks to all the helpful bros and sisters out there!
Kevin

[MTrat]

The high front fender suggests B+, though some B s had that. B+ had cushioned rear hub and resettable odometer. A nice, clean looking survivor for sure!

[RevvinKevin]

Thanks MTrat! It does have the Cush hub and resettable odo. My neighbors are gonna hate me!!

[taber hodaka]

All the 92B had a high fender, cushion hub with a overlay sprocket and a trip speedometer. The 92B+ also had the trip odometer did not have the overlay sprocket and it was built in the same era as the 93B. The 92B was the street version to the 93A and the 92B+ was the street version to the 93B. The 92B started with frame # 51013 and the 92B+ frame began with 67613. ---------- Clarence

[Dale]

All the 92B had a high fender, cushion hub with a overlay sprocket and a trip speedometer. The 92B+ also had the trip odometer did not have the overlay sprocket and it was built in the same era as the 93B. The 92B was the street version to the 93A and the 92B+ was the street version to the 93B. The 92B started with frame # 51013 and the 92B+ frame began with 67613. ---------- Clarence

Clarence, Is your first sentence correct? Looking for clarification. I thought the 92B had the low front fender but later builds had the high front fender. And the 92B had non-cushioned hub, overlay sprocket and no trip odometer.
I really like your statement associating the 92B to the 93A and the 92B+ to the 93B.

[taber hodaka]

Three super rats 93, 93A, 93B. three 100B's 92A, 92B, 92B+. The first super rat model 93, frame #B37211 was built, then more ace 100's the ending frame to the ace 100 was #A38712. Then the model 92A with the low fender and ace 100 exhaust painter black, was built with frame #A38713 and ended with frame #A51012. Super rat model 93 ending frame was #B53112 and the 93A started with frame #B53113. As the 92A ended with #A51012 the 92B started with #A51013. The 92B+started with frame #A67613, it was built before the super rat 93B that started with frame #B70213. ----- Clarence

[taber hodaka]

Kevin there is no difference between the looks of a 100B model 92B and the 100B model 92B+ except the solid sprocket and some eternal items. I like the looks of the jeep the 70 and we all like your ace 100B. ---------- Clarence

[RevvinKevin]

Thanks to all for helping me identify this bike! I say “ Let it B” eventually, I’ll remove the larger sprocket for street use and call it a BB+!
My gas tank is almost done being restored and I’m still trying to get lights to work.
I am a heavy load for this bike so I’m considering longer/stiffer shocks. I wonder if there is any consequence to a longer shock? I replaced the square rear wheel with a different one and now only the old tire is running out a little. I’m hoping that a few high speed runs will straighten it out…..
(Joking). I sure miss my Harley……but I’m looking forward to riding this thing up to the front door of the Harley shop when I pick out another one! I think the Hodaka is the exact opposite of HD…but I’ll bet it will attract more attention than anything in the showroom!
Another cold, rainy day in Cottage Grove Oregon! Perfect for playing with my project!
Blessings and good roads!
Kevin

[viclioce]

So Clarence. My Ace with the black straight pipe and chrome heat shield is frame number 43660. Does this mean it’s an Ace 92A and not a 92B?

I added a B headlight & high mount fender because the original headlight was damaged and missing pieces and I didn’t have a complete low mount front fender. Just a fender bracket. Victor

[taber hodaka]

Yes Victor the last 92A was frame number A51012. the 92B started with frame number A51013, And yes that is a 92A exhaust. ---------------- Clarence

[RevvinKevin]

Sweet looking bike Victor! Love that pipe!
Kevin

[viclioce]

Thanks Clarence. I was talking with James Murphy today. He wants my Ace 92 front fender stay. I told him I would trade him for an Ace B high mount front fender. I told him I don’t want to sell parts any more but will trade for something I need. Maybe you have one you can sell him and ship to me? Youll be hearing from him! Bictir

[RevvinKevin]

Well, I just got my ‘72 BB+ insured! In case it goes up in flames when I try to fire it p after 30+ years of hibernation! My fuel tank has been refurbished, new petcocks from Hodaka Parts…….This thing sure sinks when I sit on it! Anyone got any longer/stiffer shocks laying around/ideas? I’m pretty excited to see how it runs! Just read Bullfrogs post about pre-mix oil…..Thanks!
Stay tuned!
Kevin

[Bullfrog]

While you may indeed need stiffer shocks to handle your particular traction enhancements by way of strong attraction to the center of the earth - longer shocks are almost certainly not a good idea. They will "jack up" the rear end of the machine . . . and that will change the front end geometry and make it more "twitchy".
Ed

[RevvinKevin]

Good point Ed. The picture of an ant carrying a watermelon comes to mind….
I have a feeling that shocks 1” longer would probably squish to normal length as with a normally nourished rider astride.
Thanks !!