combat wombat barn find

[givergas]

this story starts the first week in September . in little falls MN at the lone eagle car show . i try and bring a HODAKA there to show and participate, big swap meet car show nice event . it was just about over im looking to get going and this older gentlemen comes over and ask if im the owner of the HODAKA that was near and so we got to talking and he says he has a combat wombat that he bought i 1976 or around there so his kids could ride around the place and its been in the barn under a tarp for the past 20 years and would i like to come up and look at it and give him some kind of idea what its worth and just some general info about it . so yea i would be happy to come over and take a look and help him figure out whats what .he said he would have to dig it out then would give me a call . so i kinda forgot about it then last friday i get and email from him wondering if i would still like to come out . so tuesday grandson and i go to his place and there it is just sitting ther in the corner of the barn with a tarp pulled back , well ill be darned , so come to find out hi bought from the HODAKA shop in little falls mn that was owned by mr hammerbeck the same guy that helped put me 03 wombat motor back togeather so i gave him some info, we looked at frame numbers and engine numbers so he could see just what he had and a few that were recently bought one was from mecums . so after a nice time he said he would think on it. so the next day he called and said he would like to sell it and i would be the best place for it so it now sits in my shop waiting for so much needed attention im pretty excited .....albert

[matt glascock]

That's a beaut, Albert. I absolutely love mine!! Hodaka Dave set up one of mine with reed valve induction and it is a fantastic woods bike/hare scrambler. You'll love it!! Fantastic score.

[givergas]

thanks matt . talked to mr Hammerbeck he said that at his shop they came 2 to a crate . the first two had mud catcher rims but all the rest came with regular rims , as he remembers they sold quite a few . im going to keep digging for info on this bike . i think it was rode pretty easy that is not raced or alot of time on it . the few things its missing are parts that are easily found at @hodaka-parts.com .

[matt glascock]

Fantastic! I also have a CW with piston port induction. It is a fantastic MX bike. Easy to keep on the pipe. You might want to consider rear suspension upgrade depending on how hard you will work it. Its a whole new bike with a set of Progressives. Hodaka Dave hooked my PP MXer with a set of rebuilt shocks off a SC. Big difference!!

[dirty_rat]

I need barns like that around me! Great find.

[Bruce Lun]

I just found mine, it needs a lot of T.L.C. but it is beautiful in my eyes. I used to race in Arizona, alooong time ago in a galaxy far far away

[givergas]

Bruce lun , how about a picture of your bike

[givergas]

so finely got caught up enough to start getting into this project . some thing to look at , the fork boots are tore up so rebuild the forks , the air cleaner joint will need replacing , the clutch cable treaded part broke at where it screws into the case by the clutch lever , maybe that's why it got parked don't know , some one rewelded the frame on the rear part that holds the rear fender, and wire instead of springs on the exhaust springs , the rubber on the rear brake pedal looks pretty good , the kill switch needs the rubber covering , and the wiring harness has been cut up and soldered back together not to good either , so still need to take off the front forks and steering head yet . the swing arm may have a slight bit of rust , will clean the frame and swing arm and repaint , clean and rebuild kit for engine and carb . needs a seat cover and some other i call maintenance items. all in all the lack of rust makes this one the best HODAKAS i I've worked on out of the 7 I have , more to come ....albert

[givergas]

we cant be to careful when it comes to taking apart the steering head . don't want all those ball bearings flying around the garage floor

[HodakaguyTom]

Nice! Looking forward to watching the progress.

Hodakaguy

[taber hodaka]

Albert I think springs on the exhaust should be pulling it forward not to the side. I would like to donate a ring, base gasket or head gasket to the cause. hope you don't need any of that. Looks really good! ------ Clarence

[viclioce]

Albert! I figured out that you can make the rear exhaust bracket out of a set of headlight bucket fork ears! Just takes a grinder & a drill! ! Victor

[givergas]

clarence., thanks for the offer i plan on getting a rebuild package from HODAKA PARTS that should take care of things and the exhaust springs are missing, what you see in the picture is baling wire that someone tied on to hold the pipe on . victor this bike has all the parts , except the springs , for the exhaust including the rear bracket , good idea thought . today in central Minnesota it was 54 degrees with no snow on the ground . i found time to sand blast the frame and swing arm a little more clean up and ready to paint......albert

[viclioce]

Good deal! You need a total of 5 exhaust springs. 2 for the front, one for the middle under the tank and 2 for the rear mount. The shorter springs work better, front & rear, but a longer one works best for under the tank. Victor

[givergas]

progress made , but whats up with the 3 stamped in the Steering fork bracket , just another number that the guy would pick from the factory

[dirty_rat]

I've never noticed any numbers stamped on mine, but then I never really looked. I have to give all of mine a look to see if any are stamped.

[givergas]

good start so far . swing arm and front forks on , rear shocks coming apart , thanks again Kelly for the video helps immensely. they should clean up very nicely. plan is rear shocks then front tire assembly . back to real life this week might slow down progress ....albert

[viclioce]

Albert! You’ll find that after clean up of the top plastic sleeve, gray primer is a good paint for matching the original color! :ugeek:Victor

[givergas]

good tip . but this bike is cleaning up real good the plastic sleeves are a little dis colored but not to bad , i,m choosing to put them back on with out any paint . im washing parts in the parts washer then rubbing down with WD-40 and steel wool and there coming out pretty darn good . there is not a rust issue , just a good cleaning ....albert

[givergas]

have the fenders cleaned up and the front installed , handle bars cleaned up and put on , front wheel assembly cleaned regreased . any recommends for tires , 21 front 18 rear , would be appreciated ....albert

[dirty_rat]

For front tire, something in the 2.75 to 3.00x21 size (metric is 80/100 or 90/100x21). For the rear, something close to 3.50x18 (don't go too big as it will hurt performance). There are a few different brands out there that either have the old inch size or have a metric size that works.
Not sure what is still available, but check for Duro HF335 in 4.10x18 (actually about the same size as a 3.50x18) or Duro HF313 in 3.50x18.
There are other options out there for a rear tire, hopefully someone else will respond.
For front tires, they are pretty easy to find, just look for one in the above size range that you like.

[givergas]

is it me or is it hard to find a knobby tire that will fit a 18 inch rim on these bikes ? iv been looking for 3 days now almost frustrating. any more ideas on how to find a rear tire for a combat wombat .....albert

[Dale]

For new options (not NOS) Cheng Shin C755 4.10-18 is a great choice. It is the narrowest 18in knobby that I have measured. I have not personally used these, but other possible options are:
Dunlop K990 90/100-18 (Old pattern being remade with modern rubber)
Dunlop MX33 90/100-18 (Slated to be available in late 2019)

[givergas]

dale thank you just ordered one up vrey much appreciated . im sending you a PM ...albert

[givergas]

been cleaning parts and waiting for tires to show up . both wheel assembly's are cleaned ,grease repacked , throttle cleaned up , foot rests good to go . tubes are waiting ... ordered parts , new cables , air filter , rubber flaps for front fender ,air boot , will wait till tires are on and parts that can be installed are on before i dig into the carb and engine don't want to get to far ahead of my self..... albert