What's This?

[hodakamax]

Some of Clarence Taber's work? FS#2575. #5 stenciled on the headlight. Showing on Facebook Hodaka Fan Club.

[taber hodaka]

I thank every one of you for all my riding time. Every day I was paid to ride. In the winter while new roads were being built, I always had fresh dirt to ride on. I rode every night after work until past dark. On weekends it was race time , Motocross or cross country. I only raced my 90cc hodaka and I rode it, the same bike working for the Forest Service in the early years. Later I would take a new 100 to the field just to ride, I would put around 3,500 miles on it a summer and race the 90 0n weekends. I sold around 50 hodakas to forest employs including bosses. Taber Hodaka sponsored the forest service bowling team. Once I bought 15 new 125 cc motorcycles for the FS. It was the best outfit going until they ripped out the roads and closer all the trails to us. ----- thanks max ---- Clarence

[taber hodaka]

Hodaka motorcycles yamaha before my ace 90 it was in the fall of 1963. I was riding a 80cc yamaha ? Anyways the crew was up the South Fork of the Flathead river and then up the spotted Bear river. The crew was staying at silver tip cabin, surveying for roads. It was fall and I had to stay behind a day, it stormed, flooding roads and bridges on the flathead. The forest closed all roads to vehicle traffic. As I needed to get with my crew, I headed out from Hungry Horse ranger station, on my own riding the 80cc yamaha. It was a cold heavy rain mixed with sleet, snow, and wind, after about 40 miles the sleet was hurting my eyes and I had to slow down, at 47 mile was the Betty Creek FS work station. I stopped, the place was deserted but with my trusty key I entered, There was a cookie container on the table, I ate the few cookies and then fashioned a pair of goggles out of the cookie container and off again at about 12 miles further was Crossover over Mountain and Twin Creek, both bridges were washed out, I made it through lower twin creek. In about another mile was Upper Twin creek, it was wider and deeper I would guess 50 feet wide. There was some good news, someone had called Spotted Bear Ranger Station and let them know I was on my way. as there was a green Forest Service pickup parked on the far side. I made it about half way across, in deeper water the engine quit and I was off trying to push and pull the motorcycle on across, Bill Evert the man in the pickup jumped in the flooded creek and helped me to the other side. On to Spotted Bear the bike is running again and it was off to Bear Creek about 10 miles by road and then about 6 miles of steep and narrow trail to Silver Tip cabin, after a good supper, i slept good that night. I don't know anything else about Bob Evert except I was glad he was there and he sure had nice fancy shoes to put in a deep cold muddy creek. Lucky I remember his name ------- Clarence

[ossa95d]

Thanks for the great story Clarence! Perseverance wins!

[givergas]

Clarence how did you get to be part of the forest service if I may ask...
Albert

[taber hodaka]

Short question long answer. I graduated in 1961. On the farms we had over 100 head of stock cattle and 30+ sheep. In the fall I was hauling hay home for the stock 14 miles by my self. In the winter There were Blizzards and way below freezing weather. Every day I hauled hay 14 miles from Valley View about 9 miles from Polson Montana. In the cold weather, below freezing we had to put the battery behind the heating stove, in the house and light a coffee can full of gas under the engine just to warm it up enough to start. My dad was helping one early morning putting the battery in the truck he barked his hand, and chose to swear at me, I told him goodby and left the farm. I went to Missoula Montana to look for a job or join up for Vietnam. At the job service they were looking for people to test and send to schooling, trained to restart the CCC for president Kennedy under his manpower development training act. I was paid for 8 hours a day for 52 weeks spread over two winters I had to take tests to qualify and I passed. One instructor started in the forest service in 1919 the primary instructor began his career in 1924. In summer we had jobs for us in the forest service. President Kennedy got killed bur the Forest service work remained and that started my career. Our training counted as a degree in forestry and engineering in my career I never counted that you are the first to know. I chose to work in the field with crews rather than sit in the a office waiting for crews to get in soes i could chew their but for somethings. It was a very rewarding career. Riding hodaka"s ever day for about 14 years surveying roads designing and construction and maintaining them, flood details and fire fighting throughout the country, sorry for the length of this mumble. I know you all have career stories to tell. ------ Clarence

[givergas]

thank you clarence . seems like you had a very interesting working career. not many people can say they had a " very rewarding career " . take my case i started roofing at around 14 so by the time i joined a union at 18 i was all ready started at 85 % of a journey man , kind of unheard of , at 19 was made a journey man . worked in 3 different states , 2 different unions , calif , Idaho , Minnesota. but the trade took care of me in all my travels , family life and life in general . it aloud me to get to where i am now , over the hill , washed up , has been , living a comfortable life. rewarding not really, but I'm grateful i stumbled into it could of been a lot worse . so the next question is if i may "how did you get involved in HODAKAS " ....albert

[taber hodaka]

Albert. Is that you that lives in StCloud? I that you that had the blue hodaka with a grandson helping? It is a blessing to get to spend some time with grandchildren. You and Victor are very lucky. Your question how did I get into hodaka? I also was lucky My mother taught me my basic mechanics, spark, points, condensers, timing, compression and fuel, She said if its got fuel, compression and spark at the right time it will run. I built wooden frame go carts as a kid. I got my own car in the fourth grade a model A sedan, with a box built out the back, I ran the union 76 station in Ronan in the evenings. I'm just painting a picture of why I would want a hodaka and a dealership. About 1958 I bought a 125 cc Harley Davidson Hummer for $30 dollars, In high school I had a 650 Triumph Tiger T110, a fun one. I rode a yds2 yamaha in the hills low and wide. I seen a ad (Hodaka its coming) with a picture, as I understand it had a mockup wooden tank, man did it look cool, narrow and high. I only knew about hodaka and PABATCO from the ads. I called them and after discussion, I was offered a dealership, no minimum order and no initial parts inventory required. I owned my own lot and house In Kalispell Mt, I bought a little house and lot next door for $500.00, after remodeling it for my hodaka shop,, the front room was the show room and parts, the back room was the mechanic area. My first trophy was just a easy fun ride, I rode to finish not to win, came in second overall on the new stock 90cc hodaka, the race was the Paul Bunyan, in Idaho by Sandpoint. Many bikes came back busted up and the riders injured. Short but sweet memory. PABATCO was so good to me, everything was positive working with them. ------ Clarence

[givergas]

yes clarence thats me , 30 miles north of st cloud , thank you for sharing your past with us . very interesting . yes my grandson is helping with our hodaka projects . when we painted his hodaka he was 10 years own and blue it was ,well this summer hes going on 15 so we striped it down and painted it a dark green color. i imagine by the time another few years go by it will again be back to its original color red.... albert