Restoring my father's bike

[swimmer_spe]

I am now the owner of my father's 1968 Hodaka Ace 90. He bought it off the showroom floor.

It is mainly complete. I know it is missing the headlight and the toolbox.

It ran, but is now in pieces.

My goal is to restore it what it looked like in 1968.

Has anyone ever done a complete teardown and rebuild? How do I get the proper paint colour for it?

I have been told I need the front fork oil seals, and my father could not source them. Are those hard to find?

I also have a '70s Wombat. It is only parts and a frame. How interchangeable are the parts?

Now, once I restore my father's bike, what would it be worth? I will be insuring it, so the insurance company will want to know of a value. Priceless is what I would say, but they need a dollar amount.

I am in Canada.

[thrownchain]

You're in the right place. Most everyone here has done some level of rebuilds. Go to the "return to strictly hodaka" tab and you'll find tabs to find the parts you need . And Paul can answer all your questions.

[BrianZ]

Parts availability is still pretty good for these bikes. Fork seals are available from Strictly Hodaka and others. On any bike that is 40+ years old an engine teardown is pretty much mandatory as the rubber seals will be deteriorating. There are lots of folks on this web site that can help you out, so feel free to ask questions and use the search feature.

As for the value of the bike, I'm pretty sure almost all insurance companies will want an appraisal. Typically, Hodakas don't command big money. There were lots of Ace 90s made and small bore Japanese two strokes aren't at the top of the collector bike food chain. Hodakas are lots of fun though, and it's easy to end up with more than one.

Where in Canada are you located? I'm in southern Ontario near Guelph.

Brian

[Zyx]

Parts between the Ace 90 and a Wombat 125 are largely not interchangeable. The entire engine would probably swap, but really, the technology for the rest of the bike is different. Parts are generally available from Strictly Hodaka, including seals. Get a shop manual to become familiar with the process of taking apart and rebuilding. Proper paint available from Paul Stannard on the Strictly Hodaka website. You will need a spray gun. Don't think there is any rattle can available that comes very close. There are two other sources for old Hodaka parts as well. Google will find them for you.

Lots of folks here have done restorations and will help with yours.

What is worth is so variable that at this point it would be a wild guess. Correct restorations might be worth 2,000 but only with the right buyer. You will probably spend more than it is worth to do a correct restoration so this won't make you rich. Stated value insurance is based on what you say it is worth, not on market value. No one is going to insure a 60's vintage bike at market value because there isn't one. So if you say it is worth 3,000 you will pay premiums accordingly. Stated value for a daily driver is high. Stated value for a show bike rarely ridden is cheap. Liability is something else. That is not based on value anyway.

[swimmer_spe]

Where in Canada are you located? I'm in southern Ontario near Guelph.

Brian

Sudbury.

[bobwhitman]

There have been a number of restorations discussed via this chat group, so if you scroll through the various subjects you'll find a ton of helpful information. Also, the single easiest way to access volumes of information is to join the Hodaka Club ( ww.hodakclub.org). We produce a quarterly "newsletter" which usually runs to some 50 pages, contains a wide variety of information, much of it technical. All prior issues are accessible to members, so you can research what others have done, clever ways to deal with common problems, etc.

Welcome back!

Bob Whitman

[swimmer_spe]

Parts between the Ace 90 and a Wombat 125 are largely not interchangeable. The entire engine would probably swap, but really, the technology for the rest of the bike is different. Parts are generally available from Strictly Hodaka, including seals. Get a shop manual to become familiar with the process of taking apart and rebuilding. Proper paint available from Paul Stannard on the Strictly Hodaka website. You will need a spray gun. Don't think there is any rattle can available that comes very close. There are two other sources for old Hodaka parts as well. Google will find them for you.

Lots of folks here have done restorations and will help with yours.

What is worth is so variable that at this point it would be a wild guess. Correct restorations might be worth 2,000 but only with the right buyer. You will probably spend more than it is worth to do a correct restoration so this won't make you rich. Stated value insurance is based on what you say it is worth, not on market value. No one is going to insure a 60's vintage bike at market value because there isn't one. So if you say it is worth 3,000 you will pay premiums accordingly. Stated value for a daily driver is high. Stated value for a show bike rarely ridden is cheap. Liability is something else. That is not based on value anyway.

I would order the paint and have a local shop do the prep and painting. I was not thinking of a spray can. My father had the shop manual for it. I now have it.

[Zyx]

Should be fun. Great vintage bike.