The Hodaka Club Forum

Pop, I’m with you on the tire irons. I’ve taken to sticking the axle into the rim and using it as a pivot point to press the tire iron against & rotate it around the rim just like a tire machine, but hand powered. Long as you use enough soap, it’s good! Victor

if you use my idea , make sure you have good padding so you dont scratch, mar the rim. lots of good videos on the web showing how to change tires, ....albert

Well, I need a front case dowel pin to put the left side on (ordered). I have a .030 piston & ring for this motor. Need to know what kind of clearance specs I should have before going to a .040 piston & bore. Are they the same as or different than the Ace clearance numbers? Victor

Victor do you have a manual? Clarence

I gleaned over this. But looks like tire mounting woes. I had a heck of a time finding and putting tires in my 69. Ended up with Michelin moped tires. Anyway pinched some tubes with irons. A moped buddy told me this technique. Work for me maybe someone’s done it.

Inflate the tube a bit, put it in the tire. Get some heavy duty zip ties. Take 6-8 and zip the tire closed. Soap it up, pop it on and cut and pull the zip ties. Worked great. Take care.

How do you get the valve stem through without sneaking up one bead (back to the tire spoons)?

Put the valve stem in first. Start there. Might still need your irons but point is you have no risk of touching the tube. The beads are pressed together like one bead I guess you could say. Put the ties on each side of the valve. I know there’s a video helps picture it. I’ll poke around. Hope that helps. I was surprised. Worked well.

https://youtu.be/IYN0tlj5eDw Couple videos but here’s the first one I grabbed. Quick overview. Shouldn’t need spoons

https://youtu.be/CvjEd6zg5Wk Another larger motorcycle tire.

Hey, thanks for posting the vids. I'm always interested in anything that improves the always-tedious task of changing tires.

Man I had a hell of a time till I found this. Granted one time I bought vintage tubes and didn’t know the valve stems were loose and thought I pinched them. . I’ve been helped greatly in here. Nice to finally share.

Thanks! I’m going to use this from now on. Tube first, then zip ties, then lube, and I can use a pry bar if needed, because I have them! Victor

Remember when I did this? Well I mounted it! Victor

Been working on & off on this project, as my back will allow. Thanks to Tim Ryan for the CW stator, and, thanks to Alan Donovan for the clutch rebuild kit!

I have talked with Terry about fitting a carb on this bike. It has a GEM reed valve manifold designed for a flange mount carb. Terry has the rubber fitting I need to attach a round intake carb on it. I think I will go with a 28mm carb & start the jetting at something similar to the jetting for a Super Combat. I just need to confirm what nozzle is in this carb so I can see if I have a good needle to match to it, or, if I need a different needle.

Any suggestions about which needle jet & jet needle to use for a 28mm carb in a reed valve configuration? I’m going to use a Model 03 exhaust also. I need to pull the bottom of the carb and see if I can get the needle valve out and confirm the size.

As a refresher, this is a Model 95 motor ported for reed valve and a Model 97 piston. GEM reed intake. Looks like I’ll have to cut my own gaskets.... Victor

The Super Combat uses a 32mm carb, so you can't go by it's jetting if you are putting on a 28mm carb. You would probably be better off going with a model 98 Super Rat's jetting as they use a 28mm carb (except I would start off richer than the Super Rats jetting). Whatever you do, the jetting you start out with will be just that, a start. As you engine is different than anything else around, the jetting will have to be adjusted for that engine and parts combination. Just don't start too lean, it can get expensive that way.

I was going to use a 30mm carb but it’s a lot heavier than the 28mm. So I was hoping someone who has jetted a 28mm carb on a reeded Combat Wombat motor will chime in and help me with a starting point. Matt?!?!?! Victor

I will check tomorrow, Victor. The last time I raced it was at a fall HS. Low 50's and dry. I know its jetted rich now. Do you need MJ or the whole works?

Main jet, needle & pilot, I guess the whole Sheebang would be great!!! Thanks Matt! Victor

Your choice of an 03 exhaust will most likely see your jetting end up somewhere nearer the stock 03 jetting versus the 95/97, Starting with the correct needle jet and needle are critical. A lot of guys try tuning with the main and pilot only because it easier. The needle jet and needle really run the show and must be right before you fine tune with mains and pilot choices.

After viewing your pictures, which everyone loves seeing, I see you are also using a stock Wombat air box and snorkel. Great for that classic look, but a bigger carb also pulls bigger air, Trying to tune an engine that is straining for air is difficult. I would suggest some 1 inch holes in the outer ring of the cover. If you put 3 or 4 along the backside near the ignition switch and use rubber ring grommets they are almost invisible to the eye. An 03 inner cover with holes and a full foam style element is an option that also adds breathing, but the snorkels base area is way too small to free flow air.

OK! Thanks for the advise on air flow. I’ll give a good look at the 03 jetting and see where I can go from there! Victor

Hey Victor, I just got home from work and didn't get time to get to the shop today, but I am off tomorrow afternoon and can get to it then. I am a bit concerned that my jetting specs will lead to frustration for you. I am running a stock CW air box (for the look) but it has been modified for more air flow. Also, some mild port work including a mil on exhaust height and a little head work to pump up the compression about 25psi over stock. It is tuned for top end. I do know the MJ I ran last fall was a 380. Just let me know and I will get the info out of my tuning book if you're still interested. I'm afraid if you started with my jetting and the bike actually ran, it would sound like a bubble pipe. I also have a piston port CW that has only had some mild port work that might be a better starting place. The 03 (wish I had one) stock jetting specs would probably be better yet. Let me know.

Well Matt. I was planning on starting with a slightly rich version of the Model 03 jetting & go from there. I didn’t do the porting work on this bike so I don’t know to what level tge ports were worked. They were really gunned up with fuel & oil before I had it vapor blasted, but they are clean now and very closely match the ports on the Super Combat piston. With the 28mm carb, I’m hoping there won’t be a tragedy of errors trying to tune it in. Victor

The motor was making a noise as the crank turned. Turned out it was an excess of Yamabond causing the crank to scrape. Split motor apart and cleaned off the offending bond, tested crank rotation and reassembled.

Found my 125 clutch which had fallen off the top of the work bench to the bottom shelf behind a plastic milk crate. Pulled old clutch apart, salvaging the clutch hub & springs! But, the clutch hub wouldn’t fit onto the 125 crank shaft.

All I can guess is someone swapped the clutch hub for an Ace crank instead of leaving it as a 125 clutch. More to come.... Victor

Combat Wombat clutch hub on its way! It got mailed out early this morning! Slowly but surely.....

My numbers were in the mailbox! I decided, when I ordered the numbers, I would make a positive out of a negative. The negative being the bad luck issues I’ve had to deal with on this build. Decided to number it “13” and I laugh when I look at the number plate! Also, my Son In Law’s Birthday is November 13! Victor

Got my 28mm carb rubber flange to slip fit from Terry today. However, the carb didn’t fit into it. The slip fit exterior was larger than the opening! So Terry is sending me a bigger one!

I did, however, assemble the shifter mechanism today. Finished it up and mounted it. Almost there! Victor