Victors Combat Wombat Thread!

[viclioce]

I am Blessed! Thank you Larry! The pics look GREAT!!! Victor

[viclioce]

Hi Larry! A quick note to let you know the motor came back on Tuesday evening. Sorry I didn’t let you know sooner.

I’ve been on the road on my motorcycle. Took a trip for 9 days up to Deadwood SD and rode around the Black Hills!

I’ll be home late this afternoon and will call you. I tried calling you while I was having a late lunch in Taos, NM. I could hear you, but you couldn’t hear me! Sorry! Victor

[viclioce]

Spent about 2 hours today cleaning the carb inside & out. Specs say the main jet is supposed to be a 190. I couldn’t read it clearly but it might have had a 180 main in it. I dropped to a 170 main for my 7,000 foot elevation & will start there.

So, I put in a new 170 main jet, a new, clean 25 pilot jet & kept the stock 2.5 slide with the a 615D5 needle, which was in it. The needle clip was on the top space so I moved the clip to space 3. Also put a new flange O ring gasket because the old one kept falling out. And the bottom of the space was a bit out of round so I had to file it & spread it back open to make the O ring fit properly.

Additionally I had to change the float needle because the plunger & spring were frozen up. Last thing I did was file down the surface and groove of the main jet holder as it was in fairly cruddy shape. Looks & works better now.

That’s where I will start with it. Fingers crossed this might be a good combo to start off with for testing.

Here’s a few pics. Victor

[viclioce]

Summary, just to help me keep track.

1. Stripped bike completely down to bare frame.
2.Strip, sand, prime & paint frame with paint & primer in one.
3. Painted lower tree black. Added new ball bearings, upper & lower, in the steering head. Greased and packed in the bearings and re-installed Triple tree.
4. Rebuilt front forks, with new seals & O rings. Cleaned & reassembled & added new 15w fork oil (or maybe it was 20w?)
5.Reassembled fork tubes to trees.
6.Stripped & painted frame, heated & straightened kick stand & repainted kick stand, brake pedal and foot peg assembly silver and installed.
7. Cleaned, polished & re-installed rear shocks.
8.Replaced bent handlebars with new bars.
9.Cleaned wheels & reinstalled. (Still need to order new tires).
10.Disassembled motor, removed old bearings & seals & sent head, cylinder, intake manifold, tranny cases, clutch cover & magneto cover to Larry for vapor blasting. Larry did a fantastic job!
11.Inspected cylinder & piston to find it had very low hour .010 over rings & piston which will be reused.
12.Ordered bottom end rebuild kit, cables, air filter, new points & condenser (before Terry ran out), number plates, and I’m sure I’m missing a few things in my mind.
13. Bought a large, used toaster oven at Habitat For Humanity for heating up cases!
14. Removed minor dents from fenders, cleaned & polished stainless steel fenders with Barkeeper’s Friend and reinstalled.
15.Made an initial, but non-successful attempt at cleaning out fuel tank. Did manage to free the frozen petcocks. They are not OEM, but are functional & I like them.
16.Carb disassembled, cleaned, jets replaced, and reassembled. Ready to go for testing.
17.Repair weld on inside of air box. Replace screws & nuts with new. Repaint black portion of air boxcto match frame. Clean rust from air box cover and seal with clear coat to preserve battle scars. Order & install new filter on support ring. Add new wing nut, backing washer and clip.
18. Disassembled motor for vapor blasting. Removed bearings & seals & shipped out.
19. Motor came back. Heated cases in toaster oven to allow expansion of bearing bosses. Installed bearings & bushings. When cooled, installed seals.
20. Completed tranny reassembly and put new O ring in kick shaft opening. Attached primary gear and clutch pack, attached countershaft bushing & sprocket & mounted stator assembly. Replaced screws holding stator plate to case. Installed new points & condenser. Bolted on flywheel.
21. Assembled shifter case assembly & packed with grease. Installed cover and rubber bushing.
22. Installed shifter case on motor. Installed clutch side case with new gasket. All new case & cover screws used for assembly.
23. Installed motor in frame. Installed air box & air boot.
24. Installed exhaust pipe with a total of 5 springs.
25. Had seat foam rebuilt & reupholstered seat & mounted to bike.
26. Installed throttle, clutch & brake cables & adjusted.
27. Cut a piece of plexiglass to fit over air filter & installed in air box.
28. Install oil in transmission. Install all new fuel lines for petcocks to carb.
29. Ordered and received new tires, tubes & rim liners. To be installed....

Updated as completed on 07/10/19 - Victor

[matt glascock]

Great project, Victor. I dig the recap. Shows what goes into bringing one of these back to life.

[Bullfrog]

A note of caution - the "615D5" jet needle designation isn't a proper match for what appears to be a stock flange mount 28mm carb on the Combat Wombat. The stock needle is a 5EJ13 with the clip in the 3rd notch.

"Six" series needles are for larger carbs than the 28mm Mikunis. Using the longer "6" series needle in a carb intended to use "5" series needles could cause some significant headaches . . . and quite likely some deafening silence when the "ring-dings" suddenly stop.

It appears you have bumped into one of those "DPO" (Dreaded Previous Owner) issues.

Ed

[Dale]

Regarding initial carburetor setup...
What Ed said, plus I'll add that I would not start with a 170 main regardless of elevation. Go with the 190 and work down from there if it is rich at WOT. And, on the pilot, my experience with Combat Wombats is that the 25 pilot is too lean. You will hear a very uncomfortable metallic sound on hard decelerations. A 32.5 or 35 is a better choice.
Dale

[viclioce]

Gentlemen. The VM28 on the parts fiche, calls for 3 different needles. Can you tell me which one was stock? Here’s a screen shot. Is the 5D5 considered the stock needle?

I would like to know the difference between the 5D5 & the 615D5. I have about 5 other needles I can check for size. But I did read in the Wombat 125 that the stock needle was the 5D5 in the shop manual.

I can change the main jet, but it’s been my experience that the stock main jets are too rich for my elevation. I’ll also consider changing the pilot jet to a 30 or 35. I believe I have some of those, but again, my Model 94 with a Model 95 cylinder & a 24mm carb ran too rich with a 40 pilot. Don’t have a 32.5 to try. So it will stay at 25 or 30 which ever works best. If I can’t get it to idle correctly, I’ll order some additional sizes.

Of course, I’ll have to get the motor assembled first!!! Victor

[Bruce Young]

Victor go to the Mikuni Carb., Web site all the info you need is there. No guessing

[Bullfrog]

I can't tell you anything about the "615D5" needle EXCEPT that it is for a larger carb than the 28mm CW carb. The Hodaka 250ED is the only Hodaka with a large enough (stock) carb to use a "6" series needle - but it did not use the "615D5" needle. The "6" series needle WILL extend too far down into the needle jet at ALL throttle settings in a 28mm carb . . . possibly leading to sadness.

The 5EJ13 is the original stock needle for the Combat Wombat (per the Official Hodaka Workshop Manual) - though there is some vague memory that later production units may have used the 5D5.

NOTE: It is never a good idea to take an experience with a rich pilot jet (40) in a 24mm carb and apply it to selecting a pilot jet in a larger carb (28mm). The air velocity through those two different carbs (on the same engine) is quite different - which is a driving factor in selecting the proper jets.
Ed

[viclioce]

I’m wondering if the 615D5 could have extended into the needle jet orifice, damaging it? Hmm. Time for a needle jet orifice inspection photo, when I get home.

We have issues with using Stainless Steel needles on our Suzuki VL1500 carbs. The stainless steel needles cause accelerated wear of the needle jet orifice, egging it out of round. (See attached pic). This orifice was originally circular & you can see it is now both oval & irregular. This changes the flow pattern of the needle jet and the gas mileage drops way down because the fuel flow increases & can’t be corrected. Also, in this particular model Mikuni carb, you have to have the carb serviced to press in new needle jets. It’s not available for owner replacement.

Hoping I have an acceptable/usable needle. I know I have about 1/2 dozen in my carb works tackle box! Victor

[viclioce]

I found a brand new needle marked 5J6. Here’s a photo of it along side the 615D5 which was in the carb. The 5J6 is on the right & the 615D5 on the left with the clip in place.They are the same length, but the 5D5 is thicker & has less taper than the 5J6.

The needle jet still appears to be round on inspection, but it looks like it might have so rough edging at the top of the jet opening in the photo. I can’t tell if it’s build up on the jet or if it’s irregular wear? Victor

[viclioce]

Needle changed to the 5J6!!! I almost had a panic attack! I dropped the needle clip on the floor & couldn’t find it. However, I opened up my LED spotlight flashlight and found the clip under my work bench! Crisis averted!! Onward through the fog!!! Victor

[Bullfrog]

Thru all of this discussion I've been wondering about the "61" part of the "615D5" needle designation which has been listed. I can't take the time to do an exhaustive search . . . but I've never seen a needle which started with "number-number", they all seem to follow the convention of "number-letter". And the photo seems to show a "5" length needle. It might be good to throw a magnifying glass on the "615D5" . . . maybe the "61" is actually something else - and the needle is actually a "5D5"????

The 5J6 is a "richer" needle than the 5D5, so it would be a better starting out choice.
Ed

[Joe Ormonde]

Victor: Go to the Hodaka Library in Terrys` Website. Look up Specifications By Model. That is the best starting point for your Jetting. Joe.

[viclioce]

Ed. I checked the needle again. You were correct. It is just a 5D5. What looked like a “61” was the box in box stamp on the needle. Sorry for the confusion. Victor

[viclioce]

Got new jets in the mail Friday afternoon. I ordered a 180, 185, 190, 195 & 200. I already have a 170 & a 165 (main jet) & I have a 30 & 40 pilot I can text with. Now to build a motor!!!! Victor

[viclioce]

Getting ready to start my engine assembly. My questions are, how long do the bearings need to stay in the freezer, and, to what temp do you bake the cases in the toaster oven?

I’m also thinking about backing the bearing bosses (on the outside) with a 1x4 and using a socket and my vice as a bearing press. It worked very well with my fork seals. Any thoughts??? Victor

[viclioce]

She stands a lot better now with the kickstand straightened!

[Larry S]

I've never used a vise to press in bearings. Sounds like it would work.

I put the bearings in the freezer the night before. When I'm ready to assemble I turn the oven on to 300 - 325 degrees. While the case is coming to temp, I get together my tools - oven mitt, a 2x4 block to back the bearing boss, socket, dead blow hammer.

You have to work fast. If you're lucky the bearings will fall into place. If you're not lucky you will have to "persuade" them with the socket and hammer. After you get the first bearing in you may need to reheat the case. Be sure to keep the inside of the case facing up or the bearing you just installed will fall out. Good luck.

Larry S

[Larry S]

A quick note. If the bearing doesn't just drop in It's usually because the bearing is not straight in the bore.Put a lot of effort into making sure the bearing is plumb and square.

Larry S

[viclioce]

Danny told me the same thing. Need to set up my toaster oven tomorrow. Wish me luck! Victor

[viclioce]

Got a few more things done this afternoon!

The seat went to the upholsterer to be recovered. He will remove 1/2 the old foam and add softer new foam on top. Said it will be ready on Friday & still just $80!

Tank is mounted, put the throttle, the grips, perches & levers back on, connected the front brake cable and the front number plate & mount & the rear mud apron are also in. She’s almost ready to have the motor dropped in!!! Victor

[taber hodaka]

Wish you luck if that is what you need. I would not use a press, so easy to not go in uniform. The most of my bearings went in cold and the engine not toasted. Fixing a motor is a skill not a luck factor, luck is finding the part or getting it in time. looking good and you sure are getting faster. I have been known to have put my wrist pin in the freezer though. I also use a flat nosed punch on the outside edge of the bearing. What ever works well for you is the way to go. ----------------Clarence

[viclioce]

Next step done! Bearings, clips & seals in place! Onward to assembly! Victor