The Hodaka Club Forum

hello everyone!!!!!! my father and i have been talking about redoing his 1971 hodaka ace 100B+. He got the bike when he was about 11. I really excited to start this project. I have just some random questions. to start could i have a list of parts that is chromed on the bike.

Do you have the bike? Let's see a photo of what your starting with. Take a good look at it and the chrome part should jump out and bit you, just a few on there.

i can get a pic. i can see 99% of the crome parts but some are rusty and i just want to make 100% sure what parts are chrome and aren't.

Another question. Where can I get the correct paint color?

Welcome. The B+ was my first Hodaka and also was my first new bike. It was a great bike and left me with some great memories.

I have not had to re-chrome anything and have had some really sad chrome pieces. Point being that rust can be removed and the parts polished unless the pitting is too bad.

I was looking at it today and the handle bars are going to need chromed. I guess most the other parts might be ok. I want to get it running then maybe we can make it look new from the factory.

The fenders are stainless steel . . . so don't worry about chroming them.
Ed

I don't know what chroming cost where you are at, but most of the places in the USA that I have heard about, the prices are up there. I would think that buying a new set of handlebars from Strictly Hodaka would be a lot cheaper than having an old rusted set re-chromed. Just a thought.

I would 2nd that thought. A brand new set is $99 for Hodaka Club members. $119 for non-members.

How did i become a Member?

Go to http://hodakaclub.org/

Hi! One of the things I have found to do with rusty chrome is to clean it with aluminum foil and water! It really works!

Take some aluminum foil, say a 1 foot long sheet and fold it in half repeatedly until you have about a 4x6" rectangle. Crinkling it a bit as you fold it is good.

Wet both the chrome part and the foil and start rubbing the foil on the chrome, like you're polishing it. You'll eventually wear the foil down into little parts but unless you have really deep pits, the foil will remove the rust and not scratch the chrome because it's softer. I have also heard some folks have used Coca Cola instead of water, but I just used water.

It takes a bit of pressure, but the foil will cut through the rust and clean the part. You can then wash it clean and even wax it. If it is pitted beyond cleaning to a good finish, you can still clean it and then send the part(s) to be chromed, reducing the prep costs. ; D Victor

Vic, I was prepared to believe you had been enjoying some local native herb, but your foil trick works surprisingly well, especially on light pitting. Thanks for the tip.

White vinegar works really well too. Or you can add some baking soda to water as well for a little more cutting power.

Greg. I had read about this a long time ago but never tried it till recently. I got a rear rack & tool box from Danny and gave it a whirl. I was amazed at how well it worked!

Here's an after photo of the tool box. It was so rusted it didn't look like chrome any longer. Of course, now you can see where the chrome completely pitted through, but I'm getting it rechromed for $45.00. ; D Victor

Would be nice to see a picture of it after it is re-chromed. I just wonder what they do with the pitting.

Hey Bill,
A top quality chrome shops eliminate the pitting by plating with soft copper and polishing. The process is repeated until the pitting is filled. This is a link to Advanced Plating explaining the process. They do great work...show quality stuff and expensive. http://www.advancedplating.com/site/restoration/

Danny