The Hodaka Club Forum

Here is a odd one that happened to me this week. Monday I got the old wombat out for a ride and half way into my ride I lost first gear. After getting home I called Danny and ask him what he thought was going on, he was thinking control springs as a possible problem. So yesterday I pull the motor down and I find that one of the first gear balls is stuck in it's hole but sat up higher than the other ones. After getting it out I still couldn't get it to sit all the way down in the hole. I got a screwdriver and ran it around in the hole and out came a small smashed flat peace of metal.The metal was in the hole so the ball couldn't drop down or go up....all good now. I had ordered a new set of Paul's space age control springs to replace the one's that I had put in 8000 miles ago.....but there still good. So Paul your new springs are still going strong after that amount of miles. Also I will be putting in a new rebuilt crank that Danny Cooke rebuilt for me the workmanship that Danny does is just amazing! DG

Thank you Doug but I cannot take the credit for the springs. I had the contact to make them but Ed Chesnut worked very hard on that design for us.
Thank you Captain Eddie!!

Thanks Ed for designing the springs and to you for making them!

Doug-- any idea where the metal came from? An old broken control spring, a piece of swarf?

On my new-to-me Hodaka I've got a weepy control rod o-ring. When I get around to replacing it I'm inclined to preemptively fit a set of Paul and Ed's Space Age Control Springs. I'm appreciative of being able to get parts for the critters.

--Bill

This transmission was isotropic polished when I put it in 8000 miles ago.....but I put a new combat wombat 5th gear in that was not polished. So I would think it came from it or a peace that was hidden inside the control shaft that finale came out....I just don't know where it came from. One thing I can say is, with that amount of time on the transmission it still looks new.

Isn't that The Pits when you goto make sure that everything is NASA-certified, Mil-Spec and a little sliver from somewhere still gets you? Still, it's fun...

--Bill

Bill, before you decide for sure the weep is from the O ring, check to see that the sprocket nut is tight. If it is loose oil will seep around it.

weep is from the O ring, check to see that the sprocket nut is tight

Good call-- 'twas loose as a goose. Torque spec for "sprocket bolts" is 250 in-lbs (21 ft-lbs)-- that seems a tad light for 19-20mm diam bolt, even with splines cut in it. But that spec comes from 3 refs, so it should be correct.

EDIT:
The drive sprocket nut is 26mm. 25mm (or 1") won't fit and 1-1/16" (27mm) is a tad loose. That nut is thin and a even a good-fitting wrench barely has a good purchase on the nut. I went to NAPA and got a 6-point deep socket (2-1/2" deep) so I could loosen/tighten the sprocket nut with the gear Control Rod in Neutral (and I wouldn't need to rub the trans up into 4th or 5th gear). I'm thinking that the Clutch nut is also 26mm so this is a multi-use socket.

--Bill