The Hodaka Club Forum

I see that some Wombat/Combat 125's have an added engine bracket between the cylinder head and the frame tube. I think it is designed to reduce vibration from the extra displacement. Is it useful/effective enough to warrant adding it to my Wombat 94 ?

Hey Bill. My 94A barn find that I restored to a cross country/MX bike had the brace. It had vibrated to pieces. I didn't replace it and all seems well. Just a report!

Max

I run two model 94 Wombats. One has the brace and the other does not. I can not tell the difference in vibration between the two bikes. The only vibration issue that I have occurs on both of them. I install thick foam pipe insulation under the fuel tanks as they both reverberate horribly on deceleration without it.
Dale

My suspicion is that the engine brace was an early R&D effort to alleviate a vibration issue going from 90cc to 125cc. It may not be effective.

My W'Bat originally came with a ratty piece of foam folded over the frame backbone and wedged against the inner part of the tank. It absorbed a lot of rainwater on the trailer trip over here and i tossed it. I may hunt up a piece of closed-cell urethane foam and see how that works. I wonder if a piece of thinner dense foam glued to the inner saddle of the tank would be more effective ? And cars used to use a rubbery sound-deadening sheet in door panels, etc. Yeah, I have noticed a "drumming" sound on engine decel. I'll add this to the To-Do List.

Thx!!

I think it was originally designed for the Wombat, not the CW.
Here are 2 photos. I also think they use handle bar clamps as part of it.
I was going to install one on my CW, but changed my mind.

Yes, being Hodaka, they re-purposed many things. The upper clamps are just two handlebar clamps. The rubber damper is an old style swingarm bushing. Also, for those with a Combat Wombat that are missing the "Special" rear pipe mount, it is just a cut down headlight bracket with a bolt welded onto it.

Gotta love small resourceful companies. Many of the parts on the BMW /5 series (1970-1973) were from the earlier /2 series.

The head brace was developed sometime after introduction of the Wombat (94). It was indeed intended to help damp vibration. I got one to put on my "go fast" machine with Combat Wombat engine several years ago. But installing it just hasn't reached the top of the priority list yet. I'm not really sure that it will ever make it to the top of the list.
Ed

Vibration, What vibration?

Maxie

Yeah, it doesn't seem to be a priority on most lists. I may add one later on as a "go-fast farkle" but right now I've got a reliability buff to do.

I added one on my CW, not sure if it helped at all. Still on there. Also install some rubber fin noise dampeners.

Mike Perrett

I picked up one of those brackets along the way. Does anyone know what additional hardware is needed to attach it to the cylinder head? Its all there with the exception of the longer head bolts and what appears to be some type of hexagonal risers.

Look up part number 948640 and you will find a picture showing the various pieces.

Great Dale! Will do. Thank you!!

Hey Matt, The Hexagonal risers are just elongated head nuts which I'm still running on my 94A. I didn't replace the brace during restoration and all seems well. My brace had vibrated apart as you can see in the picture above. Having the original brace failing and satisfactory performance now I personally don't see the need for this brace. If you can't find the two long nuts we can trade as a last resort. Whatever.

Max

After reviewing comments, I decided against adding tbe upper engine/head bracket. It might work as a nice period-correct bling, but it won't work miracles, IMO. Not dissing Matt, do it if you want to.

I an doing the EGT gauge gig-- I have a Koso single gauge with the fast-response probe on order. May not be 100% needed, but it will be an ultimate techno-farkle to give me a reference point til I learn to read the engine.

Today? I'm doing R&R on that loose and wobbly and bent side stand, then I'm off to Mule Day in Winfield.

Contrary to what it appears others are saying. I installed this brace on my (94) Wombat and it makes a world of difference in managing the engine vibrations. Engine vibrations without it aren't unreasonable, but there is a marked difference after install.

$0.02

Roger

Hey Maxie, congratulations on the Day One Project best of show win! It really is a fabulous build. Dale hipped me to the part number on SH so I now see the elongated head bolts and will search them out. I may take you up on that offer. Perhaps we can engineer a trade or I will pay your asking price. I assume the parts on SH Paul wants to sell as the complete assembly. I do still have a vibration on one of my 94's and would like to try the brace. And for Bill, no dis-charged. One of my favorite aspects of this forum is a willingness to experiment, design, and share outcomes so we can all reap the benefits of workable and effective mods. Maxie, you've inspired me to post a pic of my Dirt Squirt which took third place overall behind a zillion dollar Ducati and an absolutely cherry original Norton Commando at last summer's Sturgis Falls bike show.

Hey thanks Matt! No asking price on the head bolts, just a trade if you need them. I'll need some stock ones to replace them with. Mine looks a bit silly with different lengths without a purpose. BTW you also can have any of the extra parts shown above if you need them.

Max

Hey thanks, Max! On the bracket I have, the bushing is frozen but I introduced it to some Kroil which should do the trick. On the image of the assembly that Dale directed me to here on SH (P/N 948640) the complete assembly shows two additional pieces which look like side plates on a large roller chain. Do you know what they are or how they are used. Mine has two as does yours, but the image on SH has two in addition. Thanks Max!!

Best,

Matt

Hmmm, I'll check all this out, there may be more pieces in the Hodaka shed.

Max

Hey Max, I think they may be extras for the assembly on SH. I really don't see where they would go. Mine looks like yours minus the fracture.