The Hodaka Club Forum

Hello,
I need help with what style exhaust this 1970 ace 100 should have. It looks like they may have used 2 different style exhausts maybe one was earlier. Anyway here's a photo.

Your Hodaka is one of the first ones built after the Ace 100. They were all referenced as 100-Bs The model numbers are a little confusing and we do not have 100% agreement but they are listed in various places as the 92A ,92B and the 92B+. Your Hodaka would take the Ace 100 style muffler and everything but the shroud would be black. What is your serial numbers?----Clarence

It was Jan 1970. Here's a picture of serial number

Based on your serial number of your frame, it should have the long, straight all chrome pipe. Here's a photo of an Ace 100 B with the chrome pipe. Victor

Ok, but mine has different forks and a separate speedometer and headlight. Did mine use the same as this one above?

My book shows to be about in the middle of the 92A produced others will tell you it is 92B. Regardless it takes a straight exhaust and the main part painted black. -----------Clarence

Victor the last serial for the ace100 the model 92 was 38712 small wheels short forks. your picture is of the first ace 100 and not of the 92A or 92B. -----Clarence

The serial number chart I checked didn't show a difference in serial number break downs. Just showed 92 & 92B. According to that info, his frame falls in the earliest Model. Couldn't access the chart on the SH site. ; D Victor

The Ace 100 is a model 92 it had the same wheels as the Ace 90, 100cc engine, five speed and different exhaust. Ajf your hodaka is the same as the picture I posted with the black exhaust. Clarence

it is interesting because sometime in 1970 the 100B got the "later model' exhaust but retained the smaller speedo and "low "front guard. "Cycle Guide" from November 1970 shows a 100B in that form. Would be interested to know when that change occurred.

I would say Clarence is probably right about exhaust style, and I would also say you probably have a 92A. The confusion regarding the "A" style 92 stems from lack of record keeping at Hodaka, and the differences in parts stems from what Hodaka Japan was actually doing in late 69 and early 70. They were transitioning from the old Ace 100 to what became the B model, and they did this by using up old parts to make up what became the A models until they had sufficient inventory to actually build a fully equipped B. So some got this exhaust, some got that. Other parts were used as well from stockpiles. No one would simply throw out parts that were paid for, but times were changing and Hodaka knew they could not keep selling old style Ace 100's and compete with the rest of Japanese motorcycles. But the Ace was in production for a very long time, and it took time and money to change over to the more modern looking B model. While the parts were being used up, and until all parts for the B were in hand, Hodaka built so-called A models. This is something that even Detroit has done from time to time.

Now you know. Don't let others blow smoke about what the A model was, or doubt if there even was one. Yes there was one. Hodaka would not have published parts lists and manuals for a model that didn't exist. But the A wasn't intended to be a long term model in its own right. It was just not an Ace, and yet it wasn't what was on the board as a "new" model 92, either.

Think transition, and think left over parts. That's the 92A.

The charts don't give detail here because Hodaka didn't track the A in records, since it was just a short term means of keeping production going with parts on hand. The chart makers abandoned the effort to sort out records for lack of detail, and those who made the charts weren't in the production end (which was a Japanese) or the sales end like Clarence was. I think Clarence knows more about the 92A than anyone out there, and it seems someone forgot to ask him for his details while the charts were being made. Take the charts with a grain of salt. Several years back, Paul had published a rather excellent chart, but that one got put aside when Ken and company created what eventually went into the Hodaka book. That chart is admittedly wrong in several ways, and the chart on the SH website reflects those included errors.

Well I do agree but maybe I can explain it this way. Hodaka made a super rat and we all called it a super rat. But the model numbers were 93, 93A and 93B but we all called them super rats. Hodaka made Super Rats before the 100B. It is confusing to some But this is my memory from the time as I ordered dozens of the models. The ace 100 small wheels and listed as a model 92. Then it becomes unclear and not all agree that they made a model 92A ace 100 muffler painted black and the low tire hugging frount fender,the rest of the bike was built like the super rat. Then Hodaka added a almost expansion type high muffler and a high fenders with a model number of 92B Now some will call the 92A a 92B. And then came model 92B+. The story of your cycle guide November of 1970 is this, the Muffler was changed in April of 1970 at frame number 42513, the high front fender changed in January of 1971 at frame number 51013. So I say this, the 100cc race machine called the super rat had three models 93, 93A and the 93B. The hodaka 100cc street machine was called the 100B and had models 92A, 92B and 92B+. And some will state that the 100B only had two models 92B and a 92B+ ------Clarence

Thanks to everyone for clearing things up. I need to find an exhaust and want to get the correct one that came with the bike and then I started researching and wasn't exactly sure.

It would be the one in the picture I posted..-----------Clarence

taber hodaka wrote:It would be the one in the picture I posted..-----------Clarence

Clarence, I agree. My bike is exact in every way to yours.