The Hodaka Club Forum

I'm pretty sure I have a model 94 wombat (chrome tank). I don't have money for a manual so I need some help from someone with a shop manual for this bike. I need to know the oil grade/how much, spark plug (the one in it is b5hs but I saw somewhere that it's b8hs), spark plug gap, chain tension, and anything else important in the maintenance section.

I read somewhere that the oil needed to be changed every 30-60 days. is this true? I guess it wouldn't matter unless you were riding it every day.

I bought this bike for 550 a couple months ago and am trying to get it reliable enough to trail ride without it breaking down on me. I just finished a much bigger project (rd400f boat anchor to race bike) so I finally have some time for the other bikes. First Hodaka, so any tips or advice is appreciated.

Thanks
Dom

Lets see some pictures of the beast.

A check of your engine number of will confirm the model. For a 94 Wombat;

My preference for Crankcase oil - BelRay Gear Saver 80W. We are poking a hornets nest here talking about oil... but you can not go wrong with this choice. The case holds 20oz, but you can only get about 16oz out via the drain plug so plan on 16oz on a normal oil change.
I change the oil based mostly on color/condition of the oil. The frequency that you referenced sounds extreme unless you are riding it hard or in dirty conditions.

Spark plug - NGK B8HS. Manual states .024 gap. Some folks run a smaller gap like 19 or 20. Your B5HS is 3 steps hotter than the B8HS and seems too hot to me. Others might have a different opinion on that.

Chain tension is pretty simple. Set the tension for about 3/4 in. resting on the kick stand. I also like to sit on the bike and make sure that the chain still has a small amount of slack and not tight.

Point gap - Manual states .012 to .015. Set to .013 with a small feeler gage and you will be pretty close. The better method is a dial gage and a buzz box, but not necessary for a casual rider. New points and condensor are never a bad plan.

Air cleaner. Keep it clean and properly oiled.

Thanks for the reply. The only number I could find was C-04828 which was on the frame between the triple tree. The mfg date is 7/72.

I also forgot to mention that someone who owned it once did a couple modifications. From what I can find they seem like the common performance setup for that time. It's got the reed cage, Amal carb, expansion chamber, and I'm assuming the piston's ported. With that in mind, do you think the b5hs spark plug is correct? I would think it would need to be hotter than stock with this setup.

Also is running 20:1 premix best? Someone on here said 32:1 or 40:1 is better. Does the ratio change between stock and modified engines?

Can you check point gap or adjust timing without a flywheel puller?

My air cleaner right now is some foam I found at a store. It's pretty much the same as the UNI material. Better than no filter though

To ID your bike, go to the Strictly Hodaka home page http://www.strictlyhodaka.com and select the "Hodaka Serial Identification" tab/picture. Your frame (C04828) confirms that the frame is a 94 Wombat, however, you need to ID the engine. The same web page will highlight where to find the engine number.

I can not address your question regarding the plug with the mod's that you have. Perhaps others will chime in.

Premix? Again, you will get a ton of different opinions on this. A popular choice is Yamalube 2R mixed at 32:1. The modern oils do not need to be 20:1. This is a great oil and readily available. Again, this is what I use and it works great for me. I run it at 32:1 in all of my Hodaka's. I also only run non-ethenol gas and have a very strong opinion about that!

Setting points? You can set the points through the flywheel without a puller. However, you will not be able to inspect much in there without pulling it. Just to check and/or set the gap, it is easy access through the slots in the flywheel.

Air Cleaner? I would not run the bike without a quality foam filter. There is no way to know what protection the foam provides. Also, the air flow may result in either a too rich, or worse, a too lean condition. Purchase a filter or at least vistit a local bike shop and get some foam material designed for oiled air cleaner use.
Dale

Come on pictures, I want to see what kind of pipe is on it.

Here's the pictures Socal

When I got it the right petcock wasn't being used and probably hadn't been for awhile. When I hooked it up there was a bunch of rust particles/chips in the line. I pulled the tank, painted some of that rust performer on the underside, inspected the inside, cleaned and reassembled the petcocks, put some rubber grommets on for the tank mounts and got a big ass fuel filter and T fitting. I'm still routing the fuel line so it doesn't rub on anything, especially the cylinder.

Someone forced the stock air filter boot onto the bigger Amal carb and then tried sealing it with an entire tube of some goop it looks like. I wrapped it with some of that tape that can stick to it self (it's not at all sticky it just bonds I guess) and it looks like it'll hold. Also there was nothing in the silencer and it was pretty loud. I know most of you guys will disagree with this but I actually stuffed regular insulation in there.

I got into this for very cheap. It was almost a 3 hour drive to the guy's house and I had just learned what a Hodaka was after seeing his ad so I had to buy it, even though I knew it was in pretty rough condition. I'm just trying to piece her together right now but once I get some money I'll get her right.

Dom

Thanks for the photos. Looks like a good project.

I also have a 94 Wombat that has a reed valve and a drilled piston but I have a 28mm Mikuni carb. The Mods should not really change the plug heat range so B8HS is what you whould run to try first. I have no knowlege of the jetting for the carb you have but jetting is critical to the proper performance of your engine. The ported and reed valved engines require higher jets than stock.