The Hodaka Club Forum

trying to get this resolved. 71 ace b+, starts fine first kick all the time. idles great all the time. put it in gear and ride... stutters, every gear, hesitates, give it most of the throttle and runs great ive read all i could fined, took carb apart 2 times cleaned it rode it took apart again as far as i can tell the carbs all open . needle jet was on 4 put it on 3 i just dont know. when i finished this bike up it ran very good, then this problem started not long after mabey half hour riding time. its licensed ,insured, street legal, its all set. need to figure this out i must be missing something any help would be appreciated....albert

Try position #2 (1 down from the top) on the Needle and swap out the Spark Plug. My Tuning Madness is this: Until I get the Jetting sorted out, I run a Spark Plug that is 2 steps Hotter than the bike calls for. Once it`s running tip top, then I dial in the Heat Range on the Spark Plug. I`ve always dialed in my Super Rat that way with GREAT results. The Engine doesn`t run long enough to do any harm and the hotter Spark Plug keeps burning clean no matter how far off the Jetting is. Your problem is probably something small. Remember, A Task Slowly Done Is Surely Done ! Joe Ormonde.

I'm not picking up anything really definitive from your description of symptoms to suggest a direct resolution. But it would make sense to try every notch on the needle to see if it runs better with clip nearer the top of the needle(first notch) or nearer the bottom(fifth notch). I have a guess, but I'd like to hear how testing goes.

Ed

It`s amazing what 1 position change on the Needle can do. You can get the bike to idle and start up great cold IF the Pilot Jet is too large but warmed up it`s going to be too rich. The Pilot Jet Should be a #25.If it`s larger, that could be it. Like Bullfrog, I can only guess. Joe.

ok since you gave me home work i figured id take the carb apart again and find out whats in it .... main jet -- 90....pilot jet -- 25...float valve --1.5. but as i was draining the gas out of it looks like the (if i got this right) throttle bore orifice, is not air or gas tight . if i lay the carb on its side and put drops of gas on it the gas goes through. possible to epoxy it up?....albert

ok moved the needle.. 3rd slot no change..2nd slot little better noticeably smother still stuttering and stuff , 1st slot on top ran good, could easily ride it and not worry about it any more. im busy the rest of the day so wont mess with it till tomorrow. be nice to hear some thoughts on the mater though. it needs some kind of adjustment but its close ...albert

Awwwwlllriiiiight! We are making progress now!
1. The item circled in the photo appears to me to be a "non-stock" plug in a place which should indeed NOT leak fuel (or air). A good cleaning and smear of epoxy on that external area to seal it up seems fine. (note that the area circled is not the throttle bore orifice -- not sure that spot has a name)
2. From memory, your carb internal specs seem about right -- so you should not have to put the clip in the top notch on the needle to get things to run right. The fact that you had to do that suggests that the needle (and probably the needle jet bore) are worn. Wear on either or both of those items could lead to richness from about 1/4 to about 3/4 throttle. If you inspect the needle closely, wear is often visible only as a change of color when the anodized coating on the needle wears through, the base aluminum underneath usually appears slightly darker than the rest of the needle. If you find the needle to be worn, replacement may be necessary. Checking the needle jet bore for wear calls for looking through the bore - is the hole noticeably "ovaled" (egg shaped)? If so, main nozzle (needle jet) replacement is required.
Ed

took apart and looked. heres what i found, as you said there is a change of color on the needle, bottom needle is the one were working with, i happen to have another carb with the same needle. these bikes do multiply i see. and the needle jet bore looks round to me. so im going to try the other needle and see if that helps i will report back. and while i have the conversation going the carb i got the needle from has this on it, picture provided, so i stead of making a fool of my self could somebody tell me what i have here thanks ....albert

Reed block for a ace 90 or ace 100. I would like to have one. -------------Clarence

The plug you want epoxy is closing off the end of the hole that is bored to let fuel from the choke system into the carb body. Won't do any harm to epoxy it to seal it. Make sure what you use is fuel proof. As to the needle, you're looking at wear in the thousands of an inch, which is the equivalent of changing a jet size. So putting in new parts is the way to go.

put in my other needle on the 3rd slot, ran like the first needle did on the 2nd slot. so while this is interesting ,i think its time to run down some new parts, hodaka-parts seems to be out of stock for the needle i need, what or where would be the next source if i can ask. i did find some on ebay i wont be working on the bike for a couple of weeks so i have time to source them out...albert

so the main jet screws into the needle jet, how do you remove the needle jet for replacement?....albert

Once you have everything out of the carb Except the needle jet you can tap the needle jet out from the float bowl side to the top side where the screw off cap is.

I suggest a wooden dowel and a light tapping.

If it won't go, spray it down with penetrating oil and come back the next day. Repeat as necessary.

If you can find a correct New needle jet and jet needle for this carb give yourself a pat on the back.

I had trouble finding them a decade ago.

I THINK I've got both pieces USED that I THINK are good.

If you want them you can have them gratis.

I moved to the 24mm and will never go back.

Notice that when you get the needle jet out that it only goes back in one way, there should be a slot on one side that engages a pin in the carb body similar to the carb slide. When you drop the new one in it should drop almost all the way in and will only take a light tap to "seat" it. Then install and snug the main jet. Do not over tighten as you can break parts.

thanks for the advise,i think i found a needle , maybe, ill wait till it gets here to confirm , but i didn't really know what i was ordering for the needle jet till i got it out. the one in the extra carb i have came out just like you said. thank you. but the one that needs help will have to wait. and thank you for the offer AL, ill see what i can dig up first the hunts part of the game for me....albert

got a new needle and put it on the third slot, ran good, put on 2nd slot and it ran even better i can live with it very easy. think ill leave it there and see how it goes i haven't rode that many miles yet so i will find time this weekend to hit some dirt roads and throw some miles on. so next question is..can i put the reed block on this bike,ace B+? and picked up some vintage views magazines and august 2006 had a good article about a guy on a hodaka beating the pants off the whole field in a couple of cross country races good stuff....albert

In my case, I have so many spare carbs and parts that it makes things easy. My 1973 Dirt Squirt is dialed in so nice that it can be used for testing . I have 3 of those VM 20 carbs and after reading all of these postings, I`m going to dial them in on the Dirt Squirt while it still runs perfectly. The same goes for my VM 24 and VM 26 carbs. My Super Rat runs tip top so now is the time to test those carbs. When you only have one bike it can be MISERABLE to figure out what to do to get it running right. If you intend on keeping your bike I would get another cylinder and Reed Valve it. That way you can put it back to factory stock if you want to. You can never have too many spare parts and when you do you can sell them . Joe Ormonde.

thanks every one. i have the motor the reed block came off of so this winter will be putting that one together, the bike it came with , ace B+, was in a fire so needs a lot of help. any way as far as my carb issues im throwing my hands up, when i got the bike and tore into it the carb was full of varnish, very hard , it put a hole in one of the brass floats i thought i got it repaired but the last time i took the carb off to start from scratch again it , the float, had liquid in it. i took the one out of the other carb i have and set that one up to specs but its just off. going to walk away for awhile and see what i can come up with need to ask for some hands on help from a few folks i know see were that gets me. ive gone as far as my new found knowlege will take me, its close but just not there yet. one good thing i can take the carburetor off with my eyes closed.

so couldn't stay away from it. with the new , used, float in it with the needle on the 2nd slot, its running fairly well, the more i ride the better it feels. it must be burning out the extra fuel the bad float was letting by, i dont know, but its sure running better i think i can go 10 miles from the house and not hook the trailer up and tell the wife to stand by her phone....albert

If you don’t want to fix the damaged float, please send it to me! I would love to try repairing it. And, if successful, someone in the future may need one and I can pass it on! Here’s my mailing address, in case you decide to send it!

Victor Lioce
1088 Sunshine Way
Santa Fe, NM 87507

Let me know if you’re willing to send it! Thanks! Victor

well i need to give it another try, im much better at soldering since taking on this project and i need to replace the float in the carb i took the one from. i have the burned up ace 100 im going to get running this winter, if i get to frustrated by all means i will be glad to give it up to you.....albert

ok back at it. put a new gas filter on, cleaned the carb again, needle on the first notch ,pilot air screw out 2.25 turns runs good . it feels sluggish in 5th,but goes thru the first four gears well. starts great and idles well. i got to be on the top range of the weight limit, and im used to a 1100 cruiser so i hope im not asking to much from this 100cc but i think it should pull a little better in 5th but im still tinkering. as somebody said its never over is it ...albert