The Hodaka Club Forum

Hey everyone! This is Rylan i havent been on in awhile but im back at working on my dirt squirt! I have ran into an issue though. The gear shifter and the motor is my problem and im not sure if i have a clutch problem or not. I have the gear shifter lined up with the grove on the shaft from the motor but its stuck in gears and will only shift to 3 different gears. Im not sure if im doing something wrong after all i am 2 years new to these bikes. But anways i cant seem to get any side cover to work. Im not able to shift all 5 gears and i cant find neutral. Any tips or pointers to help me would be much appreciated! Thank you

Are you doing this on a running or non running motor? It's easier to go thru the gears if you turn the motor over, either with the sprocket or the kick starter.

1. Remove the spark plug and the magneto/shifter cover.
NOTE: Removal of spark plug assures a non-running engine while your fingers are near the countershaft sprocket and chain (for safety) . . . AND it allows easy rotation of the crankshaft and gears as described below.

2. "Rock" the engine back-and-forth by twisting the magneto flywheel by hand - or by way of the rear wheel if the chain is still on . . . while trying to pull the control shaft "out" as far as it will pull out.
NOTE: The "rocking" motion provides for releasing ALL loads on the gear teeth as the direction reversals happen. The "shifts" can only happen when there are no loads on the gear teeth - so the "rocking back-and-forth" is required. Shifts will be extremely difficult or impossible when there are loads on the gear teeth.

3. Control shaft all the way "out" is 1st gear. 1/2 step "in" is neutral. A further 1/2 step "in" is 2nd. Then there will be "full steps" "in" to 3rd, then 4th, then 5th. When in 5th, the spool on the end of the control shaft will be virtually touching the end of the countershaft.

Let us know how many gears you "found" following the above procedures . . . and whether or not you found neutral. We'll figure out what to check next after we hear your results.
Ed

The motor is not running but im very close the kickstart does work. It remains in neutral when the cover is off and when on it only shifts 3 gears

Which 3 is it engaging?

Welp good news! I took off the cover and applied it correctly onto first gear. I also found all other gears like Ed said by rotating the magneto. Thank you for all yalls tips! Now i am shifting into all 5 and neutral. I am very very close to giving my bike a first start

AwwwlRiiiight!

Now for some additional information which I hope ALL Hodie riders will take to heart . . .

1. I need to add more information to the comments earlier in the thread about shifts being extremely difficult or impossible when there are loads on the gear teeth - that was only part of the story. Now for the rest of the story.
2. The "rocking back-and-forth" also provides for alignment of the ball "pockets" in each gear with the balls in the countershaft. The shift can't be completed until rotational movement (rocking back-and-forth) aligns the balls and the ball "pockets" in the gears.

I suppose you don't actually have to KNOW all of the above stuff to do "dead engine" shifts -- but I think it is good to know WHY you must do all that "rocking back-and-forth". (Knowing WHY I have to do something sure helps me remember TO do that something. )

NOTE: When you get the shift case back on . . . and you want to shift to neutral (or any gear) with the engine dead . . . you MUST do the "rocking back-and-forth" thing. It is actually more important to do it on the fully assembled machine because the forces applied to the shifter internals are much higher than what you did with the shifter off and moving the control shaft by hand. Failure to "rock back-and-forth" while doing dead engine shifts may well be the quickest way to collapse the control shaft springs! (<---- that is the part that I hope ALL Hodie riders pay attention to. Yes)
NOTE 2: It appears that you have a Model 01 chassis, with an earlier "ACE" (iron cylinder) engine . . . with reed valve added. Nifty machine. You'll have fun.
Ed

Thank you Ed! Ill for sure keep that in mind when dead engine shifting. I dont wanna have to pull the motor apart