The Hodaka Club Forum

Just getting into a 250 project and one of the first orders of business is the shifter assembly. Took it apart and trying to get the old grease etc cleaned out and I ran into a issue with the ratchet gear plunger. This is different than the model 92 style I’m used to dealing with. I’m wondering if anyone can advise how you get the plunger out? This isn’t a ‘normal’ zerk fitting that I’ve run across. It doesn’t appear to be threaded to where you can unscrew the back end and push the plunger and spring out. It only rotates about 1/8 inch or so before hitting a hard stop. I’ve turned enough bolts, screws and petcock valves off by getting overzealous on the wrenching, so I’m hesitant to give it too much elbow grease before knowing what I’m dealing with. I heated it up with a torch and that appears to have at least loosened the old grease enough to get the stuck plunger to release, so it will at least move back and forth now to actuate the ratchet gear. But I’d still like to take it apart to replace the old spring at a minimum. All I have is the owners manual and I didn’t see anything in there about how to take that apart. Any ideas?

You can try blasting compressed air into the hole where the Zerk should be.

Nothing worked to get the plunger to budge on my 250 project. I ended up drilling a small hole through the end of the plunger chamber and driving the plunger out with a small finishing nail. A tiny self-tapped screw and a dab of JB Weld sealed up the drill hole.

I believe I had the same issue with the missing zerk so I tapped in a 90-degree one. I would have to go see the bike again to verify that part though.

Thanks Darrell, I was able to get it out finally. Once optimism, determination and will power gave out, pure dumb luck stepped in. I was using a polishing wheel on my electric drill to clean up the casing when the plunger popped out even farther than it had before. I thought it had reached the end of its travel before but apparently the vibration got it to move the last little bit. Once out I just had to turn it 180 to line an indentation up with the bushing on the foot change shaft and voila. Now adding vibration to my list of tools (PB blaster and propane torches) for getting stuck parts to move. Hope this helps someone’s 250 ED project in the future.

Either Harry Taylor or Rich Gagnon taught me this trick. You use a small pick or tiny screwdriver.

First, of course degrease the mechanism as best you can and then apply some heat.

Unscrew the small grease zerk in the side of the plunger channel extension and drop a small ball bearing in the hole (a BB might also work). Then you can use the screwdriver as a lever through the grease zerk hole to apply pressure on the bearing and the backside of the plunger. If for some reason it moves, but doesn't pop out, add another bearing. Your experience with the polishing wheel shows it doesn't take a lot.