The Hodaka Club Forum

Hi all -

I am in the process of restoring my dad's 1971 Ace 100b+ (frame number starts with 518). This is the motorcycle I learned to ride on, so I have many fond memories associated with it.

The bike has been sitting in garages and basements for at least 20 years, and that's taken a toll. One thing that I want to get fixed up is the tank. There is some amount of rust inside, and I know my dad Kreme'd the tank at least once - I remember him loading the tank up with stones and bolts and shaking the tank around

There's a replica chromed tank on Amazon, just search for Royal Crusaders. Has anyone here tried one of these tanks? They're not clear on which model that this tank replaces. It would certainly be cheaper than getting the tank re-chromed.

https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Crusaders- ... ive&sr=1-8

EDIT: I see there are a whole pile of "replicas" on ebay from India. Anyone ever try one of these?

I talked to a guy that bought one of the India tanks, he said they are a close copy, but don’t fit correctly.

Also, while I'm at it: I obviously need to go through the engine entirely. I don't believe the engine has ever been rebored, and I know compression is low, so that's on my list. The kicker needs to be reworked, since it just kind of rachets instead of kicking the engine over. It will need a new clutch/springs, and new crank seals for sure.

As I recall, it liked to jump out of second gear. What should I be looking at here?

Since I'll be tearing the whole thing apart, should I consider a reed valve mod? Can I make it a stroker or transplant a 125 cylinder on it? I'm not sure what's possible here.

If you have the time rebuilding the engine can be a lot of fun. Tons of parts out there. Sounds like you need a roller retainer for the kick starter. Inexpensive and available. Jumping out of gear could be as simple as a side case adjustment or ball receiver and springs. You cant swap to a bigger cylinder, but one avenue might be a 125 engine swap. with some easy to make changes they bolt right in. Like Legos, the possibilities are endless,

If you get the overhaul bundle and the roller retainer upgrade, you’ll get all the parts to update the bottom end including the shifter springs. That is if the crank is good. What part of the world are you in?

I'm in PA, north of Pittsburgh.

I am familiar with engine work and motorcycles in general. Here's a barn bike ($50!) that I built into a little cafe racer quite a while back. It was in pretty bad shape, so I just built this for fun. No frame mods, nothing I couldn't undo if I had to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTsY4ALm8C0

The Ace 100 will remain stock, though. I have the title, so I intend to put it back on the road.

If I find another titled hodaka frame, though, maybe I'll do something fun.

I lived in PGH for 10 years. Best time of my life. Met my wife there.

Both Bruce Young & Terry Larsen should have a tank or 2 for an Ace! They are the suppliers I use the most. I’m on my 7th Hodaka restore now. These guys are great! Bruce is at HodakaPartsIdaho.com & Terry is at Hodaka-Parts.com.

Bruce is in Idaho and deals primarily in used parts & Terry is in Missouri and deals in new as well as some used parts. Victor

I've already ordered some parts from Bruce, a speedometer, kickstand, the kickstarter parts (the upgraded ones), and a top fork clamp (mine is cracked). I thought he was very reasonable.