The Hodaka Club Forum

Here’s the frame for the reeded Combat Wombat motor! It’s a C frame, #13720. It is a Model 94 frame as the frame number is lower than 14,500.

First thing I’m going to do is clean, Polish & rebuild the front forks and clean and pack the steering head bearings.

Next after the fork rebuild and before fork re-assembly will be painting the frame.

I could use a better front fender. This one appears to have been drilled for an Ace B low fender mount. If someone has one they can trade, or sell, I’d be very interested. Here we go! Motor is estimated to arrive back from Canada next Monday. Victor

Argh. I have the seals & dust boots but no O rings. Well I do now because I ordered them from Terry! Should be here in a few days, hopefully.

I know Terry has been super busy and I guess it’s because so many people are stuck at home and are working on their Hodakas? Hoping that’s the case!!! Victor

why Canada ?

He wanted it to run A---Clarence

Hilarious eh?

It went to Canada because the guy I asked to vapor blast it here F^<|<€|) it up. He soda blasted it and then did something else which made it look sand blasted.

Kevin, Alan’s guy who does Alan’s vapor blasting said he would fix it. I’ve seen Kevin’s work. And I trusted him. There wasn’t anyone else here in the entire state I could find to send it to.

He had to plastic ball blast it first to hammer the finish back down before vapor blasting it. It’s still not smooth but it’s a lot better. You have to zoom in on the pics to see how badly the first guy screwed it up. I am supposed to receive it Monday.

It’s not going to be the beautiful motor it could have been thanks to the first guy. I just wish he would have told me that he didn’t have a vapor blast machine to begin with, because that’s what I kept asking him for. It’s going to be a different finish for sure. Here’s a before & after. Victor

Got the frame completely dis-assembled, except the tree. Power wire brushed the brake pedal assembly & spring, and painted it silver this afternoon.

Tomorrow, I will take the frame to a DIY wand car wash and power wash all the dirt & grime off it. Then sanding and a couple of coats of the same Satin Black Rustoleum paint & primer in one I used on the Combat Wombat.

The motor has been passed from Canada Post to US Customs. It’s scheduled to arrive on Monday, but I’m prepping like it’s scheduled to arrive on Friday!

Tomorrow while the paint dries I’ll clean, inspect & count the bearings on the steering head and also spray the lower tree.

Once I receive my parts shipment in the mail, I can install the fork nut O rings and fill them with fork oil. Don’t know if I’ll use 10w fork oil or 15w. May go to 15w because I will likely have heavier riders than me on it. Both my son in laws at big men. One is 6’4” and 200+ and the other is 5’ 9” and over 200 lbs. So I think the 15w fork oil will do them well.

I can also build the wheels and mount the tires. Hopefully no poking a tube this time! Going full knobbies on this bike! A 2.75 x 21 up front and a 3.50 x 18 rear. Hubs & axle parts are all in boxes in the garage.

I’m trying to work slower just to make it last, but I want to finish it as well!!!

Again, does anyone have a stainless front fender they can part with??? Please??? Thanks! Victor

Frame got sanded & painted today! Also painted the brake pedal assembly and the foot peg assembly and mounted. Rear fender is on and so is the chain guard!

I got the steering head painted and the grease & lower bearings are on the tree. Ran out of daylight so I’ll mount the steering head tomorrow! Victor

A little bit done today. Suffered from a bit of food poisoning tho...

Finished the fork rebuild cause my parts came from Terry. Got the bars on too. Need to go get shock bolts tomorrow. I have one to take with me! Tomorrow tires & wheels! Victor

These are the Super Combat shocks I cleaned up for use on the Wombat Combat! I think they look great on this frame! Victor

Does anyone recognize this sticker? I know it’s hard to read. It’s on a 21” front rim with a black painted hub. It appears to be a shoulderless alloy rim. Any info in it? Victor

Wow Victor, my eyes are playing tricks on me. That looks like a mud catcher off a CW.

No, Matt. It’s shoulderless! According to Dale it actually a Super Rat Front rim. 21” with a black hub. I’m just not sure what brand/make because I can’t read enough of the sticker. Too faded.

Cleaned it all up and removed the outer black paint with carb cleaner and a brass wire brush, started mounting the new tube & tire after these pics! Victor

You can see the entire rim in this pic. No shoulders. Not a CW rim!

The old tire has now been removed and the new tire is part way on.

But it’s time for dinner so I already washed my hands. Victor

Aah! Thanks Victor! I think it was confused thinking I was seeing mud catcher shadows or whatnot. The new picture clears my misidentification up perfectly. Great looking wheel too! No dings on at least the port side. Nice!!

Yes. And I misread Dale’s post. With the black hub,it’s a Model 98 Super Rat front wheel. But I cleaned the black paint off with some carb cleaner and a brass wire brush on my drill!

Son in law came over this evening and helped me finish mounting the tire. Those tires sure do have a tight bead!!! I can do everything except bend over these days! Victor

Get a Baja "No-Pinch" tire tool and a couple Bead Buddies. Makes tire changing a snap. I can do a complete tire change by myself in 30 minutes or less depending on how warm the tires are. Not 6-Days speed, but quick enough with a lot less busted knuckle action. I think Kelly has published a video on the technique.

Well, I looked at the prices on those units and at first I went “OUCH!” But, when you consider I put almost 2 hours in the one tire removal and install, before my son in law’s help, I’m beginning to think the tools might be worth their weight in gold!!! I’ll look into getting a set! Thanks Matt! Victor

Hey Victor, I think you'll really appreciate the way the Baja tool takes away a bit of the PITA of tire changing. They are available as a kit with multiple spindles so you are good to go if you also wrench on your street bikes. As I recall, the green spindle is the one for Hodies.

But they are still way over $100.00!!! Looks like $169.00 for the complete kit! You got any info in what’s the minimum needed to make it work? I can’t bring myself to spend $169.00 just to remove tires faster. That is pricy to me! I have two large tire irons and that moves the rubber fairly well. Victor

I think old fashioned tire irons are faster than the Baja Tire Tool, although it is pretty slick. I have one of the Baja No Pinch Tire tools but never use it. After changing hundreds if not thousands of tires over the past 50+ years I can change a tire in about 10 minutes with tire irons and haven't pinched a tube in as long as I can remember. Of course my memory isn't as good as it might be.

what really helped me out was a bead buddy . i kinda did a makeshift one with a piece of air hose and vise grips dont tighten the vise grips till your blue in the face just snug and with that holding the bead down you can use both hands to work the bead down and use lots of soapy soapy water and put a little air in the tube any way thats how we did it and 10 year old grandson did it with minim help from me, lots of guidance thou ......albert

Wow! 169.00. That's waaaaayeeeee more than I paid (110.00 for the complete rig). Ugh! Sorry Victor.

Yeah Matt! I guess like everything else in the world, things keep going up. The $169 kit includes 4 different axle size/color tubes, the no pinch tool and something like Albert’s bead buddy.

Seemed like an awful lot for a tool. I might have considered it at maybe $70-80, but $169 was just way too much for a tool used once in a great while.

I like Albert’s home made Bead Buddy! Will probably copy that and I’m also going to make sure the tire spends more time in the sun before trying to mount from now on! Victor

Well I did a lot of dirty (literally) work today. Wire brushed the rear axle assembly parts (still have 1 chain tensioner to go!), removed rear sprocket from the hub, hoping one of the 4-5 others I had would fit. Nope. Cleaned sprocket & hub and re-assembled. Packed grease into the bearings as well.

Removed a spoke needed from another rim which I found loose on that rim this morning. Had to remove 3 spokes to install the one inner spoke, but took my time and then tightened all the spokes from the inside of the rim with a large screw driver. More tightening will come when my spanner wrench arrives.

Cleaned chrome on the steel rim & polished with 3M polishing compound and the conical Mother’s sponge buffer on my drill.

Started about 3:00 and quit when wife came home with burgers & fries, at around 7:30 pm.

Here’s the cleaned up rim, and also the Kenda rear tire going on it tomorrow. May order a new rear sprocket with a new chain. So now I’m ready to mount the 18” rear knobby tire! Got a really good deal on Kenda MX tires on BikeBandit! I think the whole set was $95 shipped including tubes and rim liners! Victor