The Hodaka Club Forum

I've acquired a 90 with a short swing arm; the axle is right below the shock mount. What are the 'to knows' about this. Wuffo? Nothing showed up on search.

The early Ace 90s had that swing arm. I believe it changed around 1966.

So the bike is probably a '65. It seems like model years were pretty sketchy back then. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the bike; maybe just hang it from a rafter and wait until the parts it's missing show up and I can make a whole one.

It came with an aftermarket expansion chamber pipe that looks like a Rat pipe but with welded on wire loop guards. I remember one like that that I had back in '69 - I think it was J&R or something like that. Made in SoCal I think. Any Thotz? It also was wearing a Rat head which probably wasn't too over the top for CR with only 90cc under it. I haven't fired it up but it looks like it would run.

Keep in mind that "model years" were never a "thing" for Hodaka. A new "model" was designated when enough improvements called for a new "name/model". "Year" had little or nothing to do with it.

Ed

...and that's one of my very favorite parts of the whole schmeer. A company that made up it's own rules, lived by them, and succeeded. A quaintly precious notion from the perspective of the current cluster. Every so often, I let my mind ponder the possibilities if Hodaka were to have said to themselves "selves, PABATCO really has their $hit together. Heck, they invented and perfected a new motorcycle discipline and the perfect bike to do it on. They are really smart. They are dominating entire disciplines and classes of American motorcycle racing. Why don't we tool up and prepare to make exactly what they want, when they want it and in how much. It will sell. We'll make millions".

Discuss...

The ace 90 had two swing arms at least, one in frame # A3166 June 9th 1965, and the other frame # A6533 January 21 - 1966.