The Hodaka Club Forum

I’ve never seen Ace cases like this!!!

Alan sent me pictures of a left Ace 100 case sitting beside a differing right Ace 100 case. The Left case comes from a pair which has a very high case number, P56648. The right case comes from a pair with the case number P42406.

The Ace B+ cases, according to Terry’s chart info, started with P58852. So even though they didn’t mount the cases in the bikes in numerical order, I would guess the P56648 would be in the Ace B range?

What I don’t understand is the thickness difference of where the cases meet the cylinder (see pics).

Was there a batch of motors which had both a thicker area where the studs screw in, and, a larger rear alignment dowel? When did this occur? But it still has the case part number 921001-02. Any explanations would be greatly appreciated.

In the top photo you see the ‘odd’ left case with a typical right case. In the lower photo you can see the enlarged alignment dowel. The hole in the alignment dowel appears larger than the hole for the kick shaft!

Thanks! Victor

big base versus small base , I have several of each. Early versus later , I believe going to bigger base was a lead in to going to 125 cc

My owners manual shows the Ace 100 B+ started with a A-67613 serial number. I will look at my other sources today. Victor what did you mean when you stated "they did not mount the motors cases in numerical order"? ---------------- Clarence

big versus small base

taber hodaka wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 4:52 am My owners manual shows the Ace 100 B+ started with a A-67613 serial number. I will look at my other sources today. Victor what did you mean when you stated "they did not mount the motors cases in numerical order"? ---------------- Clarence

What I meant was they didn’t start with motor P00001 and go numerically in sequence with motor installation. We’ve all heard the stories about how they went to a shop cart full of motors & just pulled one off.

I’m assuming that if a series like the B+ started with A67613, that A67614 didn’t go into the second B+ and that A67615 didn’t go into the third. But since the motor Alan sent me pictures of was only give or take a few 1000 in digits below the B+ starting point, it’s possible if not likely, the motor was a B motor. But I was just guessing. Victor

Victor I am not following you and I hope you are only confusing me. The beginning number for the Ace100B+ model 92B+ started with engine number P- 58852 and frame number A- 67613. The Ace100B model 92B started with engine number P- 49101 therefor a P- 56648 engine would be a model 92B engine. No could be, maybe or guess. I have never heard the story of the shopping cart full of engines rushing down a line until Chin Young found someone that needed a engine. I believe the engines were in numerical order and installed in sequence, for every frame there was a engine but not every engine had a frame. Some engines went for R&D. prove me wrong it helps me learn. But if yamamoto dropped his motor he could have been fired and got another out of the cart??. -------------- Clarence

Clarence, another Hodaka fan posted the proposition (over on Facebook possibly) that engines were picked up sort of at random to be installed into frames as Hodaka Motorcycles were produced. It appears that some folks have taken that concept as the "gospel". I don't think that description of factory processes is correct - if for no other reason than it would have made general "tracking" (record keeping) very difficult as to which engines (in what numerical order within production batches) went in which machines.

While I can't provide ANY documentation, it is my belief that engines were lined up in numerical order for installation in frames which were moving through the factory in numerical order. The fact that the engine number and the frame number almost never match, does NOT mean that engines were installed in random order.

Ed

Chin was Bruce's cousin? Clarence

Captain, I couldn't imagine an assembly line product requiring a VIN number (in this case both frame and motor numbers) to operate in any other way. Clarence, Chin LEE (not Young) was Bruce Lee's cousin. No wait - that's Ching Lee, er...no...Ching Lee was the cook on Bonanza. Oh, what the hell - they were all Chineese anyway, so none of them worked at Hodaka in Japan. I think.