French Road Toad 02

[krull]

Hello everyone, I'm René from Holland and new to this forum.
I would like to tell about a Hodaka Road Toad 02 I found in 2021 in the South of France.

Unfortunately the history of the bike is unknown.
Because the bike has very low mileage I think that the engine seized quite soon after an American guy took the bike from The States to France (probably somewhere back in the seventies).
No registration papers came with my purchase.
I even think they were never obtained as in France it's almost impossible to get a registration for a brand that has never been sold there.
I know from experience that the French red tape to register anything on wheels, being foreign or not, is a true dread.

I had never heard of the brand Hodaka before and I suspect that this bike is one of a very few in Europe.
I suspect that the piston had seized and afterwards somebody fitted a wrong piston, rendering the engine with no compression.
I did some research and found the book of Ken Smith. Herein I read about the seizures of the pistons caused by the exhaust bridge not being relieved.
I ordered a new original .040 piston assembly at Hodaka-parts.com as the cylinder was also slightly damaged.
Hereafter I had the cylinder honed and the exhaust bridge relieved.

The bike has 1203 miles on the clock and still has the original Nitto tyres fitted (all dried out).
The only things that are missing are the tail light, rear brake light switch, blinkers and toolbox.
One of these days I'm going to start the assembly.

Kind regards,
René

[dirty_rat]

Welcome. You have come to the right place to talk Hodaka. I don't know if you are on Facebook, but there are a couple of Hodaka groups there that also have good information.
Looks like your Road Toad is pretty much all there so that's a good start.
You are right, not many Hodaka's made it to Europe. There are a few in England that I have heard about and a couple more scattered around in Europe. Also, a company in Portugal bought up some Hodaka parts and tooling and they have been making Hodaka powered bike for a while. I believe they were sold under the brands of Anfesa and Forval.

[Bullfrog]

Rene, that is a very interesting story about your "survivor" (an all original bike in very good condition!)

Please keep in mind that while you have taken steps to assure the piston and cylinder will get along , , , after half a century, the crankshaft seals can not be trusted to maintain an airtight seal. I highly recommend a tear down to replace the seals AND a proper two-stroke pressure/vacuum test AFTER the seals have been replaced. Doing the test is the only way to KNOW the engine is air-tight (as it must be).

Ed