The Hodaka Club Forum

Thinking about buying this bike for grins. Was built by some one in California and I cannot remember his name right now. Has many period mods and I think it is a 90cc. Looks to have a total loss ignition, reed valve and Amal carb with a hand built pipe. Trying to work out the shipping from Fresno to Dallas Tx.
Terry

That is a COOL looking bike!!!!!! Hey is Earl back in CA. He hauls stuff from place to place from time to time....

Bob in MD

Awesome. More bikes like this need to be preserved as they are. Go for it!

I have the shipping lined up and should have it in a week or so. I wanted to ask some of you what would you do with it. Restore it a little bit, fresh frame paint, seat recover, polish etc. What about the motor, rebuild it or just leave it the way it is. I will most likely never ride it but just down the street once to see how fast it is and get the thrill from it. I just wanted it to add to my collection and remind me of the way it was back then. I had a similiar one back then before moving up classes and to Bultacos. Collecting old bikes is just a disease I guess. Most of my bikes I do start and ride once in a while but not sure about this one and the total loss ignition. Those small batteries do not last very long just sitting around.
Terry

If it's not rusty and grungy, I vote leave as is.......

I am leaning towards keeping it as is also. I have a hard time keeping my hands off things and always looking for ways to improve something. I remembered the guys name that built the bike, Larry Powell. Does that name ring a bell with anyone. Was a Hodaka dealer I heard and quite a tuner and pipe builder. That pipe on this bike must have 20 pieces welded together.
Terry

Terry, here is a post I saw on ADV Rider talking about Hodaka's

I had one of these things, it must have been a 71? raced it flat track, short track, half mile,scrambles, it was perfectly reliable until we ported it for about the third time installed battery ignition(remove flywheel, throw in corner) reed valve, 36 piece hand welded road race pipe, high comp. head, This thing would blow by pumped yamaha 100s. It would also frag crank bearings fairly quickly, and the crank would get wobbly due to poor balance with flywheel taken off, then the points would quit working. the noise it made at 12grand at an indoor race was inspiring. very simple bike to work on, i think a new crank back then was 35 dollars, we also lowered the frame and made the swing arm longer, small wassell alloy tank and a hodaka road race seat that weighed next to nothing! Fun times, my dad and i did most of the work on the bike, but larry powell was the driving force behind it, he had the hodaka shop in town, homemade dyno, hand welded pipes, he even welded my new handlebars back together after i broke them in half during a nasty high side. Later F.D.R.

Terry, this may be your bike.

It appears to be a 100 super rat since it looks like there is a 4 bolt intake on that cylinder and the cylinder and head ar also larger than a 90

Rich

racerclam wrote:It appears to be a 100 super rat since it looks like there is a 4 bolt intake on that cylinder and the cylinder and head ar also larger than a 90

Rich

Right Rich, I see it.

Hello, this is Bruce from Hodakaparts.com, all this history and info on this one Hodaka flat tracker is most enteresting. I lived in Northern Calif. in the time this bike was being raced in the area tracks. Its was an exciting time. Now the reason for this note; it was mentioned a former bike builder from Northern Calif. Larry Powell was envolved in building machines like this one. I found a very enteresting side note artcle about this person, he owned and operated a HD dealership in Chico, Calif. in the old days and was an avid eng builder, and was very enterested as others where at the time on how to get more performance out of a Hodaka two stroke racing engines. I found a very enteresting article from Ron Peck Motorcycles, which can be found on the web, about Larry Powell and his racing adventures.
Good reading and gives all a little background info on these Hodaka machines and the people whom rode and raced them in the early days. Take a peek. Bruce Young Hodakaparts.com
IDAHO

Wow sounds like Larry Powell was an inovator in pipe design for sure. I think the frame is a 90cc because the frame tag is above the left shock mount but maybe the early 100's had that also. The cylinder does look like it has a 4 bolt intake like the super rat. The shift cover does not say 100 or 90 on it so it is an early model 90 shifter case any way. I won't know for sure till the bike shows up next weekend. I wonder if that is the same bike in the photo Socalhodaka posted? Here is a photo of the shifter case.
Terry

Hello, Terry, this is a very enteresting project. To determine what frame and eng is in the
machine, go to eather Hodakaparts.com or Strictly Hodaka web site and find the location of info on how to find and identify your machine. This is only going to give basic info, because it looks like a performance head in on the cyclender of some sort. Also many of those early eng. and racers did a lot of mods on the machines to make them win. I would like to know if use any of Harry Taylors Hodaka, information on building a short tracker. I might mention that Larry Powell was also a Hodaka dealer as well, and had access to all the inside info
to really build a go getter. There was a lot of info available to the dealers for performance inhancement, for Road Racing, Short Track, Enduro and etc. Plus there where several companys formed that built performance componets, Webco, DG and others. When you get the bike you will better be able to determine what really was done to the machine. As said before it would be great to leave just as you get it for old time sake. Running yes but,
left in orginal condition when raced would be fantastic. I also found that the person in the black and white picture Tom Bruckestein, was from Chico, Calif. as well and now races
sprint cars and etc. Still races. Are you able to ask the person you bought it from a little history of the machine as well. You really have something there. Bruce Young Hodakaparts.com Idaho.

The guy I am buying the bike from knows a little about Larry Powell but not much on the bikes history. He has another one that is a 100cc for sure and looks real close to this bike, same mods and pipe design if any one is interested. He said it was not as clean and only had it running for a short time then it quit on him and he gave up on it. I was going to buy both but the shipping and cost of 2 bikes was out of my range. I want to pull the motor apart when I get it just to see what Larry did to it and freshen up the seals and bearings but almost scared to go into it. I have not split the cases on Hodaka in a quite a while. Here is a picture of the other bike Larry Powell built and I bet it could be had at a pretty resonable price.
Terry

Hello again, how much does he want for second bike. Where do you live. There is a couple of very good haulers within the Hodaka world that would probably be reasonable.

Next thought if you bought the second bike we could help find someone in the Calif. area of the bike to help haul it to Hodaka Days in Oregon in June to help with not only displaying it but there might be better chance of a good buyer there.

Let me know where you live first and then I have one other idea for you. Bruce Young
Hodakaparts.com IDAHO

I bet the white one could be had for about $400 or so. I really can not afford the second bike and the extra shipping cost. I kind of lucked out because the seller had sold a Cotton to guy in College Station Tx and the shipper is coming by this weekend to get the Cotton. He is giving me a small break on the shipping because he is coming thru Dallas were I am located and already going to Fresno to get the Cotton. The shipper wanted about $300 more to haul a second bike and then the bike cost would add up to another $700 or so. My wife is already going to be surprised when I take delivery on the one. I have not told her yet, waiting for the right time.
Terry

The bike showed up today. The engine number is AO386 and the frame is A0391. That is an early 90 by my take on the id chart, It seems to be a 5 speed and the cylinder has 98cc on the base so it must have been modified to accept a Super Rat cylinder and maybe trans. Control shaft springs must be bad because it does not down shift very good. I need a battery to try and ride it and see how it runs. I am going to tear the motor down just to see what period mods were done. Does anyone know a good upholstry shop to re-do the seat? The foam is crumbing bad.
Terry

Terry-

There was a 5 speed "racing" gear set available for the Ace 90. My guess is that's what is in it. Be fun to see!
Bob

Larry Powell worked with Harry on mods and tech info. He built some great fast bikes! I forget the name of the young man that rode for him but he too was great. Marv and I stopped by his shop many years ago. Great bike and history enjoy and have fun!!
Paul

I live two hours north of Fresno and am planing to attend Hodaka Days. If someone is interested in the second flat tracker I would be happy to pick it up in Fresno and deliver it to Athena.

Ok I texted the guy I bought the flat tracker from to get the number off the battery to get one and see how it runs. The number he gave me is for a 12 volt modern AGM battery. I think the tech tips recomend a 6 volt battery and in fact say you can use the stock battery. This battery box is bigger than the stock battery but I figured they just used a larger 6 volt battery. I need to look at the coil but it looks like the race coil Harry recomended using back then. Hope 12 volts did not weaken it if it is the 6 volt race coil. It has a weird switch also mounted under the tank to turn the battery on and off. It is a big chrome rotary switch. I guess I am not sure what voltage battery to use now. I love trying to figure this stuff out however, makes it fun.
Terry

Please let me know if there is any interest in what I find on this bike as I tear into it. I guess I am excited and curious to see what is done to the motor. I do not want to bore and take up space if no one is interested in the mods on the Larry Powell bike. I did take the shifter cover off and looked at the ignition system. It has of course a battery ignition and to my surprise it has 2 condensors mounted to the stator plate. I also looked at the ignition coil and it is a Bosch 12 volt style coil. I also noticed the counter shaft sprocket is held on by a circlip so I am thinking it is the optional race 5 speed. Does not look to have provisions for a nut to hold the sprocket on. Does any one know if they used the 100 5 speed shifter case parts when this was done to 90 bottom end? If I need to replace any shifter case parts I guess the 100 parts will work. More to come if any interest.
Terry

Just a recommendation for a battery, Western power sports now offers a lithium battery that weighs almost nothing and can be mounted in any position ans has a 2 year free replacement , BUT! they arnt cheep I just bought one for my Polaris RZR

Rich

Yes, there is interest in reading about what you find as you explore the innards of the machine!

Please do keep us in the loop.

Ed

Terry the circlip holding on the sprocket worked well. As I recall there was a wide and close ration 5 speed for the ace 90. The 90 shift cover had special parts to function. You could put on a newer shift cover on but it would change the shift pattern. I am still riding mine . Clarence back from the sun.