The Hodaka Club Forum

Hi folks, here are some highlights from this weekend’s AHRMA race in Kentucky. All my bikes are mixed in, mostly just starts, passes, and funny moments.
After a little post-Hodaka Days tuning, the Super Combat is running like a rocket, even beat some 250’s this weekend. Love that bike!
Bonus footage at 5 minutes - Sunday’s PV race was a little muddy…hope you laugh as much as I did.
http://youtu.be/rzsjW80zhqE
-Laurie

Laurie.....You've got to be the toughest person ever to swing a leg over a bike! DG

The on-screen count of falls during the mud-fest had me rolling on the floor! A somewhat less fun sort of person might have left all that out. Dang, I get a kick out of your videos!

Ed

Two thumbs up!Thanks for posting

Welcome to sarcasm racing! Very nice and good humor. Thx for taking the time to post it up.

If I had them, I would give that seven thumbs up. Jeez, I was tired just watching. Thanks for sharing.
Dale

Laurie...you got to take some of that Kentucky mud back home to Dripping Springs. I was supposed to go with Brian, but business got in the way. Your PV episode reminded me of my hour in the mud at Diamond Don's during the Cross Country. Hope to see you at New Blaine in September, and both of us out of the mud. Bob

PS: Do we need to have a chat about snicking your shifts? What's up with the "can't find a gear anywhere" deal? That just shouldn't be happening.
(at least it doesn't happen to me )

Ed

Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed the comedy.
A numer of folks ditched the race (wisely?) following that epic storm. Those that remained saw a bad omen when practice came around and only TWO riders went out (both barely making it back). With the question of just how long that track would last, it was decided to run a four lap moto and results would count twice. In my case (since I was unopposed in one class), my laps would count for four motos. No problemo, right? Just make some laps, get some points...
I was tuckered from the previous days six motos (no riding since Hodaka Days, where that little MX get-off resulted in a separated shoulder), and just before jumping on my bike Sunday, I managed to slip on the trailer ramp (classic banana peel moment) on said shoulder. "Just make some laps, get some points..."
Goals went quickly from winning the race, to finishing the race, to "holy crap I'm going to die of natural causes before I get off this track".
*Captain Ed, on that shifting: I have snicked, stomped, squeezed, begged, and pleaded - response from the Sachs tranny is "Meh, how's about a neutral?" More than once the 2Bros crew has asked the pointed (and excellent) question: "When are you going to just ride a Hodaka and be done with that nonsense?" I have no defense.
A bit hardheadedly, I have another Sachs tranny opened up on the bench...surely this one will be different...
-Laurie

Enjoyed the video, Laurie. and yeah, the mud-fest is exhausting just watching it. Looks like the GoPro people need to retool their camera to include a wiper. And about that Sachs motor...confirmation of my intention to restore that Sachs 125 MX as a garage queen--that is, when I find one. "The Final Countdown" was a nice--if obvious--touch. Thanks for yet more fine moments in "moto-tainment."

Bill in Virginia

Laurie, Thanks for posting the video.
Does the Sachs share the same shift mechanism as the Hodaka and Zundapp? I have a 125 Rickman-Zundapp MX that has a similar mech as the Hodie. For trail riding shifts nice, and then when getting racey the same thing happens, neutrals everywhere.
Sterling

Laurie
What a great Video, I was all over my chair, You brought back so many races you made my day. I remember racing cross country 100 mile in the mountains in Kallispell Mt. After bad rain. Thanks
MTRob

Thanks Bill! Glad you liked it - and have fun restoring a Six Day some day - they are mighty pretty bikes.
Sterling, no, there are no real similarities between Hodaka and Sachs shifters/transmissions. Hodies have a clever, simple, idiot-proof design (in my opinion). Sachs look like a Rube Goldberg device of incessant adjustment and fine-tuning - requiring nothing short of a spiritual awakening and alignment of the karmic chakras to get right. Though I do admit, it shifts pretty good outside of “race conditions”. At Diamond Don’s, I took to slowly announcing (occasionally screaming) the gear I wanted as I shifted - that kinda helped...
Bob - see you in AR!
Happy so many folks got a kick out of the video!
-Laurie

DOH! I must have been rolling on the floor laughing when the change to the Penton happened in the video -- so I thought all the neutrals were on a Hodie! I was sure happy to see on a re-look that it was the Sachs engine which was driving you crazy.

While it is true that it has been more than 40 years since I've ridden a Sachs engine bike, I may still be able to help. Both you and Sterling made comments which put you on the edge of improved shifting with the Sachs system. As I understand it, shifts MUST be made with some significant deliberateness on the Sachs. Snicking your shifts in the way which is appropriate on a Hodie, simply will not work on the Sachs.

Other riders with current experience on Pentons/DKW/etc are surely better advisors than I am, . . . I am under the impression that each shift on a Sachs may require moving AND HOLDING the shift lever against the stop until the shift is complete. This is a technique which simply does not work and is not advised on a Hodie -- but may be the only proper way to shift a Penton. Which can go a long way to explain why they shift fine when out trail riding or puttering around the practice track, and then a whole bag-full of neutrals appear when the gate drops for a race (shifting technique changes when the "race face" attitude takes over).

Ed
PS: On second thought, keep snicking those shifts, even on the Penton.