How 'bout a Hodaka!

6238 Views 22 Replies 6 Participants Last post by bill440cars, Jan 1, 2010

kirkn

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2008

7

I've posted this on some other forums, but I'll post it here, too.

About a year ago, my co-worker gave me a '77 Hodaka 250 SL. It's an old-style dual-sport. He'd owned it since '78 but finally he decided he didn't want it anymore, and since he knew I like vintage bikes....

It was so bad, that the wheels wouldn't even turn. My son and I skidded it down the ramp, then wheeled it into the garage on skateboards!

Cleaned up the magneto ignition slop under the flywheel, and eventually got spark and had it fire for a second or two.

Finally got it disassembled without any real troubles, other than corrosion everywhere.

Painted the frame, using Home Depot's finest rattlecan navy blue (the OEM color):

And, most recently, got the rear wheel refurbished (sandblasted hub, brake backing plate, drive hub, etc) and got the swingarm, etc. back together.

Next will come the front end and I'll finally have a rolling chassis again! Woo Hoo!

Then, motor work and just lots of reassembly!

Total $$ in, to date: about $10 for spray paint and $50 for a batch of misc. spare parts from a Hodaka enthusiast up in Indiana somewhere. My labor, of course, is free...

Kirk

See less See more

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

tbpmusic

· #2 · Sep 30, 2008

Kirk -

I love Hodakas - though I've never ridden that model.

Back in the 60's, my brother used to run in "Enduros", as they were called back then, sort of a precursor to Motocross.
He had some of the Hodaka Aces - toughest little bikes I ever saw. Crash into a tree, get back up, bend everything back into place, then take off again.
Great stuff.

bill

bill440cars

· #3 · Oct 11, 2008

Yeah, they've been around for some time, I picked up on a Project
Road Toad, but sold it before I could get to it. :roll: Story of my life. I either
don't have the time or the money. :roll:

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #4 · Dec 28, 2008

2

How 'bout an update? SOIT-ENLY!

Now that the Christmas-related family events are over (read: EATING!!), I've had a little time to work on the Hodaka 250SL.

I bought a used set of forks from another enthusiast over at Strictly Hodaka.com, and all they needed was cleaning and some new 20-wt fork oil. Then, I cleaned up the front wheel, brakes, bearings, etc and now have a rolling chassis once again! Woo Hoo!

Did I sit on it, bounce it up and down, and make 'ring-ding ring-ding-ding' noises like a little kid? No Comment!! :lol:

Next will be splitting the motor cases to replace the broken kickstart shaft, and motor will go back in.

One little step at a time!

Kirk

See less See more

Bird76Mojo

· #5 · Dec 28, 2008

WOW! That bike was a rusted hulk of a piece of.....

You've got her looking GREAT now!!!

Kudos to you my friend, for bringing her back from the dead! Excellent work!! It's nice to see you could include your boy in this too. He'll learn invaluable lessons from the little things like this.

Waiting on the updates here....

GB :mrgreen:

donny662

· #6 · Dec 29, 2008

It looks really nice!

Did you replace the rear shocks?

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 29, 2008

Thanks!

As for the rear shocks, no, I didn't, but I really should. They leaked really badly when you install 'em right way up, but installed upside-down, they didn't really weep at all. But, I know that when eventually taken off-road, they'll ooze oil all over themselves. Eventually, I'll buy new, but for now, they're just installed upside down.

Kirk

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 28, 2009

14

...it's been a little while, and the ol' girl is starting to look like a motorcycle again:

I've had to take a little detour into engine-overhaul-land. I wanted to replace the sheared kickstart shaft with an available upgrade, so that meant splitting the cases. Which, of course, led to discovery... :roll:

Top end really didn't look too bad:

But, when measured, it had too much clearance. And, it had already been bored .020" over, and .040" over wasn't available. But, Internet Forums to the rescue, and another Hodie enthusiast had .060" over kits (piston, rings, pin & circlips), so that's what it got. Bored by another Hodie enthusiast/businessman out in Oregon!

The bottom end, however, was pretty dirty:

A quick cleaning would have probably sufficed, but the crank had severe pitting corrosion right at the left side seal surface. Sigh.

So, a serviceable used crank was sourced from yet another Hodakaphile, and I was back in business!

You can see the crankcase cleanup effort detailed in my other thread re: blast cleaning experiences.

New crank and transmission seals were sourced, and new crank and transmission bearings were sourced locally.

And all back together it went!

See less See more

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #9 · Apr 28, 2009

4

And back into the frame it went!

And bits and pieces are going back on, and EVERYTHING needs refurbishment along the way... :roll:

So, I'm getting pretty excited... Man, does this thing have compression! Still need to overhaul the carb and install all the controls, cables & a lot of wiring. Then, do something with the gas tank and recover the seat. But, the list is getting shorter! Woo Hoo!

But, it DOES help to explain why my little 125 cafe project is on hold... :lol:

Kirk

See less See more

leethal

· #10 · Apr 28, 2009

DUDE! BRAVO!!

I love it when people strip 'em down to the nickers for a thorough restoration. Are you gonna try and re-chrome those handlebars?

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 28, 2009

Naaah, this whole project is done 'on the cheap'! :mrgreen:

Rattlecan paint, my own labor, backyard blasting, minimal parts replaced... Not counting the engine work, I have less than $150 in the whole project. Now, the engine work got a bit costly (relatively speaking...) - the upgraded kicker shaft and kicker, the piston kit, bore job, used crank and new bearings & seals ran to $400+ :shock: :shock: :shock:

And there are still a few things needed yet: seat cover, oil injector cable, chain, grips, mirrors...

But, yeah, it's fun to do it that way. It's amazing how the whole bike boils down into a few major components (motor, wheels, tank, frame) and a couple cardboard boxes worth of (what looks like) junk. :lol:

Kirk

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 5, 2009

2

Had it up and running last night! Woo Hoo!

Hooked up an IV drip of 32:1 and gave it a try - started 2nd kick! Here a video of the 2nd run. Wish I knew how to embed a video, but here's a link to it:

http://s401.photobucket.com/albums/pp98 ... 0_1023.flv

<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i401.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid401.photobucket.com/albums/pp98/KirkN_photos/Hodaka%20250SL/100_1023.flv">

Still a lot more to go: headlight, misc. hardware, and then tank bodywork and seat recover...

Still...!

See less See more

tbpmusic

· #13 · Jun 5, 2009

Ah, the ubiquitous milk crate - where would we be without them??

Good job, Hodakas are way cool. My brother had some, years ago, they were great.
Crash into something, just bend everything back and keep riding.

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jun 5, 2009

tbpmusic said:
Ah, the ubiquitous milk crate - where would we be without them??

Thanks, Bill!

I'm looking forward to riding it. I've never ridden a "big" 2-stroke. Only little 80cc ~ 100cc bikes of my kids'.

Notice the cool beveled edges of the plywood cover on that milk crate! I've got 3 or 4 of 'em floating around... :lol:

Kirk

tbpmusic

· #15 · Jun 5, 2009

kirkn said:
I'm looking forward to riding it. I've never ridden a "big" 2-stroke. Only little 80cc ~ 100cc bikes of my kids'.
Kirk

They're mainly about going real fast in the dirt - I'm too old for that now, I might fall and break my hip or something.

Though I could still be a pretty good Trials rider I think...........

leethal

· #16 · Jun 6, 2009

Love it

..and without milkcrates I would have very little furniture...

kirkn

Discussion Starter · #17 · Dec 1, 2009

2

Well, it's pretty much done and back in service!

Got a used seat from ebay, along with misc. bits and bobs.

Runs great, but MAN, do two-strokes make a lot of noises - fins ring (or clack, if the rubber dampers are working), different exhaust note, everything. Plus, the oily exhaust smoke just gets everywhere. I'm lovin' it! :lol:

Been riding it around the local back roads and trails, just fulfilling it's original mission - casual dual sport riding. Yesterday and today, I rode it in to the office. It certainly is the "anti-Harley" in the parking lot. :lol: Plus, there's nothing like a well-oiled two-stroke exhaust for getting rid of tailgaters. One twist of the throttle, one quick burst of 2-stroke smoke, and they clear away as if I sprouted Law Enforcement gear. :lol:

Kirk

See less See more

Bird76Mojo

· #18 · Dec 1, 2009

AWESOME man!

I'd been waiting on you to post an update about that bike. I'd almost forgotten though.. Glad to see you got her back on the road..

GB :mrgreen:

tbpmusic

· #19 · Dec 1, 2009

Hodakas are great - tough bikes.
If you crash, just pick it up and bend everything back in place, then take right off again.

Bird76Mojo

· #20 · Dec 2, 2009

Looks like Bill is losing the ol memory worse than he thought, or he really likes repeating himself... :?

tbpmusic said:
Kirk - toughest little bikes I ever saw. Crash into a tree, get back up, bend everything back into place, then take off again.
Great stuff.

bill

tbpmusic said:
Hodakas are great - tough bikes.
If you crash, just pick it up and bend everything back in place, then take right off again.

I'm just pickin on ya Billy boy... :lol:

GB :mrgreen:

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.