Will It Start? This Motorcycle Hasn't Ran In Decades
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
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We had a Hodaka Super combat wombat sitting in our shed for years my brother traded for that he never got running back in the early 90s. I knew what this was as soon as I saw the tank. Can’t wait to watch!
Very smooth blending of the promotion, nicely done.
Craig. Have you ever worked on a Bmw k75?
You guys do know Combat wombat is Australian army slang for soldiers on leave cause they eat,roots,shoots n leaves.......😂😂
Dude! I had a 1971 Hodaka ACE 100cc when I was 13! (53 now)Loved that bike. It even came with a new motor in the box!
It came with an extra motor with the bike? Whaaaaa
I remember well in the middle to late 60’s those Hodaka 100’s would run circles around my Honda 250 in the dirt.
Awesome. Another owner. My first real motorcycle; ace 100. Got it in 1970. They were really popular around here, (central west coast), for short track racing. People ported them till there was little metal left in the cylinder or the piston ring would get caught, hahaha. And yeah, they'd blow up. All gears down so you could stomp through the gears thinking you'd beat the other guy in a drag race. Ahh. Great memories. I've thought about hodaka's often throughout the years. Cheers.
Imagine if they still did this ? , the value of bikes would go whacky and soon the companies would realize just how not feasible it is and how much money they are losing and stop doing it and 50 years later on whatever social media platforms are around , someone with a beard would make a video or whatever it's called at that point and say " remember in the 2020s when they came with extra motors , man that was great " and the alternate me would make a reply with this exact reply.
Bless you that insane!
These thing used to absolutely RULE the small displacement classes in the desert. Best trail bike there was at the time.
At age 14 the Wombat was my dream bike. Now at 67 I’d still love to have one!
The Plush Platypus would definitely be Hodaka’s answer to the Gold Wing.
Bigfoot Super Shadow
I had the same thought
My first bike was a 1978 Road Toad right off the floor. I was in 8th grade. Best Birthday Present ever.
I had a road toad that had the hi low transmission it was a good bike
I have plenty
Loved my 78 hody 2 stroke 250 so fast
I had a Hodaka 80 near identical.
I believe the engine was manufactured by Fuji Motor Company Japan.
Bought brand new for $299.95 at The Scooter Shop on El Cajon Blvd San Diego CA in 1977.
Rode the tar out of that thing - no hiccups just solid & reliable.
Had to premix fuel.
Suspension was just OK but ok to keep me from killing myself.
Great memories !
I now rock a 2008 Suzuki V-Strom 650 ADV at 60 years old & tour it regionally.
Praise God for the fun we get to enjoy exploring His amazing world 🌎.
Ride safe Brothers !
I may be wrong but Fuji Motor Co. also make Subaru motor vehicles so there's definitely a link to quality manufacturing there!
300 dollars for that is such a deal
Hodaka motorcycles were made and assembled in Japan by the Hodaka Industrial Company. Importer Pacific Basin Trading Company (PABATCO)--located in Athena, OR--designed and engineered the bikes.
🌍👎it's a flat plane, 🤘😎
I actually have a Combat Wombat I built for AHRMA, I'm 29, restored it myself and took it to its first race 2 months ago!
The 'Super Rat' immediately came to mind when I saw 'Hodaka'...they were THE bike back in the early '70's.
when i was 13 my dad came home with an ACE 100 ( duel purpose ) AND a Super Rat ( off road competition ) We got the rat running using a few parts from the ACE 100 and I used it for 2 years
I have a Hodaka Combat Wombat saved on my FB Marketplace list. I just don't have the money to bother the guy. Other than that it's mostly just a "someday" bike for the collection. :)
Super rat scared me. Sold it and bought a 750 Honda in 71
@@recoilrob324 I remember fondly the hodaka Desert Rat 100cc. I’m surprised so many folks can remember these bikes, greatest dirt bikes. Everyone that remembers these 90 and 100cc bikes running circles around the 250’s please raise your hand. Might be hard to raise your hand because most of us are in or near care home time.
A friend of mine had a super rat. It was nice. Then I got a 350 kawasaki bighorn. Lots of power, needed better suspension. It was still awesome.
On Saturday last weekend, I had a trike come into a turn to hot and came into oncoming traffic and hit me head on I was on a Gsxr 750 I went and looked at the bike at the tow lot and instantly thought of your channel The bike is in pretty bad condition, but I think I can save it thank you for posting these videos it’s giving me inspiration before my crash and now even more after I can’t wait to be back to 100% to start the project and process
I live 45 minutes from Athena and never heard about Hodaka. It's a tiny town of 1100 people in the middle of nowhere. Searched it up and they hold Hodaka Days every year in June.
I bought one earlier this year mine also hasn’t run in 20+ years but it’s an ace 90.
I’ve thought about selling it but now I want to work on it 😂 I know the people of TH-cam love these bikes.
My first bike. In 1972 saved my paper route money and got a '68 Hodaka Ace 100. Mine had the chrome tank. Loved that bike.
Souns good
My man!! You brought back some great memories for me today. My first "real" motorcycle, if you want to call it that, was a 1976 Hodaka Dirt Squirt 100. I saved my money up from mowing grass over a summer, then when I turned 12 and was officially allowed to have a bike I bought that beast the next spring for 250 bucks back in 1988. It wasn't a speed freak, it wasn't nimble, it had ugly dual shocks and an old red steel tank. It was freedom for a 12 year old though. I wish I still had it even if just for posterity. Edit: you are right about the sound too. Nothing else sounded like that bike running. I'm not sure if it had rotary valves or what but it sounded like it was going to blow up every time it ran.
My uncle raced a Super Rat. It hadn't been run in 44 years. I cleaned the rust out of the tank, cleaned out the carb, put fresh gas in it and it started 4th kick.
That's really odd it should've started second kick 🤔
I had a friend in the mid 80s that had that same exact bike. We all rode each others bikes, but everyone always wanted to ride his Hodaka because it was so cool. Thanks for the video, I forgot about those days of riding until I saw your video.
My favorite this about this channel is just the happiness and comethst comes from starting a bike every time. Always makes my day
I had a 1969 Hodaka Super Rat as a kid in high school. I wish I still had it!
OH God! I wanted one those so bad! The rich kid on the next block had one. I'll never forget the cool rat sticker on it. In '78, I saved up from my dishwashing job and bought a '74 YZ250A, the one with the straps on the fuel tank. THAT bike sounded cool...
Dude I used to have a Hodaka Dirt Squirt. Man I loved that bike as a kid. Blinded by the sun reflecting off the chrome gas tank LOL. I will never forget the sound.
I’ve got an extremely well restored 74 Dirt Squirt. Anyone interested?
Had a combat wombat!
Two tips: 1) put a coffee filter in the funnel when draining the Evaporust - it will catch particles of rust and other junk so that you don't get dirt into the next tank you use Evaporust on. 2) For cleaning small things I found a cheap electric toothbrush a magic tool. Especially scrubbing springs, inside corners and small crevices goes so much faster. I found that the generic toothbrush heads are quire solvent resistant too. Keep up the good work! Thanks for your videos!
When I was a kid in San Jose in the '60's, my dad bought me a used Hodaka Ace 90 that we rode in the fire roads outside Santa Cruz. Loved it. My dad also had a couple of other rare bikes. His was a Greeves 250 dirt bike. My first bike he built from parts -- two Jawa CZ speedway bikes parts in boxes. He built the bike but didn't have an expansion chamber, so.. he taught himself Basic programming, calculated the optimum dimensions of an expansion chamber for the engine, then fabricated it. A natural engineer.
Bloody legend is what he is. That is some dedication.
Need to make longer videos with these builds, I could quiet happily watch hours of them. Keep them coming dude 🏴
My wombat had the chrome toolbox on the rear rack. It had been modified with exhaust and gearing. When I couldn’t get first gear, the previous owner tore the transmission apart and found the bad spring he had installed the previous winter. Had it back together within two hours.
Athena OR, apparently still celebrates its connection to Hodaka with Hodaka Days, held Thursday-Sunday on the last full weekend of June. Trail rides, trial runs, etc. It sounds like a great time.
Hey, I am Not a motorcycle guy, never had the opportunity...different story, but I am totally enjoying your channel. I really love your recollection on the history of the bikes you work on. Videos are truly fun to watch and you guys are great characters as well as amazing at your trade. Keep up the great work and keep them running.
...and Thanks for the Merch! Just ordered my shirt!
I used to have one of those back in the 70's. Sturdy little bike and fun to ride
What was the line "ain't got time for valves" ? That was was classic!
It’s because 2 strokes don’t have valves like a 4 stroke does. I don’t think it was a movie line or anything but I may be wrong on that.
Those are the coolest model names I have ever heard.
Now this is something that deserves a full restore! Please?
Brilliant. That little spanner is a points spanner for the cable
I was born in 57 and big into the dirt bike scene in Washington state, so I used to see Hodakas all the time. I had a Kawasaki 350 Bighorn and loved it. It fit a bigger guy like me really well.
Damn, you old, dog! 🤣 (I'm a 1965 model)
I guess I have to buy a "Fix it 'til it's Worse" shirt since I commented it should be a shirt on the last video. 🤣
I know a guy who has a ton of old historic bikes at his house street bikes and dirt bikes anything between bull tacos to indians he has a combat wombat that is showroom!.
When I was in my teens, I rebuilt a Hodaka 90 with my dad. We got it running and took it out to El Mirage Dry Lake Bed. Somewhere between the lakebed and i395 the bike just fouled a plug, and I had to walk back to the truck. I had to walk around a mountain range and back to the main road. My dad's 2WD truck couldn't get back there to find it. So basically, I lost to the open desert.
OH NO!
@The_Bearded_Mechanic yeah it sucked. We painted the tank orange an had our club name on it. But we never saw it again.
@@The_Bearded_MechanicI have a 1974 Honda ST90 AND IN NEED OF PISTON RINGS AND JUG ANYWAY YOU CAN HELP.
Looks a lot like the first motorcycle I ever rode. A friend's parents had an old 70s bike they let us ride around at a birthday party once. They let us take it off of this little ramp and I laid that thing over after a sketchy land. I really wish I knew what that bike was.
A buddy had a Wombat in 74. You could hear him coming 2 blocks away 😊
I miss my Wombat from 45 years ago!
I was 13 in 1972 when I had mine. Abused the heck out of it and I just refused to break. Dad was into radio control airplanes and mixed his own fuel. There was always a jug. Of nitro in the garage. You'd be amazed how strong a 100cc will run on 20% nitro! Fortunately 8 could get gaskets, piston and ring for $3.95. With no power valve crap you can pull the jug and be back on the trail in 15 minutes
The Wombat runs best on a fuel mix we called the Hodaquiri
They did make the Farting Spartan from 76 to 78. It was a 300cc. Kick start was up on the handlebars
A buddy of mine had a Wombat as well. Some years later, his parents said that if they'd known how powerful that bike was they never would have bought it for him. That 125 made absolutely stupid power.
I grew up on a farm and used to drive a Hodaka Ace 90 to school when I was like, 8, maybe 9 years old. Upgraded to a Yamaha YZ250D when I was 10. Moved to "The city" when I was 14 and was so depressed that I wasnt allowed to drive dirtbikes to school anymore. I miss that Hodaka.
YOU RODE A YZ250 AT 10?? 😳🤯 AND LIVED?? Your parents must have HATED you! 🤣
@@RandyKopis The 250 was a hand me down from my big brother. In hindsight and two broken collarbones later, it may have been too much bike for a 10 year old.
@@DiscoDevilDog Don't feel too bad; I managed to break 2 leg bones on a puny Honda XL70 at age 10.
Flash back Friday. I remember lusting after these back in the day. I had to settle for a lawn mower powered minibike.
My best friend had one of these that we rode in the late 60's when we were about 12-ish. Fun bike for little kids.
Battle toad, street fighter, and street sharks? That’s a lot of nostalgia in 5 minutes ❤
That is amazing, when I was younger; I had the Hodaka Wombat 125. It was a huge pile of trouble, but I had days of fun on that heavy old bike. Thanks for the memories
The Wombat was just below the Combat Wombat 250
I had a 1970 Hodaka Ace 100 as my first bike! I dug it out of my friend’s dad’s barn like 12 years ago. It had been sitting forever, but took almost nothing to get running again. It was a neat bike.
My mom learned to ride a motorcycle on one of these in the 70's!
I had an ACE 100 B, if I remember right ? It was a great little bike and i& I knew back then what I know now, I would have taken better care of it and I have no doubt that it would still be running today ! It needed a clutch and the kickstarter fixed but, I had the engine and transmission completely split apart and it was one of the simplest designs and one of the easiest bikes to work on that I’ve ever seen !
I lived in Oregon for 30 years, I had to google where Athena is. That bike needs to be restored and put back on the street. (just to tick off the neighbors)
I’m in Myrtle Point Oregon
Half an hour spent watching Graig is time well spent. Very entertaining, inspiring and interesting. 🎉
Another amazing video. Love to see old bikes brought back to life again. It’s the simple things in life that makes it worth the effort.
Craig's passion for all these crazy bikes is what makes this channel special.
Glad you put out a new video as I’ve just finished watching your back catalog! Your videos are great so much fun!
When I was 13 I save my grass cutting money and bought a very used 1971 Hodaka Ace 100. It was identical to this bike, except mine had the headlight still intact and working and mine had a cylinder head with 2 spark plug holes. I later traded it and another bike, for a Suzuki TS 250.
My first bike was a Hodaka Wombat... 45 years ago.
I'd love to have another one!
Restore that Ace and come to Hodaka Days, next June in Athena put on by the Hodaka Club. Next year will be celebrating 25 years of Hodaka Days.
Great story! Way back when, the wantAdvertiser came out on Thursday, and was immediately poured over, mostly by me shopping for a car. Eventually, you’d settle on motorcycles. Before pictures, the Hodaka Combat Wombat? It always sounded cool!
I had a friend when I was young who had a hodaka road toad ! Street and trail !
Thanks for the memory, used to own a Wombat 125, back in 1970
YAAAAAAY. For me the best episode yet. Hodaka ace 100; my first real motorcycle - circa 1970.
Pronounced; hoe dah ka. Not ho daa kaa. LOL. Poh tae toe/ poh taa toe. That's how everyone pronounced it back in the day anyway.
Many people now days have never heard of them but they were really popular when I was growing up. They were a big thing at Saturday night short track racing. People modded the heck out of them. So many memories. Thanks a bunch for this one!!!
I was gonna comment the same,im like he's pronouncing it wrong..I remember hearing it like you described..Thank you for the comment, and in my opinion, you are correct
@@danparker1976 👍👍
There is a whole video about them on you tube somewhere. I saw it probably a year ago or something. Which is the only reason I had heard about them before.
@@user-eg7uw9ls4o It is strange that such a once popular brand mostly vaporized. People know about bulltaco, montessa and other dirt/enduro bikes from that era but hodaka probably sold far more than those companies did. Price had a lot to do with it. Also, hodaka partnered with bonaza mini-bikes and sold a hodaka powered model that every kid lusted over. ME, lol. Steen, taco mini-cycles and others too. The engines were everywhere. Now mostly forgotten. Now you know more than you probably want to. Cheers.
You are correct sir on the pronunciation
Malaguti Ronco was my first [13 yrs old] motorbike... it can't get more ''Italian'' than that...
between a few Malaguti, and Sachs Simonini [all 50 cc] we were ''terrorizing'' every 50cc Japanese bike rider in my city... some 100-125cc too...
It's amazing to witness people taking a chance, working really hard, and working smart, and seeing it pay off!
ringdingdingdingbladaladalatt… my new ring tone. Thanks Greg 😂👍🏻
Greg is a beast, so is Craig
I had a Hodaka 100 and a 125 when I was growing up my uncle gave them to me and I drove them all over the country in Montana I had a blast with them
i would have perfect name for Hodaka chopper if they made any. Street Rat :D
and the idea totally did not come from mentioning old cartoons "i use to watch Biker Mice from Mars a lot as a kid" xD
I love how you started saying it right, right there at the end, Ho-dock-ka. In the late 60's, early 70's my friend Jerry, he had the Dirt Squirt version, the chain and rear wheel fell off during our (group of four) high stakes attempt to climb five fingers mountain outside of Inyokern, CA. We didn't even make the foot hills when we had to hide it in the bushes; and the group carried on with me hauling him on the back of my CT-70 the rest of the way and from then on, the Hodaka earned a childhood rep as junk. 😂
The app sounded good until you said ,when you punch in they can see where you are....naaaaa keep the app
I’m 68 and there were a couple in my neighborhood when I was a 12-13 year old kid. They were tough and would scream. I was a Honda kid.
Never knew anyone that owned one, but I remember these bikes in the Motorcycle magazines of the time, I was 14, in 1978..
The "ambient music" during the slo-mo wash at the beginning had me laughing. Kudos to the vidiographer and editor!❤😂😂
I remember Hodaka. I had a neighbor who had a Combat Wombat. He'd ride the trails near our houses and yes you knew when he was coming. My cousin had a Road Toad and I loved to ride that bike. He was selling it about the time I was saving for a car so I had to pass on the bike. I believe Hodaka made a Super Wombat too.
I think Dan need some love for his editing! He KILLED IT this week! Thanks for all the laughs and taking us along for the journey fellows.
I think a cool name would be "Pit Pig"
Blackjack Rabbit. I hope this becomes a thread of new names
Bog hog, a fat tire bike equipped with up swept exhaust and snorkel and the interstate primate could be an old school chopper. Probably do a fat cat as well, another fat tire bike with a obese liger for graphics and marketing. Do a real slim electric dirt bike and call it the mountain goat.
I like Log Frog
Nailed it! That sound! I was making as you were doing it!
Well good morning Mr. Beard. Top of the morning to you.
Morning!
Apart from the high lift pipe, this deeply reminds me of a CZ 250 MX from the early 1970's, indeed, there was on that was this exact colour Segway.
They were also and still are amazing bikes 😁
I want a Freedom Ferret more than I want my next breath
My best friends had a Hodaka Combat Wombat 50 years ago when we were kids. I had a Honda trail 90. We had a blast. As long as theirs was running that is. Lots of issues with the magneto. But……we learned a lot about working on our bikes in those days.
Ahhhh the memories, I remember those bikes well. 😀
First dirt bike I owned was a Hodaka Dirt Squirt 80. Fun little bike, but back in the pre-internet days of the mid 1980's made keeping it running a real challenge. There was one place over in PA that advertised Hodaka parts in the back of the magazines back then, but they didn't have a whole lot for the little Dirt Squirt.
I'm only here for the Honda Spree appreciation.
..terrible candy; possibly the greatest machine EVER MADE.
Haha that's funny
I live in Athena, some say you can still hear my Honda Spree with its expansion pipe, ripping off in the distance.
I accidently purchased one a 100cc in 1976 mainly because it was dirt cheap, it was a great bike but not knowing what I had and after a few years when I burnt the clutch plates out i could not find a set anywhere not in Aussie anyway, so I traded it for a IT 490, it belonged to a mining engineers son who were from Alaska, I purchased it for $80 and it was running like a dream, wish I knew what I had, later years when I realised how rare and special they were I sure was sorry for ever trading it🇭🇲
Back in the day I had a 1973 Wombat 125!
Craig you are the man when it comes to motorcycle history
lol this channel is definitely the " lets start all of the projects and never finish them " channel, but like.. isnt that how life is?
Love these bikes! Sounds like a chain saw, perfect for Oregon woods
Here from the uk’ absolutely love your vids!
The stupid smile when any bike fires up the first time is what I live for 😂🤣
Ok , I'm ready for another post from my favorite motorcycle mechanic
When I was growing up Hodaka and Bultaco were big. I had a 1970 Bridgestone 100 that had that dual sprocket set up. Chain has two master links so you can take that the short chain section out for the highway Sprocket.
@@davessparetime83 just hearing the name Bultaco makes my heart beat a tad faster. Not so much the Persang (red one) but the yellow one streaking through the desert, be still my heart.♥️
Ah the makers of the combat wombat. If Hodaka were still around, they'd make an Awesome Possum super sport, Whale Tale naked, and Howl Owl supermoto.
Or Foul Owl!
32:06 Lower left and upper right images are of actor Toshiro Mifune as the character Kikuchiyo from the 1954 Akira Kurosawa film Seven Samurai. Considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. It's definitely my favorite film of all time.
Yeah top film
I like the original Magnificent Seven to
A buddy of mine had a 1975, IIRC Hodaka Road Toad, it was very green LOL.
Good little bike, he road it for years, but had the piston seize on it and sold it for parts.
Had an ACE 100 in a mini bike as a teenager ( I’m 68 now) with no brakes . Just down shifted ! I was an idiot .
Had a Hodaka MC also in TEXAS when I was in the USAF . That bike was a blast . Quick and nimble on the dirt and drove it for miles . Thanks for letting me to have a blast from the past !
Gotta love old 2-stroke dirt bikes. My first motorcycle was an Allsport Steen with a Greeves fork. It has the exact same engine as the one you worked on. Same air filter too. IIFC it was a paper element.
I owned a Super Rat in the late 60's and after bending the forks like a pretzel., bought a Husqvarna 8 speed Sportsman which I would give anything to have back. Thanks so much for the nostalgia hit.
Had the super rat! Ran very good,but the powerband never hit in the same spot!! Literally never knew when it would come on the pipe.favoritevbike I had in the mid 80's,it was a maico 490 sand spider!
That's the meanest sounding 125 I've ever heard. Wow. It must be the exhaust.
Big PET bottle, cut the bottom up, stuff the top end in the catch can, stuff the bottle (about 10 cm of it) with shop towels, as tight as they can, then run the evaporust through it. Fill it up to the brim, let it sit. Make multiple bottle setups if you can, to speed up the process. That's my standard method (only i cut myself some glass funnels - under water of course) for filtering out all the gunk from naphtha. It turns almost petrol black naphtha from cleaning dips into sliightly yellow ish liquid (still full of oils). If you do this with your evaporust and mix in a bit of fresh stuff every once in a while, it will last you for a lot longer. Kitchen towels work too, but those are even finer. For most of the stuff you'd filter out of evaporust, a shop towel's good enough (i'm specifically referring to the more fibrous stuff that's even good for spill control in a pinch).
Killer Komodo. Man the world was so much more fun in the 70s and 80s.
Hodakas were ever-present in the MC mags in the '70s. All this time I thought they were an Australian brand, probably cause of the wombat reference. Thanks for the history lesson
Rode a friends 125 back in the 70s in Colorado. Rode it up a 4 wheel drive pass at about 12,000 ft. Heavy bike with the steel frame. Was very fun.
bring bikes like this back. simple. easy to learn and fix, and cool tool kits
Craig!!! Cool history lesson. Out here near Athena, Oregon, we still have our annual Hodaka Days!! Wanna see a whole herd of Hodakas? This is the place!
Made in Japan. Assembled in Portland, Oregon. My dad bought 3. Re rebuilt a Dirt Squirt 90, Ace 100 and a Wombat 125(Enduro, not Combat). The Wombat, we installed a larger piston so it was a 132cc