Octane Press, Edition 1.0, July 2014Copyright © 2014 by Ken Smith

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher.

Standard EditionISBN 1937747360ISBN-13: 978-1-937747-36-7

Collector’s EditionA limited run of special collector’s edition books have the unique ISBN below. Only 250 of these were published in July 2014. ISBN 1937747379ISBN-13: 978-1-937747-37-4

On the Cover: 1970 Super Rat 100MX. Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum Archives

On the Frontispiece: One of the many color graphics created by Hodaka. Strictly Hodaka Collection

On the Title Page: Jim Gentry on the prototype 175 at the Trask Mountain Qualifi er in 1971. Marv Foster

On the Back Cover: Harry Taylor of PABATCO out testing the prototype Combat Wombat. Strictly Hodaka Collection

Photographs credited to Strictly Hodaka Collection are courtesy of Curt Alexander, Ed Chesnut, Tommy Croft, Marv Foster, Jim Gentry, Jeff Hackett, Eric Jensen, Scott Mayberry, Tetsuo Nakazawa, Darrell Ohs, Ken Smith, Richard Schwarz, Paul Stannard, Strictly Hodaka archives, Chuck Swanson, Harry Taylor archives, Jody Weisel and Leon Wilbanks.

Copyedited by Charles EverittProofread by Steve CasperHodaka 50th Anniversary Logo by Nell BeckerDesign by Tom Heffron

octanepress.com

Printed in China

c o n t e n t S

Forewordby Paul Stannard 6 acknowledgments 7 Introduction 8

one The Hodaka Story 11

two The art of rats, Wombats, Toads and dogs 41

three ace 90 47 Four ace 100 61

Five Super rat 77

Six Wombat, combat Wombat, Super combat 125cc 89

Seven dirt Squirt and road Toad 111

eight dirt Squirt 80 123

nine The 175cc Model 129 ten The 250cc Models 141

eleven Hodaka Specials and Successes 151

twelve other brands with Hodaka Power 165

thirteen Hodaka lives on 175

appendixa PabaTco Personnel 181

appendixB Hodaka Sales 184

appendixc Hodaka Production 186

appendixd Hodaka accessory engine Serial numbers 189

appendixe Hodaka evolution chart 190

Index 191

c H a P t e r t w o

T H e arT o F r aT S, WoMb aT S, T o adS a nd dogS

40 41

The Ace name came from a Yamaguchi street bike that had a Hodaka engine that was called the Ace 55. A larger version of that same bike was also produced with a three-speed 80cc engine which was dubbed the Ace 80. So the Ace 90 and Ace 100 names were just

c an you imagine the boss of any of any other motorcycle brand announcing to the world they

had great delight in releasing their new model, the Road Toad? It just wouldn’t happen. Over the years you’ll find a plethora of motorcycle model names that tried to give an impression of speed or power, such as Commando, Lightning, Bonneville, Rocket, or Ninja, but few that had the frivolity of Hodaka’s names. More recently, manufac-turers have tried to inject some fun into the naming of their bikes, but typically only when it applies to a target group who aren’t necessarily committed motorcyclists, such as what Yamaha has done with some of the models in their scooter range. They have some pearls, such as Frog, Jog, Vino, and Zuma. Almost makes you want to hop straight on, doesn’t it?

In Hodaka’s case, they not only had an assortment of peculiar names, they also had crazy cartoon characters to go along with the wacky names. So how did it all start and why?

Hodaka’s fi rst two models were the Ace 90 and Ace 100, catchy names maybe, as the term ace in the USA was associated with someone that was at the top of their game and somewhat cool, but entirely coincidental.

(lefttoright)John

trommald,Marv

Fosterandchuck

Swansondiscussing

anewadcampaign

forthewombat,as

wellastheideaof

creatingmotorcycle

bubblegumcards.

Strictly Hodaka

Collection

thisisanine-inch

Superratdecal.

thisdecalcannotbe

usedfortheairbox

asitissolidand

thecenterneeds

toberemovedfor

theairboxcover

holddownwingnut.

Strictly Hodaka

Collection

released (only the trail version, the SL, was released) it might have earned its own off-center name.

With the earlier release of the 250 models (the 250 was released in 1976, prior to the 175 which was released in 1977, even though the fi rst prototype 175 was mooted in 1969), the mood was similarly do or die, but one of the two 250cc models (the other has the dull prefi x SL, Street Legal, as did the 175) nonetheless ended up with yet another name that could only come from the crew at PABATCO. Enter the Thunderdog (also called the ED). Although it should be noted Thunderdog was never an offi cially sanctioned name by PABATCO and it wasn’t ever used in advertisements, it just sort of leaked out unoffi cially. That said, the dog with the lightning bolt cartoon did make its way into some advertisements and onto some fl yers. Either way, some

H o d a k a

44

reason than it kept the crazy naming and cartoon element alive, as they considered it still was an important element in the marketing of the brand.

For the naming of their 100cc fun bike, a sort of off-road all-rounder, PABATCO ran a competition among

its employees. The prize was $25 and it went to none other than their R&D guru Harry Taylor.

He came up with the name Dirt Squirt and the associated clam cartoon element was derived from the fact that clams squirt. That idea was further developed into the Racer Clam concept by Foster.

The 175cc models were the fi rst since the original Ace 90/100 models not to have some sort of name. A lot rode on the success of the 175, as Hodaka was losing ground by the time it was released and perhaps the last thing it needed was a wacky name. Nonetheless, it would have been on the cards that if a competition model of the 175 had been

Supercombat

decalwiththenew

blueandorange

colors.Strictly Hodaka

Collection

t H e a r t o F r at S , w o M B at S , t o a d S a n d d o g S

45

Leon Wilbanks (full details of the Bullfrog can be found in Chapter 11). As far as Wilbanks and Ed Chesnut can recall, the name just sort of appeared, but might have initially come from Foster.

Speaking of names, let’s fi nish off this naming nonsense with something a touch more serious by expanding a little more on the meaning of the word Hodaka, which was mentioned briefl y in Chapter One as being “to grow higher.” An analysis of the word breaks it down into fi rstly Ho, which in Japanese literally means an ear of corn or rice, or which fi guratively means, “a growing.” “Daka” as spelled in this context is only used as a suffi x and means high. All together, the word Hodaka means to grow higher. The triangle symbol in the Hodaka logo represents a mountain, as the Hodaka name also comes from the name of Japan’s third highest (3190m) mountain, colloquially called Mt. Hodaka. The full name of the mountain is Mt. Oku-Hodaka-dake and it is in the Hida Mountains (Northern Alps) in Japan and is famous for rock-climbing routes.

will say PABATCO left the best until last, as you have to admit Thunderdog is one cool name for a motorcycle. Or not, as others might claim. There weren’t any Aussies present when this name was coined, nor any in-house competitions, it just came from the guys joking around in the promotions department one day. That was life at PABATCO.

The only other named bike was the Bullfrog, the in-house trials model that was initially put together by

Superwombat

graphicproduced

beforethefinal

namewaschanged

toSupercombat.

Darrell Larson

dirtSquirtpromotionaldecalwithclam.

Darrell Larson

dirtSquirtgroundshakerdecal.Darrell Larson

roadtoad

promotionaldecal.

Scott Mayberry

thethunderdog250

windowdecalwas

producedbefore

thenamehadgone

throughallthe

hurdlesnecessary

forapproval.

PaBatconever

officiallysanctioned

thename

“thunderdog.”

Dave Deal

c H a P t e r F I V e

S uPe r r aT 1 0 0 / M X I n c l u d I n g M o d e l 9 3 ,

9 3 a , 9 3 B , a n d 9 8

76 77

steering head nameplate. The bikes weren’t made by Fuji, that nameplate just got on to some bikes due to the fact, noted in Chapter One, that Fuji provided the fi nancial backing for Hodaka.

As far as the build of the bike, there was certainly a strong lineage to the Ace 100. The Model 93 Super Rat used the basic Ace 100 frame, but came with better forks and shocks, made by Kayaba, than the Ace 100s of the time. The Super Rat did use the same transmission (mainshaft and fi ve gears) as the Ace 100, but had a different primary gear ratio. The rear hub was a non-cushioned hub with a dished sprocket and a #420 chain. The airbox was enlarged over the Ace 100 style and the cover sat inside the airbox assembly.

With the introduction of the Model 93A came new, improved forks, an improved exhaust pipe, a cushioned rear hub and an improved, larger rear brake. A fl at six-bolt rear sprocket (#423 chain) was also added, as well as an improved airbox design. The 93A did, though, use the same frame as the previous model.

M ention the name Hodaka to many off-road mo-torcyclists and the first response is often, “Hey,

I remember the Super Rat, that was a cool bike.” The Super Rat is the best-known Hodaka model, and it be-came an instant classic. The name, the associated car-toon and large decal on the air cleaner cover, the red frame and chrome tank, the sound of the little engine revving wildly, its performance and popularity—every-thing combined to place it, and keep it, as an icon in the dirt bike world.

The Model 93 Super Rat family covered bikes with frame numbers B-37205 to B40004, B45263 to B45512, B46313 to B46812, and B47713 to B48912, all from the period 1969-’70.

Model 93A covered bikes with frame numbers B53113 to B54312, B56713 to B58612, B61313 to B63112, and B65813 to B67612, all from 1971. Model 93B went from frame number B70213 to B72812, in 1972. Another point about the Model 93B, being slightly different than the 93A, was that the 93B used a tuned exhaust pipe with spark arrestor. While on the details, there’s another that applies to some of the Super Rat production (and some of the Ace 100 bikes), being that from 1969, some models had Made by Fuji Motor Corporation on the

Harrytaylor

aboardaSuper

ratduringaphoto

shootintheoregon

desertnotfarfrom

athena.Marv Foster

going to work at Hodaka. Jim Gentry called me and asked if I would like to go riding with them out in the desert, they would furnish the bikes. Sure, so I met Jim and Harry at a nearby riding spot. When we unloaded Jim said, ‘You ride this one [a 100 SR prototype],’ and off we went. The little 100 pulled good in the sand, was a kick to ride and I had a great time. When we loaded up to go home they asked me what I thought. I was impressed and asked what something like this would cost.”

Wilbanks also mentioned the lost opportunity of adding a reed valve to the Super Rat, as Harry Taylor

H o d a k a

78

The last model of the red-frame and chrome-tank Super Rat, the 93B, added a reinforced and gusseted swingarm pivot, as well as a spark arrestor per U.S. Forestry requirements.

A stripped-down, race-ready motocrosser had been brewing for many years prior to the release of the Super Rat. PABATCO R&D guru and supertuner Harry Taylor had been building race bikes out of the Ace 90 and 100 models right from the start, and out of the Yamaguchi even before that. Taylor had turned his hand to building and racing Hodakas in scrambles, TT, roadracing and trials, so he had no shortage of input into the development of the Super Rat. Hodaka had been on the case as well, with much of Taylor’s input, in building in years past the 90 SR, 100 SR (Special Racer) and even roadrace models in Japan. As noted in Chapter Two, the SR turned into the Super Rat.

PABATCO staffer Leon Wilbanks recalled some of the Super Rat background, including his unknown, at the time, involvement in its development. “The Super Rat was pretty much all down to Harry Taylor,” he said. “As it turned out I was an unwitting guinea pig in the development of the SR, in the winter of ‘68, prior to my

thisforerunnerto

theSuperrathas

“100Sr”writtenon

thebottomrightof

thefueltank.the

Srrefersto“special

racer.”Strictly Hodaka

Collection

comparison

pipesmadefor

the100Sratthe

factoryduring

development.

Varioushead

pipes,expansion

chambers

andsilencer

insertscouldbe

interchangedfor

testing.Strictly

Hodaka Collection

S u P e r r at

79

PromotionalphotoofoneofthefirstSuperrat’s

deliveredtoathena.thisphotowastakenduringthe

sameoutingwhichresultedinacolorpostershowing

HarrytaylorairborneontheSuperrat.Marv Foster

arestoredSuperrat,

sittingproudlyin

athenacityPark,the

settingfortheannual

Hodakadaysevent.

Jeff Hackett

84 85