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Offline dogger315

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A couple of vintage pictures
« on: December 18, 2009, 11:15:51 AM »
I was rummaging through my box of pictures and found these two from the 1974 Trans-Am
Palm Valley round.

The first shot is, I believe Tim Hart watching Pierre Karsmakers heading up the face of a jump.
This is what the factory Yamaha pits looked like back in the day.  The "X" on the number plate
meant these two bikes were 250s and riding in the support class.

The second picture is Marty Tripes in his CZ days wheeling his 400 to the start of the main.
If I remember correctly, Karsmakers won the open class and Gary Jones (Honda) won the
support class that day.

This was the track that I rode my very first race on the "mighty" Hodaka Super Rat.
 
dogger




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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2009, 12:05:11 PM »
Any pictures of th "Rat"??
Chrome tank or orange tank with the blue frame??

I kick myself for getting rid of that bike, but I was 15 and had the chance to ride a 250.

They were cool bikes. In fact, I have a very good friend who worked for Hodaka for years. I need to tell him about TSM. That guy has some incredible stories and inside knowledge of the "biz" back in the day.

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Offline JETZcorp

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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2009, 04:44:44 PM »
I have a sentimental place in my heart for Hodaka.  While I was learning to ride on the 120, my cousin Mark was on a Hodaka Ace 100.  That poor thing.  Had a five-speed transmission but was always between gears on any slightest hill.  Meanwhile, I was all big and fat on the 120 with a 4-speed and went up the hills like a winch.  The general consensus among us was that the Hodaka had the horsepower to keep up with the 120 and do well against it in a drag race, but once any sort of hill was reached, the Kawasaki would achieve a monopoly on the front position.  I've noticed the same thing when riding it next to my dad's 100 Yamaha.  While the Yammie has to be worked like a demon on any hill, the 120 has torque to spare and even managed to do a few wheelies on the crests of a fast 45+ mph road.  The Yamaha tried, but failed to do so.

Sorry about the tangent, but back to Hodaka, there's one thing I really appreciate about them.  They're designed in America!  In Oregon, no less!


Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline dogger315

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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2009, 06:09:53 PM »
Mad,
I know I have one around here someplace.  It had a red frame and chrome tank.  I replaced
the steel fenders with Preston Pettys, removed the goofy side number plates and brackets
that were mounted on the rear fender, changed the gearshift to one down four up, bolted
on a Bassini pipe with integrated silencer and replaced the steel rims with aluminum.  My Dad
bought it for me new in '73 and I entered my first race in '74.  It was a great bike and the
equal of the green tank Yamahas and Pentons I raced against.

I didn't know it at the time (and maybe it didn't exists until later), but Hodaka has a loyal
and rabid following.  I've met a ton of racers that started out on them.

I'm posting a picture I found on the internet.  It's not my bike, but it's one just like mine.

Jetz,
My "Rat" went like stink most of the time.  I think they were considerably faster than the standard
Ace 100.  Another factor that helped was the fact that I only weighed 130 lbs soaking wet with
all my gear.
 
The one obstacle that did give my "Rat" fits was the deep sand pits found on many tracks back
then.  The pits were positioned after a jump so you would land in them and sink up to your axles.
The pits were about ten feet below track level and if you didn't land it just right, your bike would
stick like a bug on fly paper and you'd end up face down in the sand only to be landed on by the
next bike in the pit.  It was a nightmare for small bikes and not much better on the big bikes. 

dogger




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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2009, 05:46:35 PM »
I had the later model that was already 1 down and 4 up. For those who don't know. some of the Hodaka's were 1 up and 4 down!!!!!

Very cool.

And the Super rat engines made more HP than the Ace counter parts.

Offline Helmut Clasen

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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2010, 09:59:29 AM »


Can everybody see what I see?? ;D
And the tranny looks inside just the same???
I was a Hodaka dealer for 2 years in Ontario Canada and only quit because they came in a big wooden box as a pair.One enduro and one MX.I sold more enduros at the time and piled up the mx bikes.
The importer would not sell them single,so I quit.
Anyway,working on the engines I was amaced about the internal similarity between them and Zuendapp and Sachs engines. :)


3xSACHS MC-GS 250 1977
1xHercules GS 250  1976
1xHercules GS 350  1976
1xCan-Am 175 TNT 1975
1xZuendapp GS 125 19072-73
http://speedy_c.tripod.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/vindurospeedy

Offline JETZcorp

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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2010, 03:16:58 PM »
I like Hodaka, because they're an American bike at heart.  Yes, they're made in Japan, but what's important is that they're designed in Oregon.  The US has traditionally been left way the hell out when it comes to dirt bikes, and Hodaka was our chance to really shine in the industry.  It's very easy to shrug off the Hodaka and not take it seriously, but the damn things are just too bloody fast!  I'm constantly amazed at the results they achieve at Woodland.  That said, my cousin's poor Ace 100 didn't have much chance next to the good ol' 120.


Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline SachsGS

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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2010, 07:19:15 PM »
I once sold a Hodaka Combat Wombat (Ebay) to a navy admiral based out of the base near Seattle.He told me that he had the GPS coordinates for my home and if he had any problems with the Hodie he was going to point one of those 2 ft. barrels my way.

Offline JETZcorp

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Re: A couple of vintage pictures
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2010, 07:36:19 PM »
Gotta love characters like that.  And while Battleship Barrels look menacing enough, you actually really can't appreciate the power they've got without seeing one do its thing.  They've got a range of, get this, 24 MILES, with a 2700lb bullet.  Distinctly something to avoid f***ing with.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Uss_iowa_bb-61_pr.jpg


Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?