The Hodaka Ace 90 was the first motorcycle to carry the Hodaka name. It was designed by the American importer Pabatco in Athena, Oregon, built in Nagoya, Japan, and presented in 1964 with a 90 cm³ two-stroke single — simple, light and cheap enough to bring new riders into off-road sport.
Hodaka Ace 90 at a glance
| Maker | Hodaka, built in Nagoya, Japan, for Pabatco, Athena, Oregon |
|---|---|
| Production | from 1964 |
| Engine | 90 cm³ single-cylinder two-stroke |
| Power | 6 kW (8.25 hp) at 7,500 rpm |
| Gearbox | four-speed |
| Frame | double-loop tubular frame, in the manner of Cotton |
| Colour | red only, all models |
| Endurance proof | 3,800 miles through Baja California without a breakdown |
| Milestone | 10,000th Ace 90 left Nagoya in June 1966 |
| Successor | Ace 100, from 1968 |
Based on one source: the German Wikipedia article on Hodaka, which is the only Wikipedia page on the marque (the English “Hodaka” page is a disambiguation page and has no model information). No free photographs of the Ace 90 were found, so the article uses the existing picture.
History of the Hodaka Ace 90
A motorcycle born from a bankruptcy
The story of the Ace 90 begins with fertiliser. Pabatco, the Pacific Basin Trade Company, was founded in 1961 in Athena, Oregon, as a branch of the Farm Chemicals of Oregon and traded mainly in fertiliser and grain. To work around currency restrictions on the export of American wheat to Japan, the company began importing Japanese Yamaguchi motorcycles, and the idea was a success: by 1963 more than 5,000 machines had been sold through over 480 dealers. In April 1963 Yamaguchi went bankrupt overnight and left Pabatco with a working dealer network and nothing to sell.
The Hodaka Engineering Co. of Nagoya, which had made Yamaguchi’s engines, faced the same problem, with about 300 engines still on its shelves. Pabatco knew what American customers wanted and proposed that Hodaka design, build and market complete motorcycles. Henry “Hank” Koepke, head of the motorcycle department at Pabatco, set the brief: a machine that was simple, robust and reliable, with good performance, economical on fuel and inexpensive. Development and testing took place in Athena, production in Japan.
The Ace 90 of 1964
The result was the Ace 90, presented in 1964. The Pabatco team tried to combine the best features of the leading rival models in one machine. The double-loop tubular frame, which other trials bikes did not have, was copied from the English Cotton. To keep spare-parts stocks economical and protect resale values by avoiding annual model changes, every Hodaka was painted one colour only — red, much as Henry Ford had done with the Model T.
The engine was a 90 cm³ single-cylinder two-stroke producing 6 kW, or 8.25 hp, at 7,500 rpm. To prove reliability, Frank Wheeler rode an Ace 90 3,800 miles through Baja California without a single technical fault. The model was campaigned widely in motocross and trials and was even raced on the road.
Success and replacement
In 1965 Shell bought the Farm Chemicals of Oregon and was surprised to find itself the owner of a motorcycle factory; Ed Miley, one of the three main shareholders, took charge of Hodaka from then on. In June 1966 the 10,000th Ace 90 left the Nagoya factory — a remarkable figure for a company that had been close to collapse three years earlier.
Competition successes and customer demand led Hodaka in 1968 to enlarge the engine from 90 to 100 cm³ and to fit a five-speed gearbox instead of four. Because the firm still wanted to offer a single model, the Ace 100 replaced the Ace 90 outright.
Design and features
- One model, one colour: every Hodaka was red, which simplified production and spare-parts stocks and protected used values.
- Double-loop frame: taken from the English Cotton, a layout rival trials machines lacked.
- Simple two-stroke single: 90 cm³, 8.25 hp at 7,500 rpm, easy to maintain and cheap to run.
- Proven in the desert: a fault-free 3,800-mile run through Baja California by Frank Wheeler.
- Raced from the start: motocross, trials and even road racing.
Hodaka Ace 90 versions
- Ace 90 (1964–1967): the original 90 cm³ four-speed trail bike, red only.
- Late Ace 90s: detail changes only, as Hodaka deliberately avoided annual model years.
- Successor Ace 100 (1968): larger engine and a five-speed gearbox.
The Ace 90 was replaced by the Hodaka Ace 100, and the later 125 was the Hodaka Wombat. More machines are in the Hodaka collection.
Sources
- Hodaka, German Wikipedia: company history, Ace 90 design, engine, race use, production milestone
