KG Hodaka

#1
I'm not too far away from starting the restoration of an Hodaka Ace 100 powered mini bike, built by KG Engineering in Holliston, MA. It's had a hard life and a lot of details have changed since it was new. I have the attached brochure pictures, but nothing with colors or good detail. I know it's a long shot, but I'm hoping somebody might have some decent color pictures of one these bikes.
 

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#2
Wow! I've never seen or even knew they made a line like this. I was always super fond of the 6" wheel bikes they offered, but never lucky enough to score one.
 
#3
Wow! I've never seen or even knew they made a line like this. I was always super fond of the 6" wheel bikes they offered, but never lucky enough to score one.
The owner of KG, Bob Girvin, and my father became friends in high school in the 50s. When Bob starting building mini bikes my father bought this Hodaka bike (c 1969). When my older brother turned 5, my parents told him that if he saved $50 they'd pay the rest for a KG Model 200 (see attached). I had the same deal a year later. We kept them until c 1980, when they were sold locally and efforts to track them down have been fruitless. I'd like to get a Model 200 to go with the Hodaka. Incidentally, Bob Girvin went on to make motorcycle accessories before pioneering suspension mountain bikes. He was inducted into the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame in 2009.
 

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#4
Excellent info. The 100 and 300 were what I was referring to. I see it says they were offered with Briggs engines? They would have to be one of the last (with Taco) powering bikes with Briggs after 1968.
 

GustoGuy

Well-Known Member
#5
Hodaka bikes were really cool. They were built as a collaboration between a Japanese company and US company and they built a variety of bikes from small trail riding machines to larger motocross style bikes from 1964 to 1978. They made their own engines in Japan and built a variety of bikes from the ACE 90 and ACE 100 up 250CC Enduro style bikes which were fairly decent off road dirt bikes in their day. I certainly would be interested restoring one and adding it to my bike collection. I would definitely like to find one since they would be a cool vintage full suspension trail riding machine.
 
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#7
Very cool bikes...as a kid, the kid on the street with all the woods on one side had a super rat. That was the coolest bike around! I would love to add any of thse to my collection/divorce.
J/k she loves me ...just not my mini bikes.
 
#8
Hodaka bikes were really cool. They were built as a collaboration between a Japanese company and US company and they built a variety of bikes from small trail riding machines to larger motocross style bikes from 1964 to 1978. They made their own engines in Japan and built a variety of bikes from the ACE 90 and ACE 100 up 250CC Enduro style bikes which were fairly decent off road dirt bikes in their day. I certainly would be interested restoring one and adding it to my bike collection. I would definitely like to find one since they would be a cool vintage full suspension trail riding machine.
Wikipedia has an entry on Hodaka that gives the basics, though they don't mention PABATCO being an OEM supplier to companies like Bonanza and KG. Bob said that the Ace 100 engines had to be purchased by the crate, 10 engines per crate. He said they only bought one crate, so at most there were only 10 Model 500/MXH made. Note that the brochure mentions a "street legal" kit... this will satisfy my DMV clerk, so I'm going to find period lights, etc. and register mine for the street.
 

dshot59

Active Member
#10
My cousin bought a Dirt Squirt new when we were kids was a great bike,Thing wheelied like a champ. Hodaka handles ! He sold his Rupp scrambler to get it and delivered a lot of newspapers.:D
 
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