Hodaka Motorcycles T-Shirts

The plan was simple – take Yamaguchi’s lightweight trail bike, the Scrambler, and make it better. PABATCO designed and engineered the motorcycles from their Athena, Oregon headquarters, and Hodaka was responsible for the engines, manufacturing, and assembly in Japan. This resulted in Hodaka’s first model, the Ace 90, which arrived in the U.S. in 1964 and became an instant success thanks to its low cost and durability and depending on who you ask, laid the groundwork for America’s trail bike craze. Hodaka continued to improve upon their original design releasing about 18 variant models until a combination of events led to the demise of Hodaka in 1978.

The plan was simple – take Yamaguchi’s lightweight trail bike, the Scrambler, and make it better. PABATCO designed and engineered the motorcycles from their Athena, Oregon headquarters, and Hodaka was responsible for the engines, manufacturing, and assembly in Japan. This resulted in Hodaka’s first model, the Ace 90, which arrived in the U.S. in 1964 and became an instant success thanks to its low cost and durability and depending on who you ask, laid the groundwork for America’s trail bike craze. Hodaka continued to improve upon their original design releasing about 18 variant models until a combination of events led to the demise of Hodaka in 1978.

back in the day...

home assembled, always beloved

Hodaka was a joint Japanese and American company that manufactured motorcycles from 1964 to 1978.

Hodaka introduced the Wombat in 1972, then later introduced the racing model, the Combat Wombat, in 1973. The Hodaka Combat Wombat became a tough competitor in it’s day, giving the increasing number of Japanese bikes a run for their money in the 125cc class. Powered by a 125cc two-stroke engine that wound up to 8,400 rpm, the Combat Wombat also featured a five-speed transmission and a left side shifter. This nimble little motocrosser weighed around 192 pounds with a wheelbase of 53 inches. At this time in the motocross bike market, things were developing quickly and all of the manufacturers were releasing “new and improved” bikes each year, so Hodaka had to stay on that same path and released the Super Combat in ’74.

The plan was simple – take Yamaguchi’s lightweight trail bike, the Scrambler, and make it better. PABATCO designed and engineered the motorcycles from their Athena, Oregon headquarters, and Hodaka was responsible for the engines, manufacturing, and assembly in Japan. This resulted in Hodaka’s first model, the Ace 90, which arrived in the U.S. in 1964 and became an instant success thanks to its low cost and durability and depending on who you ask, laid the groundwork for America’s trail bike craze.