Hodaka Days News

Be sure to review the information on helmets for MX riders and required forms for minors participating in riding activities.

Note: June 2nd is the last day to book rooms at the special Hodaka Days rates.

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DEDICATED TO CHUCK SWANSON 8/10/30 to 12/21/21

HODAKA DAYS IS ON JUNE 23-26, 2022!

THE LAST WORD ON HODAKA DAYS ’22!

CELEBRATION OF LIFE OF CHUCK SWANSON – At 1:30 pm Saturday, a celebration of the life of Chuck Swanson will be held in the Athena City Park. The last General Manager of PABATCO, Chuck passed away this past December. We will gather to remember the quiet, gentle friend who is greatly missed. While we can’t distill Chuck’s life and contributions into a short service, this will offer an opportunity for friends and family to share brief personal stories or favorite memories of our times with “Swannie,” the host of more than 20 ice cream socials at Hodaka Days past, inveterate tinkerer and all-around fascinating man. All are welcome.

 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HD’22 EVENTS

UMATILLA COUNTY TT AND POKER RUN – Thursday 6/23 – 50 miles of winding rural roads and historic communities for licensed, street-legal, 250cc or less vintage (twin shock, drum brake, air cooled) bikes. Not restricted to Hodakas; passengers meeting legal requirements permitted.

BAD ROCK TRAIL RIDE- 50-mile ride via country roads into the Blue Mountains where the historic Bad Rock ISDT Qualifiers were run for all vintage (twin shock, drum brake, air cooled). Not restricted to Hodakas, special arrangements allow trail bikes (street licensure not required) but USFS approved spark arrestors are mandatory.

MAIN STREET PARADE – Follow a  County Sheriff on his one-of-a-kind Hodaka police special, past the assembled citizenry down Main Street Athena, with 100 of your best (Hodaka) friends! Passengers under 14 are OK, with parental consent; sorry, no riders under 14.

BIKE SHOW- 19 classes for Hodaka or Yamaguchi powered cycles only on display in the park. Originals, cool modified bikes, special one-off oddball constructs… see them all, and show off your Hodie!

OBSERVED TRIALS – Novice, intermediate, expert and trail bike classes for Hodakas and Club Members only. AMA membership and waivers required. (see below).

SWAP MEET, SILENT AUCTION AND SALE – Bring your goodies to sell or hunt for rare treasures among vendors, sponsor-donated Club offerings and, who knows what? All in the shade of Athena Park’s giant trees.

BANQUET DINNER, AWARDS PRESENTATION AND AUCTION- Saturday evening dinner, drinks (non-alcoholic) & desert for $15, award presentations for event winners and club service awards, plus a few selected, choice items contributed by sponsors and members will be auctioned off.

MEET THE LEGENDS – HD’22 is a great opportunity to meet some of the fascinating folks in motorcycle - and especially Hodaka - history!

Eric Jensen, (three-time ISDT medal winner, as well as an early Hodaka dealer and manufacturer of the famous Jensen specialty Hodaka parts.) Eric will be hosting a Service Seminar Two Stroke Basics and Troubleshooting  Friday afternoon.  **Additionally, Eric will be showing  (and selling!) a very few  newly  remade Jensen cylinders, pistons and heads for Hodaka 100s! Power and cooling not available since the 1960s, now at Hodaka Days! **

Lee Fabry (SoCal & Baja, and now our most celebrated and knowledgeable creator of special, one of a kind Hodakas, who has stepped up to take leadership of the Saturday bike show);

Peter Starr, AMA Hall of Fame member, recognized as the top producer of motorcycle pix in the world. Peter’s work includes “Take it to the Limit” and “Bad Rock”, about the ISDT Qualifier in Weston Oregon , which he produced after consultation with Hodaka.

PABATCO/Hodaka staff -Jim Gentry, Parts, Service and Warranty Manager at PABATCO in “the day”; “Jeanie” Trout, original executive secretary and Personnel Manager at PABATCO; and Marvin Foster, Promotion Department Manager (and source of much of the famous Hodaka Humor – “a Dirt Squirt?”) - Foster was the original Hodaka Baja rider, 1000 miles, over 30 days on an Ace 90.

Ron Pomeroy, Bultaco Factory Team racer (Daytona, Hangtown, Saddleback and more).

MX RACING– Classic scrambles style racing in “suburban” Athena wraps up the weekend  Sunday! Must be 14 or older, racing muffler or USFS approved spark arrestor, AMA membership and waivers required (see below). Calvert’s Sugar Shack will offer morning sustenance  coffee and muffins/cinnamon rolls at the track from 8 to 9:30  morning; with sandwiches and sodas from 11am to 1 pm. .

TRAVEL, LODGING, FOOD, INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS AND THE IMPORTANT, ANNOYING NECESSITIES

(YEAH, EVEN FUN REQUIRES PAPERWORK THESE DAYS!)

TRAVEL - PLANNING ON COMING FOR THE FIRST TIME? AIRPORTS NEAR ATHENA- Pendleton, OR (PDT), about 20 miles south, service by Boutique Air, some rental cars available. Walla Walla, WA (ALW), 25 miles north, service by Alaska/Horizon, some rental cars available. Pasco, WA (PSC), about 65 miles northeast, service by Alaska/Horizon, United shuttle, Delta, car rental agencies.  Portland, OR (PDX), closest MAJOR airport, 3.5-hour drive west, via spectacular Columbia Gorge.

LODGING –   Hotels - There are no motels in Athena. The Red Lion Hotel in Pendleton is the official hotel of HD’22. Call 541-276-6111 and ask for special Hodaka Days rates. Special rates must be booked by June 2^nd!

Camping is available at the Athena City Park, which has a pool house with showers which will be available for campers. Please, no camping in the grass on school grounds.

For RVs, parking is available just across a footbridge from the park. There are a limited number of electrical and water hookups for RVs; no waste water hookups are available. There is a small RV park in Athena and several full-service RV parks within reasonable driving distance. Mountain View RV Park - 1375 SE 3rd, Pendleton, OR 97801 (approx. 20 miles from Athena) Exit 210 off I-84 (next to Red Lion) 541-276-1041, 866-302-3311 www.nwfamilyrvresorts.com  Centerville RV Park - 213 W. Sherman, Athena, OR 97813 (Near the old PABATCO building) 541- 566-9246. Wildhorse Resort & Casino - 72777 Highway 331, Pendleton, OR 97801 (Approx. 18 miles from Athena - right next to I-84 just east of Pendleton) 800-654-9453. Trails West RV Park - 1420 S. Main, Milton-Freewater, OR 97862 (approx. 12 miles from Athena) Phone: 509-301-2400 509-200-9796

FOOD -  There are a limited number of food options in Athena, so you may want to bring some snacks and breakfast food, especially if camping.

We have a new caterer, Calvert’s Sugar Shack on Main Street in Athena. They will be open from 7 am - 2 pm Saturday; from 7 am – noon Sunday. They will also prepare sandwiches, salads, muffins and drinks, which will be available in the park Saturday 11 am- 1:30 pm.

They’ll be catering the Saturday evening awards dinner at the Athena elementary school cafeteria and courtyard. Dinner will include pulled pork or chicken sandwiches, coleslaw, roasted potatoes, desert and iced tea or lemonade, tickets will be $15 each. In light of covid-19 concerns, if you want to be assured of outside seating, you may want to bring your own chair & folding table.

BAD ROCK SIGNUP-  Worried about the difficulty of the big, bad, Bad Rock trail ride? Although we do get to cover some of the “sacred ground” as the original ISDT qualifier from the ‘70’s, this is not meant to be a test of endurance for you or your bike. Don’t let the name scare you off. Today’s version will be a 50-mile ride with “social stops” to relax with fellow riders, through country roads up into the Blue Mountains. Street legality is not required, though spark arrestors are. Registration is now open to the public, so pass the word to your friends, neighbors, and fellow dirt bike enthusiasts. The link to the signup is:
http://hodakaclub.org/event-4759626 , and, if haven't signed up already,  do it now. While the number of riders is limited, space is still available.

STILL SEEKING AUCTION DONATIONS – For both good fun and to help finance HD’22, the Saturday swap meet and evening awards banquet include auctioning off contributions from vendors and participants. Got cool parts (used, in good condition is OK), Hodaka memorabilia, a special Hodaka project, or services you are willing to donate? Bring them to the Club booth in the park Friday or Saturday morning, so we can display and auction them off. Donors will be credited as sponsors, and help us keep going!

HELP, HELP, HELP! – “Many hands make light work” is so true. We’re always in need of volunteer helpers at Hodaka Days. We need help managing waivers, installing banners, moving tables & chairs, moving parade barriers, putting up track fencing, serving ice cream… You get the picture! If you can offer some help, our highly paid (occasional free beer) executive staff really appreciates it. Let us know when you arrive and/or check in at the Club Park booth. A few hours of volunteer time enable all of us to enjoy the week more.

IMPORTANT DETAILS & PAPERWORK! Hodaka Days insurance is provided by the American Motorcycle Association, which requires:

HELMETS- If you’re planning to race MX – or even just practice – per AMA requirements for racing.  you must wear a full-face helmet, no one will be allowed on the track without one! Open face helmets are OK for all other events.

WAIVERS FOR MINORS– Waivers must be signed by both parents (if applicable). There is one waiver for recreational events (poker run, trail ride, and parade); MX and Trials each have a separate form. If you need a waiver and both parents – with legal custody – won’t be at HD’22, the needed forms can be downloaded at www.hodakaclub.org  and must be notarized if signatures can’t be witnessed at the event! If no legal guardian will be attending the event, we’ll need a notarized letter authorizing an attending adult as a guardian for the event.

AMA MEMBERSHIP– Required for trials, track practice or racing. Membership can be renewed on-line at www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Forms for single event membership ($20) are only available at the event; an annual membership (available in advance from AMA) is only $9 more than two (trials and track activity) single‑event memberships and covers both trials and track activity, as well as other AMA events.

EVENT ENTRY FORM – All participants in the poker run, Bad Rock ride or parade need to complete an “Event Entry Form”, which provides demographic information we submit to AMA. The form can be downloaded at www.hodakaclub.org.One form covers all events; once we have a completed form at HD’22, you’ll receive a gold wrist band and won’t need to complete another one for additional events. If you can fill out the attached form in advance and bring it to the event, it will save you time during registration.

HODAKA CLUB MEMBERSHIP– Save yourself and our volunteers time and renew your club membership online at http://www.hodakaclub.org/Join_or_renew_Online .

So… June 23-26, 2022… be in Athena or miss all the fun!

The sport of observed trials has always been a gentleman's motorcycle sport with finesse rather than speed being the deciding factor. 

Riders from the vintage " no-stop" era often rode in their Sunday best.

it's in that  spirit we will award this new "Best Dressed" trophy, chosen by our panel of experts, to the trials rider who is dressed in the finest era appropriate riding attire.

Dress  shirt, tie, slacks, and cuff links are entirely appropriate.

Take them to your local shop, post them on you wall, or give one to a friend...

http://www.hodakadays.org/2022_BadRock_Poster_r3.pdf

http://www.hodakadays.org/2022_HodakaDays_Poster_r2.pdf

PLANNING ON COMING FOR THE FIRST TIME? AIRPORTS NEAR ATHENA:

Pendleton, OR (PDT), about 20 miles from Athena, service by Boutique Air, some rental cars available.

Walla Walla, WA (ALW), 25 mile from Athena, with service by Alaska/Horizon, some rental cars available. Pasco, WA (PSC), about 65 miles from Athena, with service by Alaska/Horizon, United shuttle, Dela, several car rental agencies. 

Portland, OR (PDX), closest MAJOR airport, about 4.5 hours drive to Athena, via spectacular scenery of the Columbia River Gorge.

Need transport for your bike to Athena?  As in previous years, Hodaka Club member  Dan Killian is offering bike transport out to or back from Hodaka Days. He can do pick-ups and deliveries along the route, out and back on I-80, swinging north or south of that route some.

Pick up and or delivery on the route out or back is also possible. Whole bikes, project bikes, parts, etc. can be hauled in his open pick up and open trailer. Contact him at: thrownchain@yahoo.com  for details.

NEED A HOTEL?  There are still a few rooms left at the special Hodaka Days discount at the Red Lion Hotel in Pendelton.  Reservations must be made by calling the local Pendleton number 542-276-6111 to receive the discount.  Do not try to make your reservations through the central Red Lion reservation system.

WANT TO CAMP AT THE EVENT?  Camping is available at the Athena City Park, which has a swimming pool and showers which will be available for campers.

There is a small RV park in Athena and several full-service RV parks within reasonable driving distance.

Mountain View RV Park - 1375 SE 3rd, Pendleton, OR 97801 (approx. 20 miles from Athena) Exit 210 off I-84 (next to Red Lion) 541-276-1041, 866-302-3311 www.nwfamilyrvresorts.com     

Wildhorse Resort & Casino - 72777 Highway 331, Pendleton, OR 97801 (Approx. 18 miles from Athena - right next to I-84 just east of Pendleton) 800-654-9453

Trails West RV Park - 1420 S. Main, Milton-Freewater, OR 97862 (approx. 12 miles from Athena) Phone: 509-301-2400 509-200-9796

BAD ROCK SIGNUP:  After several weeks of being open exclusively to Hodaka Club members, registration for the 2022 Bad Rock reunion ride is now open to the public.

Pass the word to your friends, neighbors, and fellow dirt bike enthusiasts. The link to the signup is: http://hodakaclub.org/event-4759626 , and, if you're a Hodaka Club member and haven't signed up already,  do it now. The number of riders is limited.

 HODAKA DAYS BIKE SHOW:  Bring your cherry, original Ace 90… or your weird and wonderful custom Hodaka chopper… or your 50,000-mile road rider (that still runs!)… or your pristine, lovingly restored, museum worthy Super Rat… or your cool, belt-drive Hodaka-powered mini-bike… or your Mil Spec Combat Wombat to share with your fellow Hodakaphiles!

Our most celebrated and knowledgeable creator of special, one of a kind Hodakas, Lee Fabry, has stepped up to take leadership of the Saturday bike show.  You have likely witnessed his talent for details in his professional bike builds and impressive show entries. After dominating the show for years with his amazing creations, Lee will be contributing his discerning eye deep technical knowledge to the displays that Joyce Dunning and Dale Dvorak have orchestrated since 2013. We hope he will be able to bring some of his “builds” for display and inspiration.  If he has time/space - to bring his custom bikes -they will not be entered into bike show competition, but will be available for inspiration

Service Seminar - Two Stroke Basics and Troubleshooting by  Eric Jensen

As Eric himself tells it, “At 18 years of age, with a $600 investment, I had a crate of Hodakas (two bikes), a parts kit, a business permit from the city, and a hole in the pit of my stomach” as he became a Hodaka dealer! This was the beginning of a career devoted to motorcycles, riding (multiple Baja 500/1000 and other desert wins, capped with three ISDT medals on Pentons!), operating Super Cycle in SoCal, and along the way, designing and producing a  veritable bevy of special, high performance Hodaka parts, including a large aluminum square barrel cylinder, radial-fin head to match, and his own pistons, along with the usual porting, hop-up, pipes, suspension and engine services for every brand he sold.

 Friday afternoon will provide an opportunity to enjoy an open discussion under the trees in Athena Park with one of the most creative, engaging Hodaka legends.

So… June 23-26, 2022… be in Athena or miss all the fun!

After several weeks of being open exclusively to Hodaka Club members, registration for the 2022 Bad Rock reunion ride is now open to the public.

Pass the word to your friends, neighbors, and fellow dirt bike enthusiasts.

The link to the signup is: http://hodakaclub.org/event-4759626

And, if you're a Hodaka Club member and haven't signed up already,  do it now.  The number of riders is limited.

You must login to register!

Go to the "Upcoming Events" section on the home page and follow the link to register.

Reminder:  Vintage (twin shock, drum brakes, air cooled) bikes only.  Read the full description for exceptions.

Registration is currently for club members and guests only.  Registration for the general public opens April 22nd.

The Hodaka Club

Bob Whitman 541-954-0101

bob@bobwhitman.com

WE’RE BACK - HODAKA DAYS IS ON JUNE 23-26, 2022!

Celebrating “Fun in the Dirt Since 1964” with more fun than anything else you can do with your britches on, we’ll be again holding the communities of Athena and Weston, Oregon hostage.

Thursday, 6/23 – Umatilla County TT and Poker Run

A fifty-mile poker run over the winding back roads of Eastern Oregon for street legal, vintage bikes (twin shock, air cooled, drum brakes), 250cc and less (not restricted to Hodakas). We’ll visit the historic towns of Adams, Helix and Holdman.elix and HoldmanH Bring your camera.

This ride will be on state highways and other county roads, so bikes must be licensed and riders must have a valid motorcycle endorsement. Trophies for best poker hands, 1st through 5th. Passengers that meet all legal requirements are allowed. Registration fee $30 or $25 for club members.

 Friday 6/24 – Bad Rock Reunion Trail Ride  

This is your chance to ride through some of the back country and the actual trails used during the famous Bad Rock ISDT qualifiers of the 1970's. This is where Hodaka motorcycles were designed, developed and put to the ultimate test.

 The event takes off from the historic town of Weston Oregon, approximately four miles east of Athena. It's about a 50-mile course, designed to be an easy ride for someone who has not been riding regularly or who wants to protect their investment in some of those hard-to-find Hodaka parts. The club will provide a “sag wagon” at several points along the route to transport bikes with mechanical problems or bikes from riders who, for whatever reason, just don't wish to finish the course.

 The course does include several sections where the route uses county roads. Special arrangements have been made with the local authorities to allow trail bikes to use these sections during the event. Other than county roads, all the off-road sections are on private property and will not require an ORV permit. Not restricted to Hodakas, we welcome all vintage (twin shock, drum brake, air cooled) bikes. All bikes will be inspected and must have a USFS approved spark arrestor. Registration fee pre-paid is $30 for nonmembers or $25 for club members. All riders must wear a helmet and are encouraged to carry their own toolkit. Participants will ride in groups for safety and to make sure there is at least one tool kit in each group. Sorry, riders only. No passengers.

 This event is an AMA sanctioned recreational event. You do not need to be an AMA member to participate. However, without the help of the AMA, we could not afford to put on events like this and we encourage you to consider joining. Their web site is www.americanmotorcyclist.com .

 You must pre-register. This ride is limited to 150 entries and will be open to all makes of vintage (twin shock, drum brakes, air cooled) bikes.

 Swap Meet

Beginning Friday, and continuing through Saturday, a motorcycle swap meet will be held in the Athena city park, the center of organization for the weekend events. Participants including commercial vendors are welcome – without fee – to display and market Hodaka and other motorcycle parts and accessories. 

 Saturday 6/25 – Community Breakfast, Parade, Observed Trials, Bike Show and more!

Saturday includes a full schedule of activities for participants or observers. Highlights include:

• Community Pancake Breakfastoffered by the Athena Chapter of the American Legion, a fundraiser for the local American Legion Chapter. Pancakes, ham, scrambled eggs, coffee and orange
• Observed Trials - Novice, Intermediate, Expert and Trail Bike (stock) classes. “No stop” scoring. Hodakas and  Club members only. Due to insurance regulations, you must be an AMA member, sign a liability waiver,and get a wrist band.

• Swap Meet and Hodaka Club Booth in the City Park
• ·Bike Show  - Sixteen classes for Hodaka or Yamaguchi powered motorcycles only. Special awards for the best original Hodaka and best technical engineering on a Hodaka powered bike
• Silent Auction and Sale - Includes Hodaka parts, sponsor services, tools, riding gear, as well as some unique historic and one-of-a-kind items
• Main Street Parade – Approximately 100 Hodakas, of various models and modifications,  parade through downtown Athena, led by a deputy sheriff riding a special Hodaka Police bike! Sorry, no riders under 13. Passengers under 13 are okay with parental consent.
• Banquet Dinner, Awards Presentation & Auction - $15 gets you dinner, drinks & desert, no alcohol please. Awards presentation for the TT and bike show, and club service awards. Followed by a short auction of a few selected items by our auctioneers.

 Sunday 6/26 - Hodaka Only MX Racing – Classic scrambles-style racing in downtown Athena on the world-famous Diamond Eye track designed by Harry Taylor. Amateurs and experts welcome. Must have racing muffler or spark arrestor. Due to insurance regulations, AMA membership is required and you must sign a liability waiver and get a wrist band. Single event and full AMA memberships will be available at the track. Racing is $25 for non-members or $20 for Hodaka Club members. $5 if you just want to ride the practice.

We have procured a limited number of rooms at the Red Lion Hotel in Pendleton for Hodaka Days attendees.

The rooms are $106 for a single King and $116 for a double queen + taxes ,etc.

The hotel is located at 304 SE Nye Ave, Pendleton, OR 97801 and their phone number is (541) 276-6111 .

There is a restaurant on site and they have a pool.

There are a limited number of rooms and the last weekend in June is apparently a busy one in the area.  Book now and be sure to ask for the "Special Hodaka Days" rate.

If they are booked, please send an email to info@hodakadays.org and we'll see if it's possible to arrange for additional rooms.

Good news for Hodaka fans!

Hodaka Days is a “GO!”  During a recent Zoom meeting, the “movers and shakers” who provide the “people power” to put on Hodaka Days decided that it appears that it can be put together again!

While there ARE complications, as a group, we think we can make it happen again!  While exact details are still in development, some over-all plans can be reported at this time.

We will be working to provide venues which are outdoors for virtually all activities - including the banquet/auction.  We are exploring renting a towable stage to be installed in the Athena City Park for the duration of the event.  We are shooting for the “normal” full slate of activities with additions such as a Celebration of the Life of Chuck Swanson (former General Manager at PABATCO), and remembrances of other notable Hodaka supporters tied to specific Hodaka Days events.  Activities planned include the Bad Rock Trail Ride, Umatilla County TT(road ride/poker run), Bike Show, Swap Meet, Scrambles, Observed Trial, Seminar, Parade, Ice Cream Social (possibly at the Gem Theater – future home of the Hodaka Museum) etc., etc.

Just so you’ll know, some of the complications are potentially quite serious – such as:  There is a large music festival (many thousands of attendees) scheduled in the area for our “standard” Hodaka Days dates of the last full weekend in June which has nearly tripled room rates compared to our last gathering in 2019.  We’re in the process of negotiating discounted group rates at a local hotel and hope to have an announcement shortly.

NOTE:  All “official” Hodaka Days 2022 announcements and updates be posted in our blog on the club web site www.hodakaclub.org.  They may be reposted elsewhere, but we intend to use this blog as our primary tool to keep folks informed and up to date.

SUMMARY

• 1.        “Hodaka Days” is ON in Athena in 2022
• 2.       Mark your calendar for the last full weekend in June (BUT USE PENCIL for the moment).  As soon as the room cost/availability situation is worked out we’ll get the news out so you can a) make travel plans and b) make those room reservations.
• 3.       If you can, bring a lawn chair you can move around easily – most activities are going to be outside.
• 4.       Git yer bikes ready!  (Don’t wait till mid-June to start on that.)  J
• 5.        . . . and keep the rubber side down

Questions… send an email to info@hodakadays.org