Hodaka Super Rat reviews

Oh yea, the old Super Rat 100! I'm 47 yrs. old and still miss the Rat I bought new when I was young. $512 after tax was what it cost (I remember working several summer jobs to get the cash). Most remembered of my rat is how easy it was to ride a wheelie about as far as I could stand it! Miss ya ole' RAT! Show less

I had two Hodakas as a teenager in the 70's. My first,an Ace 100,was underpowered but nearly indestructible. The second,a Combat Wombat(almost as dumb a name as V-Strom)had been tweaked by the previous owner;fairly fast,but the suspension was crap.When my friends were rebuilding their Suzuki TMs(remember those?),I was out tearin'it up.Fun,fun,fun...end of flashback. Show less

I too had a Super Rat. Without question one of the best overal values I've ever had in a motorcycle. It always started, torque up the ying yang, and fun to ride. Smoked everyone I rode with that had a Yamaha, Honda, or Kawasaki. It took at least a 250 or bigger to keep up with me. I hated to sell it... and consider it a BIG mistake, even thirty two years later. Show less

Absolutly the most colorfull and historic mx bike ever made. People freak out when they see my chrome silver horse. With all the new bikes all plastic and water cooled, you don't stand much of a chance working on them. My rat starts the 1st or 2nd kick every time, and with 13 and one half compression it really screams I will never sell the rat. It also has a padded seat. Show less

The greatest bike I ever owned. Actually mine was a 1970 model. I hopped it up according to the factory guidelines and nobody could touch me in the 100cc MX. I wish I still had it. Show less

I don't know about any 77 Super Rat, but the Model 93 Super Rat (Built from 70 to 73) was a really cool bike. It was cheap, ran like a scalded dog, and put many of us on bikes and racing. It also handled well "In the Day". The other Super Rat, the 1974 Model 98 was just as competitive the year it came out. It had newly mounted reeds and a little meaner engine. It looked like its big brother - the 1974 Model Super Combat 125 (Which replaced the Model 95 Combat Wombat as the fleet racer). These bikes owned the field for about 6 months in 1974 until the big three threw enough money at them to take them down. Show less

I thoroughly restored a '70 Super Rat 'bout 10 years ago, and still own it. I used to want one of these things in the worst possible way, back when I was a boy. So, while my kids did most of the actual riding, the bike is mine, mine, mine! ;-) I happened across the poor little thing whilst looking over a used lawn mower at a bloke's house barely a mile down the road. He had no use for it, he said, and was overjoyed to accept the $50 I flashed at him. Doh! I could probably have picked it up for $20! It was in sad shape; the engine was locked up, the tires were flat, and so on. But a lot of patience and a total engine rebuild soon put everything right. This was probably the closest I'll ever come to totally restoring an old dirt bike, and it was beautiful when finished. But dirt bikes aren't complete without dirt, and so it was ridden regularly, including many vintage and "bomber" motocross races with my son Bobby at the controls. Also, I laid out a small oval short-track on the back 40, and Bobby got really good at short-tracking the thing. Watching him pitch it into the curves wide-open in 2nd gear and cross it up made all the work it took to restore the bike worthwhile. Favorite memory; Bobby winning a pre-monoshock "bomber" race (at Rose Racing in Somerville, TN) aboard the Rat. He was running against 250 and 350 machines, even one 500! The guy on a clapped-out TT-500 Yamaha nearly pulled by him at the end, but Bobby hung on for the win. He was more proud of that than of any other racing success, I think (as was I!). Of course, we won't mention the fact that he was in absolutely top physical condition, while the other contestants were all old and/or fat..:-) He beat the big bikes with a Super Rat, dammit, that's what counts! ];-) Show less

I had many junk motorcycles as a kid. In todays view by many people a lot of my old junk is considered to be better than I ever thought. I think the first good handling bike was my super rat. Things like window port piston, 32mm amal carb and constant loss ignition made it go fast to. I've had many bikes since then and sold most. I still have lots of BSA's a Bultaco and I kept my Super Rat! Jeff Show less

I bought a Super Rat new in 1974. Raced it once but mainly rode trails all over the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. I don't think there has ever been a bike so easy to maintain and ride as the Super rat. I abused the heck out of it and it never missed a lick. I have owned several bikes since then, Bultacos, Kawasakis, and Hondas, but the Hodaka was the most fun. Not the fastest, not the best suspension, but by far the most fun. This bike was made for more than "the average run-of-the-mill racer of distinction". (Some of you old timers will remember this from a Hodaka brochure.) 5 Star Rating for FUN! Show less

I am 18yrs old and got i sucked into the hodaka lifestyle through my dad, who used to ride hodaka all the time. Now our little "hobby" has turned into part time work. As we now have over 50 bikes currently sitting in our garage waiting to be worked on, tuned up and sold, whenever i can find the time. i find that these bikes are some of the most unique bikes out there. i love the styling. The large chrome gas tank is one of a kind. anyone who knows anything about old bikes will instantly recognize them. As far at the reliablity of them, considering they are 30 yrs old and most of the ones that i own have been left to the elements for the greater part of 2 decades they have been extreamly reliable, and i have few problems with them. I love my hodakas and will continue to work on them and sell them for years to come. Show less