Navajo'daka: A Native American-inspired Hodaka Ace.

Chris Tope is a Texan biologist currently living in a camper trailer in Bangor, Maine, building bikes in the 10-by-12-foot “toy hauler” section of his mobile home. It’s where he built this bike, a 1967 Hodaka Ace 100.

The bike’s story starts at Rice-o-Rama swap meet, where Tope came across a chrome gas tank. “I thought this would be a cool lamp project, so I negotiated and got it for 20 dollars. I got home and started doing research on Hodaka, the manufacturer of the tank. Honestly, I had never heard about Hodaka, which is funny because they were stout bikes back in the day. I had always heard about the vintage TT and track bikes made by Bultaco, Husqvarna, and Penton, but Hodaka never came up. After learning about the company, I fell in love.”

Tope convinced himself that building a tableside lamp out the Hodaka Super Rat tank would be a waste. He needed to do a full-on build. He found a complete 1967 Hodaka Ace 100 on eBay, placed a bid, and won the bike for $120. He then began imagining what the build could look like, deciding to pull inspiration from the Native American art that hung all around his childhood house. “We had art and paintings all over my house growing up, which inspired some of my sketches in my journal — an Indian chief, feathers, a dreamcatcher, a tepee. I thought, ‘This is it, I am somehow going to incorporate this into my Hodaka build.’” And so, Tope settled on a Navajo theme.

Paying homage to Native American culture, Tope commissioned artists to hand-engrave an 1882 Morgan coin and two 1937 Buffalo nickels with a skull in full native headdress and some petroglyphs, then attached the coins to his $20 fuel tank. He wanted the tank, the cholla cactus grips, and vintage saddle blanket seat to attract attention in order to draw people in to discover the small, intricate details, like the gold Hodaka logo hidden among the petroglyphs in the coins. On a hanger under the seat is a dreamcatcher, a gift from his mother.

We had [Native American] art and paintings all over my house growing up, which inspired some of my sketches in my journal — an Indian chief, feathers, a dreamcatcher, a tepee.

It wasn’t easy to find Hodaka parts, but with a lot of digging, Tope managed to source appropriate parts from a few different places. “I’m a perfectionist, so any little piece that was not perfectly polished would bother me,” says Tope. “It took a lot of elbow grease and some long hours to get it to where I was pleased with the result. But I did enjoy working on a Hodaka. They are fun bikes with simple motors and few of the bells and whistles that can make working on a bike frustrating.”

“I don’t feel like I’m ever fully finished with a build, but I am very happy with how this one turned out,” Tope says, reflecting on the unique project he pieced together in the back of his camper. “I never thought a sketch in a notebook or a tank purchased at a swap meet would lead to one of my favorite motorcycle builds to date.”

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Build Specs 1967 Hodaka Ace 100

Navajo'daka Utopeia Moto Hodaka Ace 100 Custom Motorcycle Sand Dune

Owner/Builder Chris Tope
Build Time 8 months
Shop Fifth-wheel toy-hauler
Fabrication/ Assembly Chris Tope
Engine 125cc two-stroke single
Carburetor 28mm Mikuni
Air Filter Modified K&N
Transmission OEM, 5-speed
Exhaust OEM, ceramic powdercoat
Fuel Tank re-chromed coins by J. H. Ranger and Joey Cole
Gas Cap Custom titanium CNC
Frame stretched 3" with filled-in weld seams
Wheels OEM 19" front, 18" rear with Buchanan spokes
Tires F/R Maxxis Maxxcross/Maxxis Surge
Front Fork 30mm Ceriani
Shocks Koni
Handlebars 7/8" Emgo
Handgrips holla cactus wood inlaid with turquoise by Greg Madrigal, CNC sleeves by Mark Atkinson, Hobo Buffalo Nickel bar ends by J. H. Ranger
Hand Control Joker Machine
Headlight Vintage CEV
Taillight Prism Motorcycle Supply
Foot Pegs Joker Machine
Turn Signals Joker Machine
Seat Vintage native saddle blanket seat and seat pan by Counterbalance Cycles
Painter Bill Lebeau