New Hawk and Magician owner-basic questions
 

:hi:
Currently I am the proud owner of a 1975 CBF550. I am new (and super excited) to owning a China bike and am really hoping for some (I think) simple answers from experienced owners. Recently, I purchased 2 X-Pro Hawk 250's and 1 Magician-have not yet arrived. I have been doing some research and have decided to replace the carburetors of all 3 when they arrive (during the initial setup). These bikes will 90% "gentle" trail ride and 10% paved road. I am mainly focused on reliability, not overly concerned with top end speed and my altitude is 6700'.
Should I also consider replacing suspension? If so, with what?
What is the size of the carb in the Magician? I can't find this answer anywhere. I assume (since both manufactured by RPS and 250's) that it's the same VM26 30mm as the Hawk?
Will the stock exhaust withstand my altitude with the new carb on the hawk?
How is the electrical system in general?
Thank you for any help with these questions and please let me know anything that you feel is important for a newbie like me.
:thanks:

Step 1: CHANGE THE OIL!!

About half of us with Hawks still have the factory carb on them, we just re-jetted them so that they're actually useable. But the #1 thing you can do for the bike is change the oil as soon as you get it! The jury is split on whether you should change the oil immediately, or run it just long enough to get the oil warm and then change it, but either way, the oil should be the first thing you do. I ran my Hawk a few minutes to get the oil warm and then changed it, and it doesn't seem to be any worse for the wear. After that, make sure every nut, bolt, screw, and threaded fastener is tight (loctite is going to be your best friend). Also a good time to put a new chain and sprockets on. The stock chain might as well be made out of bailing twine, and the sprockets are geared so tall the bike won't go any faster than 45mph, but it will climb right up a tree. I would also recommend the exhaust upgrade (I've done it and I'm really happy I did), and the electrical system is perfectly adequate as long as you're not running heated grips and air compressors. Hope this helps!

Hawk and magician use the same carb. Intakes and air boxes are the only real difference. Engine is identical minus the side covers saying Hawk and Magician.

At your altitude you might actually find the stock carb jetting to be sufficient, but I wouldn't talk anybody out of installing a carb you can properly adjust the jetting of.

The biggest issue with the stock exhausts on the carbureted bikes is the catalyst. It's located close to the motor and very restrictive. At the very least I usually would recommend a de-cat of the stock systems, especially if noise is a concern. As much as the cheaper aftermarket systems really do free up power, they can also be a bit on the loud side. The more name brand systems are more expensive, but come with options for keeping the noise down as well without restricting the exhaust flow very much.

As far as the suspension goes, at a minimum fork oil and setting preload on the forks can go a long way. If you want to get a little more extreme you can look into Cartridge emulator valves like I installed on my Hawk. Not really necessary, but well worth it if done.

The original rear shock isn't too terrible as long as you aren't a big heavy guy. There are ways to "upgrade" it, but I would say decide that when you have ridden the bikes for a while.

The electrical system is "ok". The connectors are cheap and sometimes the crimps done at the factory aren't all that great. The routing of some wires puts them in danger of melting (rear brake switch wiring touching exhaust) or rubbing through, so going over the system and adding looming, zip ties, etc is always a good idea. Some dielectric grease on connectors to help semi waterproof them is also a good idea.

The stock batteries are kind of a crapshoot. Sometimes they last a while, other times they barely function and need replaced in a couple of weeks.

Go over the spokes and tighten them, then after the first 3-500 miles, do so again, then an occasional check now and then is a good idea.

To expand on something Emerikol was talking about, and just my own personal opinion, change the oil out. Go hit up WalMart and grab a gallon jug of Rotella T4 and just change the oil on all three bikes. Rotella T4 is a great oil to break these engines in with as it has a high level of zinc and it is wet clutch safe. After break in, run whatever makes you happy.

Also, set/adjust the valve lash before you even run the bikes. They come set tight and will cause run issues eventually. For break in I suggest setting them to .07mm (.003in) and then you can run them at .05mm (.002in) after that break in period.

As far as reliability and functionality goes, the link to the resource guide in my signature on the first page does a good job of covering a lot of this. Greasing pivots, bearings, etc, or at the very least checking them to know if they have grease or not is a good idea.

Thank you! Emerikol and Megadan-ALL of your advice will be followed. Megadan thanks very much for the resource guide AND your full mod list. I purchased 3 of these bikes because my wife and son want to start riding with me and frankly 3 Japanese bikes all at once is not within my financial capabilities. That's one of the reasons I am so excited about these bikes, I have watched hours of videos and feel that not only can these bikes be made to be reliable but sound like a ton of affordable fun while modifying! Going to be a long 2 week wait for there arrival but I will be stocking the needed parts/oils while I wait.
Thank you again,
Piglife.

P.S>Emerikol, your "my wife says..." tag line is absolutely hilarious! After 25 years of marriage I can relate:-)

You my friend have a boatload of fun ahead of you!