Are there any short riders (5'2" or shorter) on the Hawk 250 here?
 

I need to hear from other short riders about their experience riding the hawk. I will get either the hawk or the magician as a daily commuter to go 20+ miles daily. My height is 5'2" and this will be an issue on either bike. So I need to know from those of similar height how the hawk treated them. Thanks.

The inseam are more important than body height when riding m/c. Some short ppl are quite leggy...

I may be a tall freak, but my buddy is 5'6 and once his weight is on the bike he can get both feet down pretty well. I think much shorter than that and the hawk will become more of a challenge, however the Seat Concepts seat for the tt250 is 2 inches lower than a stock seat, so that would help a lot.

My inseam is 29".
Thanks to all for your replies.

I have a 29-inch inseam as well. I am also 5'8" and 230lbs in gear. I can barely get my toes down on a Hawk. The suspension is somewhat soft but the seat height is 35 to 35.5 inches. Don't fret. Buy the Hawk. There are options like the SC seat mentioned by MegaManDan. There are shock options and also the option of having smaller rims (19f/17R or 17f/17r) laced on to the hubs, also the most expensive option. Take a few minutes and search for lowering hawk and other similar terms. I know there is a bit of info on doing the job on the cheap.

Im 5'6" with a 30 inseam and have no problems at all.I also weigh about 165 so i dont compress the suspention much.

Didn't we cover this subject on your other post?...ARH

I'm 5'6 with a 29-30 inseam @250lbs I can ALMOST flat foot

You said in another post " I'm 5'2" female, 29" inseam" If you have the money, buy a RPS Viper and build what you want. I have built 2 street legal bikes using the Viper, they cost about $800.00 to start a build.

One person was less then 5' and the other was about 5'2"

Here in MI we can take a Dirt Bike and make it a Street Legal Road Bike and if you do go down the build route, look at the Bridgestone tires, they are a very good road tire, so far.

The other Option, and I think the best, is to find/buy a used/new road bike built from one of the companies from Japan.

There is a problem of assumption here. First, the Viper would be a great option to stay in budget, but it requires the person converting the bike for road use to have the knowledge/ability/time to add the appropriate lighting, gauges, and related switch gear and wiring. Yes, there are kits available that can solve almost all of this, but even that doesn't come without some required level of ability. While you and I wouldn't blink twice at it, she may not have the same "no problem" approach to such a thing.

If you figure in the cost of shipping for both, and the require cost to convert the Viper, the Magician really isn't that much more expensive, and it requires none of the work or hassel required to add all of the road legal gear. They both essentially have the same seat height, so there is no advantage there. Plus, even if it was $200 more expensive to get the Magician, it comes with an 80cc larger engine, which would be much better (in my opinion) for regular road use. Plus, with a $10 front sprocket upgrade, the Magician can easily achieve basic highway speeds without straining the motor too much.

As far as the Japanese bike suggestion. Given her budget and previous posts, I think it is fairly clear that she has explored that route already, but the options and selection are limited and her inability to travel makes that even more difficult. Plus, finding one in good useable shape that doesn't need a lot of maintenance work has also been a problem - something she noted already. From my own experience, any bike in the $1500 or less bracket always tends to need work, sometimes expensive or labor intensive work that she may not be able to do. Part of the reason these Chinese bikes are so popular is that you get something that nobody has abused, but at the cost of having to do little tweaks and fixes here and there.

I have a friend who is 5'2", she went with the magician, it's definitely a better fit for you than the hawk (which I own, 5'10", 32" inseam).

Yes sir, that's the shape of things. And, oh my, but I went on an adventure last night! Found a 99 suzuki gz250 with clean title, less than $1,000, about 32 miles from me. Got my sister to drive me out there after dark because that was the only time the seller (a welder who works 80+ hours a week) had free to meet me and take my money. We get there, I check it over, find a couple loose things, then persuade him to ride the bike and follow us 20 miles down the road to the next little town, just so I could see if the bike performed well. Ha! He had just installed a clutch, and the thing messed up on him mid-ride. He couldn't fix it, so no bike for me last night. Poor guy didn't have a truck to haul it back, so he had to have a buddy tow it for him.

Unless a Honda Rebel or some such falls from the sky and into my front yard in the next hour, I am going to order a magician. Wanted the hawk, but I'm a tired old lady, I want my feet on the ground from the get-go. ;)

Thanks to Megadan and everyone all for your replies. It's been helpful. :)

Another bike to look at is a Yamaha Virago 250. I owned a Yamaha Route 66 which is the same bike. The seat is low enough for you and is very quiet. It was a very dependable bike. I've seen them sell between $1200- 2000 around here. https://texarkana.craigslist.org/mcy...301038271.html https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/mc...321948528.html

That is the story with used bikes, although with a bad clutch you could have probably talked him down a couple hundred more.

I am still against the Magician purchase, but seeing as you plan to use it strictly as a road bike the frame may not be an issue. The only instances I have seen cracked frames the bikes were used off-road. I would still make it habit to inspect the welds on the frame on a regular basis.

Just make sure to take the advice of everybody here and go over every nut and bolt on that bike. Put loctite 242 or 243 on every critical fastener, even engine mount bolts. Change out every fluid too, even the engine oil, before starting it or riding it. Get yourself a spoke wrench to check and tighten the spokes and make sure to check the front and rear wheel bearings to ensure they spin freely as well.

Also, definitely research the Magician fuel tank issues and apply any fixes during assembly and be prepared to either tune the carb. The Hawk carb tuning advice found here will also directly apply to the Magician, so you have an endless resource.

To get a good reliable bike out of it there will be some time and work you need to put in on these bikes. That is why these are so cheap.

As far as Jerry's recommendation on the Virago 250. That is a very good one to consider.

Yes sir. :tup: