New for 2023 RPS Hawk DLX
 

So far it seems the new DLX I picked up from TxPowerSports has all LED lighting and a counterbalanced engine. I’m not sure if there is anything else.

Please chime in if you know of any other new stuff!

Great welds
 

Of course I didn’t remove any paint, but all the welds look like good Q/C. And it came with something that drained out of where the oil goes, not sure what it was but I hesitate to call it oil. But there was a magnetic oil drain plug (17mm head).

223cc
 

223 Motor is NOT currently big bore upgradable by MotoCult as this motor has the 15mm piston connect rod (not 16mm like the 229cc).

Sprockets
 

So mine came with 16/45 stock…

I was out on the trails last weekend and saw a fellah with a brand new Hawk DLX that had the all LEDs and counterbalanced engine. I took a close look at it and the fit and finish was definitely light years above my 2019 carbed Hawk and other Hawks I've seen online and in person, especially the frame welds. He and I rode around together for a little while and his bike ran smooth as butter. I'm glad to see these upgrades and hopefully it will be a consistent practice in the future!

Today I added a new front brake reservoir as I wanted to change the fluid and figured I’d add steel lines too! It’s all SO cheap on the Amazon. If I were to order again I would buy the red (as that’s my choice for farkles) in a 1400mm line instead of 1500. It was a little too long, but will work fine. Some reviews complained about the adjustment screw for the lever fell out. Mine came with locking nyloc nuts, so should be fixed.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

Rest of the new lines
 

I also added speed bleeders while I was at it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tail case
 

Since I use this as my primary small-errand runner I added a rear case that was less than $50 and bolted right in (after drilling new holes) with the included screws.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KCC8TJN...roduct_details
It’s a really cheap case, but detaches and locks. What more could I want!

Had a nice, long, talk with Devin @MotoCult this morning. The ported/polished heads he has will not fit the new 223s. Neither will the head/bottom gaskets! It seems the bolt patterns are different. He’s working with suppliers to get the new parts, but that’s “a slow boat to China” situation. Just be advised if you have a new counterbalanced DLX there are no engine parts for us…yet.

Inspection ports
 

Always something new to discover! I think most of the Hawks have slotted ports. Here you can see mine are internal hex head.

MotoCult
 

Devin @MotoCult is hoping to have full kits for the new 223s by ‘spring’. He’s checking now to see if the 292 cam will fit.

Began having starting issues on my brand new bike and thought I had the dreaded ECU gremlin. Decided to do the air box delete and pod filter, leaving the stock exhaust (baffle removed). The air box is a little more difficult to remove than the vids show on The Tube. When I got to the air box to throttle body I realized it was barely attached! Whomever put it on tightened the clamp and pulled it right off. Needless to say, I ensured the pod was well attached to the throttle body, and it to the intake. Now it starts right up and will just need some running to teach the ECU my setup.

Wish I had a camera to video my mods…maybe start a channel.

what does the brake lever feel like with these new parts? My TBR7 has always been spongy, even though I've bled it numerous times. I figured it was the hose expanding under load. the brake works fine, it just feels weird

Tight
 

Front brake pads/rotors are still breaking in, but they are much firmer with the braided lines. I have no sponginess at all.

New rear shock
 

Finally did it. I replaced the rear shock with a slightly shorter one and it puts my feet much closer to completely flat on the ground.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092ZS8WS8...roduct_details