Hawk engine swap ideas?
 

I Was wondering what type of engine would fit in the hawk. I've seen a thread before on somone swapping their engines with a actual yamaha one, in which i was wanting to do the same, as well as use a 450cc instead of a 250. It should be something that just bolts right up and only needs minor work. Does someone have an idea of what type of model the hawk is a replica of?

WildAlaskan put a Honda 450(?) motor in his Lifan years ago. By no means a bolt-in but wow...it was fast for a while! Strange seeing a GY5 stand it up on the rear tire!

I'd imagine you'd have to go with a Honda-something, just because that's what the original motor is cloned after.

My Zongshen Sierra 200 (ZS200GY-2) came equipped with a virtual copy of a Yamaha TW200 engine. This engine shares the same engine block with the Yamaha XT225, TT-R225, and TT-R230 engines. That is why I could bolt a Yamaha engine into my Zongshen frame, with a perfect fit. ;) You can read about my engine swap at the following link. :)

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=15995

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps3wuhphf7.jpg

I don't know what engine, if any, might fit your Hawk. However, I'm hoping someone will chime in with the information you seek. :)

I'm really wondering the same thing. I'd love to put something around 300-400cc on it. I could probably find an older bike at a junk yard or something, but I just don't know what could bolt in to the Hawk frame. Anyone knowledgeable with this that would know what motor to look for?

Added weight and power will weaken the bike structure ,it was not built for it.l'm having a blast with the Hawk since I added a few horses to it.

I just can't see spending the time on a CB to do an engine transplant.I can usually find a good used Japanese bike for the same money.I'm a tinkerer,and that's why I like the CB's.Not enough to do an engine swap.If it's a direct swap in, and gives some benefit other than to much power for the design,I'm all for it.

With a welder and a grinder (:lol:), I think a little motor mount rearranging would certainly be doable. If the deal is there for the engine how can you resist? Gusset and strengthen frame as needed.

The frame or architecture is the same as the XR/XL 185and 200 (as Jeffrey says), and the CRF230 would also bolt in. That's it for bolt-ins. Anything bigger would take a welder. I wouldn't hesitate to adapt an XR400, XT350 or DR400.

But the Hawk has a bottom cradle and the old XL and XR's used the engine as the bottom stress point. How easy would it be to put one of those in a Hawk?

Maybe a BSA B-40, B-44, and/or B-50 could be shoehorned in there. Should make it pretty lively!

B-40
 

While that was a tongue-in-cheek suggestion yesterday, I was remembering that the B-40, being a short stroke engine, might just fit in there. 350 cc means much more torque. And this engine is pretty mildly tuned, so has a wide torque band. Be happy, you guys. I was originally going to suggest an iron-head Sportster engine for this project!

With a welder and a little fab experience, not that hard. It's a matter of creating motor mounts to match the new motor, and then ensuring that the motor is basically level with proper alignment between the countershaft sprocket and the rear sprocket. You might run into issues with the shifter and kicker, but they can be overcome. If the new motor is considerably taller than the original, it could make things difficult.

Now ...Lester go scrape up that 400 :clap:

A Welder and Grinder and whatever motor is the best deal.... :)

Well, if you already own said items. Those can get pretty pricey.

I can always find someone though that already has a welder and grinder.