Hawk questions

[Lit Hawk]

So in the mornings when I take my hawk to work the first street I hit the speed limit is 45. For some reason the bike acts like it doesn't catch and just kinda revs at about 35mph. I have to just cruise for about 5 min and then it'll start riding normally and it'll let me go faster than 35-45 mph. Is this normal to do this on initial warm up it doesn't seem to do it in the evening when I leave work. Just in the morning. My second question is I take my bike in the mud quite often and usually wash it right after. What should I do about my chain after I wash it? Usually I'll wash the bike and just spray the chain with wd-40. I would like to just wash the bike and that's it but it seems like I should be taking the chain off and soaking in lube. What do y'all do about cleaning chain?

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Lit Hawk

So in the mornings when I take my hawk to work the first street I hit the speed limit is 45. For some reason the bike acts like it doesn't catch and just kinda revs at about 35mph. I have to just cruise for about 5 min and then it'll start riding normally and it'll let me go faster than 35-45 mph. Is this normal to do this on initial warm up it doesn't seem to do it in the evening when I leave work. Just in the morning. My second question is I take my bike in the mud quite often and usually wash it right after. What should I do about my chain after I wash it? Usually I'll wash the bike and just spray the chain with wd-40. I would like to just wash the bike and that's it but it seems like I should be taking the chain off and soaking in lube. What do y'all do about cleaning chain?

Sounds like your clutch cable is set to tight. You should have at least 1/8" play in the clutch lever. As far as the chain you need to take it off and soak it in some synthetic gear oil. Pick up some chain lube so that you can spray it every once in a while to maintain it between cleanings.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by Lit Hawk

So in the mornings when I take my hawk to work the first street I hit the speed limit is 45. For some reason the bike acts like it doesn't catch and just kinda revs at about 35mph. I have to just cruise for about 5 min and then it'll start riding normally and it'll let me go faster than 35-45 mph. Is this normal to do this on initial warm up it doesn't seem to do it in the evening when I leave work. Just in the morning. My second question is I take my bike in the mud quite often and usually wash it right after. What should I do about my chain after I wash it? Usually I'll wash the bike and just spray the chain with wd-40. I would like to just wash the bike and that's it but it seems like I should be taking the chain off and soaking in lube. What do y'all do about cleaning chain?

First problem might be solved by starting on full choke, running down the street on half choke for 3-5 minutes, then going no choke the rest of the way. Now to the chain issue. This has worked for me ever since I learned this trick when I was about 16 yrs old. Take the chain off and swizzle it around in a pan with kerosene, or, if you are brave, and doing this in the back yard (NOT IN THE GARAGE!!!), gasoline. hang it up to dry. Go to the store and get a couple of containers of Gulf Canning Wax. Warm the canning wax until it is liquid, but no hotter, and "cook" the chain in the wax for a couple of hours. Then pull it out and let the excess run back in the pan. Turn off the heat and pour the remaining wax back in the containers for next year. Do not use WD-40 on the chain. Just rinse the mud off with a hose. Do not hit it with a pressure washer. Chain should go at least a year, if treated this way. You can add graphite to the wax, if you so desire...ARH

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Ariel Red Hunter

First problem might be solved by starting on full choke, running down the street on half choke for 3-5 minutes, then going no choke the rest of the way. Now to the chain issue. This has worked for me ever since I learned this trick when I was about 16 yrs old. Take the chain off and swizzle it around in a pan with kerosene, or, if you are brave, and doing this in the back yard (NOT IN THE GARAGE!!!), gasoline. hang it up to dry. Go to the store and get a couple of containers of Gulf Canning Wax. Warm the canning wax until it is liquid, but no hotter, and "cook" the chain in the wax for a couple of hours. Then pull it out and let the excess run back in the pan. Turn off the heat and pour the remaining wax back in the containers for next year. Do not use WD-40 on the chain. Just rinse the mud off with a hose. Do not hit it with a pressure washer. Chain should go at least a year, if treated this way. You can add graphite to the wax, if you so desire...ARH

I just did this again . Along with straightening a bent link back in line with my vice and locking pliers, I added dry graphite to the hot wax as someone suggested. Must have added 5 horsepower.

[pete]

wondering if the clutch slips till the oil warms up
& thins out....Oil not squessing out from between the plates
while cold/thicker..
It can make a big diffrents... the Auto clutchs in my 2 bikes
if i set them with cold oil they slip... warm the oil up then
adjust them & the clutches bite hard.. I just have to use
them as a manual till the oil warm up..
So hot & cold oil makes a big diffrents...


..

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

I just did this again . Along with straightening a bent link back in line with my vice and locking pliers, I added dry graphite to the hot wax as someone suggested. Must have added 5 horsepower.

I would never trust a chain with a straightened link to not fail. Metal has been stressed. I would either replace the bent link with a new master link, or buy a new chain. Glad you tried the graphite treatment, it always worked very well for me...ARH

[Lit Hawk]

Thanks ARH I will definitely try your chain method. I definitely think my clutch is slipping till it warms up I also have no play in my clutch so I will adjust that. What oil do y'all use in your hawk? I'm using the rotella 15w40 for diesal, is this recommended. Now to a new problem, this morning on my way in to work I noticed my speedometer not working ugh. I didn't drive it yesterday but the day before I did and it was working fine. The last thing I did to it Tuesday night was wash it. Anybody know why it would suddenly stop working. Thanks guys.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Lit Hawk

Thanks ARH I will definitely try your chain method. I definitely think my clutch is slipping till it warms up I also have no play in my clutch so I will adjust that. What oil do y'all use in your hawk? I'm using the rotella 15w40 for diesal, is this recommended. Now to a new problem, this morning on my way in to work I noticed my speedometer not working ugh. I didn't drive it yesterday but the day before I did and it was working fine. The last thing I did to it Tuesday night was wash it. Anybody know why it would suddenly stop working. Thanks guys.

Check to make sure the cable is all the way screwed in at the speedometer and at the wheel.

[Lit Hawk]

Yes I checked both ends were tight I even unscrewed them and tightened up again.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Lit Hawk

Yes I checked both ends were tight I even unscrewed them and tightened up again.

Did you pull the cable out to see if is broken? if it is I have a cable I can send you. If it's the speedometer you may want to consider upgrading to the digital cluster. Stock clusters are way off. I have the stock cluster I pulled off my bike if you need it.

[Lit Hawk]

Thanks Jerry, From what I saw it didn't look broke but I'll have to take another look to make sure. I do want a digital cluster eventually I just can't afford it at the time. I'll take another look at it later when I get off work. If it's not the cable and does end up being the cluster is it repairable. Ever since I got the bike it was off by 10mph but it also bounced around a lot. Is this normal for it to bounce so much? I'm thinking not and maybe I just got a faulty cluster.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Lit Hawk

Thanks Jerry, From what I saw it didn't look broke but I'll have to take another look to make sure. I do want a digital cluster eventually I just can't afford it at the time. I'll take another look at it later when I get off work. If it's not the cable and does end up being the cluster is it repairable. Ever since I got the bike it was off by 10mph but it also bounced around a lot. Is this normal for it to bounce so much? I'm thinking not and maybe I just got a faulty cluster.

Mine was about 10mph off but worked. Also the odometer is in kilometers. Just let me know if you need it. I'll send it all to you. I don't plan on putting it back on.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Lit Hawk

What oil do y'all use in your hawk? I'm using the rotella 15w40 for diesal, is this recommended.

A lot of us use the same oil you are using. Diesel oils/General purpose oils are actually very good for motorcycle use when the gearbox, clutch, and engine share oil. It contains more compression additives, which help the oil stay stable and resist being "Squished" out of bearing and contact surfaces under load as well as resist breakdown from shearing forces. It also contains a higher level of detergents to suspend contamination in the oil (clutch material in a bikes case) keeping the internals and passages of the motor clean.

The real key to this oil working so well is also its complete lack of friction modifiers. In many automotive oils, they add substances to help make the oil more slippery. The issue with these additives is that they make wet clutch discs more slippery, and as a result - you guessed it - the clutch slips. That is why motorcycle oils list if they are safe for wet clutches (not all are!) This wet clutch rating is also known as JASO MA certified. If you look at the back of the bottle on Rotella T4 and T6, you will find that JASO MA certification on the bottle.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Ariel Red Hunter

I would never trust a chain with a straightened link to not fail. Metal has been stressed. I would either replace the bent link with a new master link, or buy a new chain. Glad you tried the graphite treatment, it always worked very well for me...ARH

I know your right , cheap enough too. Will get another coming

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Lit Hawk

Thanks Jerry, From what I saw it didn't look broke but I'll have to take another look to make sure. I do want a digital cluster eventually I just can't afford it at the time. I'll take another look at it later when I get off work. If it's not the cable and does end up being the cluster is it repairable. Ever since I got the bike it was off by 10mph but it also bounced around a lot. Is this normal for it to bounce so much? I'm thinking not and maybe I just got a faulty cluster.

May have very well bounced around enough due to some quirky bind position and lack of lube causing it to break. Undo it at the bottom gear housing and simply pull the inner drive line and you Will determine right quick if it's broken easily enough. Go back with it slathered with grease of some kind as long as you got it pulled.