Wow, New Hawk, Endless Hassle...

[HawkTwoFifty]

So I have been working on a jetting issue on my new Hawk 250 and think it is finally good, except... now I couldnt test it out fully since my tire went flat during my ride causing me to almost crash. So I got home and tried to fill it will air but it didnt fill. So I then tried to fill it with Fix-a-flat so I could desperately go back out to test my jetting but the fix-a-flat poured right out the sidewalls like a leaking dam.

What may this new issue be?? I have owned Japanese atvs and bikes my whole life and never had an issue with a tire not filling with air, and on top of that, having fix-a-flat pour out the sidewalls.

WHAT IS MY ISSUE HERE????

I am almost regretting this Hawk 250 purchase (from Txpowersports.com) as its been over a month now and its endless puzzles to figure out...

[pistolclass]

The Hawks tubes are not so great. I would go out and get a set of thicker tubes and replace both of them.

Once you get it sorted out, I'm sure you will be very happy with it.

My previous bikes were Japanese so I know the frustration. When I went to get back into riding I went to the Honda dealership and had sticker shock on the cost of a new Honda, nearly $6k. I got my hawk for $1,200 and it required tinkering. But once it was dialed in it proved to be quite a nice bike.

Good luck and hang in there.

[HawkTwoFifty]

Originally Posted by pistolclass

The Hawks tubes are not so great. I would go out and get a set of thicker tubes and replace both of them.

Once you get it sorted out, I'm sure you will be very happy with it.

My previous bikes were Japanese so I know the frustration. When I went to get back into riding I went to the Honda dealership and had sticker shock on the cost of a new Honda, nearly $6k. I got my hawk for $1,200 and it required tinkering. But once it was dialed in it proved to be quite a nice bike.

Good luck and hang in there.

Thank you pistolclass for your reply. Do you (or anyone else here) know of a link online where I can buy a decent replacement for these hawk tubes where I wont have this issue happen again?

I havent even put 13 miles on my hawk yet!!!!!! Are the inner tubes made out of paper?? What else should I be aware of going bad on this bike?

I am starting to regret buying this bike.

[HawkTwoFifty]

If my tubes went bad after less than 13 miles, I think the manufacturer of the Hawk 250 should pay for this!!! This is ridiculous.

Does anyone have the contact info for the manufacturer of the Hawk? The manufacturer of the hawk is Haosen right? I bought this bike from TXpowersports, should I contact Haosen or TXpowersports with my complaint?

Very aggravated.

[pistolclass]

I got my tubes from CycleGear. There is a local store here in CT that I just showed them my bike and they pulled them off the shelf. I'm sure I could have saved a couple of bucks by getting them online but I like to support my local store. Because they grabbed them off the shelf I don't remember the size. IT will be a matter of time before other folks here chime in with links to the proper tubes.

As for after purchase service, good luck. TXpowerports is not known for their service. The hassle of dealing with them is not worth the $20 for a tube.

[kirbo7106]

I had the factory front tube come apart at 61 miles. Some people have mentioned that the factory Hawk tubes are made by the Chinese Condom Company!

I bought IRC heavy duty tubes from Amazon. I also replaced the rim strips because the rear rim strip had a tear in it from a spoke nipple. They are also made by IRC. Since I spend at least 50 percent of my Hawk time on paved roads, I switched out the knobby tires for Shinko 244s. I really like the 244s!

I understand about being frustrated with the lack of dealer support. I was ready to sell my Hawk and by a new Kawasaki KLX 250. Then I saw the price tag attached to that new KLX! Which is why I bought new tires, tubes and rim strips!

Like everyone else has said, once you get the bugs worked out, the Hawk is a nice little dual sport motorcycle.

Good luck & hang in there!

[Megadan]

Tubes are one of the many known weak points of these bikes from the factory. I had seemingly better luck than most and managed to get to about 1300 miles before my rear tube decided to die. The tubes are very thin and not made of the best rubber. Replace both and be happy. Get a good brand and replace both as suggested. They aren't an expensive thing to replace.

[timcosby]

if you have fixaflat comming out the sidewalls you got more problems than tubes!

[pistolclass]

I think they were: Front: 80/100 21 Rear: 110/100 18.

But of course cycle gear is out of stock: https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/msr-heavy-duty-tubes

Someone please confirm my sizes.

[Musictrek]

I had very good luck with my original tubes. I put at least 600 miles on them. However, when I changed tires. The spoke rubber band strip was in bad shape. The ends of the spoke fittings were rubbing holes in the rubber rim strip and leaving marks on the thin tube.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by Musictrek

I had very good luck with my original tubes. I put at least 600 miles on them. However, when I changed tires. The spoke rubber band strip was in bad shape. The ends of the spoke fittings were rubbing holes in the rubber rim strip and leaving marks on the thin tube.

I must warn you about this! It means that the spoke threads are protuding through the nipples! Blow-outs possible. Check and adjust your spoke tension, then file the spoke ends so that they do not portrude through the nipples, then either put in new rim strips or use Gorilla Tape to cover the nipples...ARH

[HawkTwoFifty]

Originally Posted by timcosby

if you have fixaflat comming out the sidewalls you got more problems than tubes!

Thanks for the reply timcosby. Does this situation indicate that my tire AND tube is bad? The tire was so flat that I could stick my finger between the wheel and tire. So are my tires the issue as well as the tube??

Thanks.

[HawkTwoFifty]

Also, do I need to buy that 3M tape (mentioned on the 1st page of this thread) to ensure my replacement tubes do not fail? Or can I just buy heavy duty tubes and be fine? How about tires? Should I change out the stock tires as well? I dont want to get stranded far from home because of cheap crappy tires and tubes.

I never expected this to ever possibly be an issue or concern!!

[HawkTwoFifty]

SIGH... just SIGH is how I am feeling right now...

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by HawkTwoFifty

Also, do I need to buy that 3M tape (mentioned on the 1st page of this thread) to ensure my replacement tubes do not fail? Or can I just buy heavy duty tubes and be fine? How about tires? Should I change out the stock tires as well? I dont want to get stranded far from home because of cheap crappy tires and tubes.

I never expected this to ever possibly be an issue or concern!!

Issue? Shouldn't be an issue. You aren't the first guy on here with tube trouble! Just replace the tubes and the rim strips and off you go. Tension your spokes to middle "C" or a little less, check that no spoke ends are portruding, (if they are, file them down) put in the new rim strips, put a little air in the tubes, coat them with baby powder, install the tubes, put the tires back on. Air 'em up, then let the air back out, so the tubes can "find themselves", wait a couple of minutes, air 'em up again, and the job is done. And you have learned a new skill. ......ARH