Potential new owner: now which one? - Page 2

Ina Ditch · 10-23-2020, 05:14 PM

Gwowzer makes excellent points, tires are limited but the recon tires are o.k. for off road even though I would prefer something much more aggressive. I too shied away from efi for the same reasons but if I was a better mechanic and much, much more patient I may have been willing to gamble but being the tool thrower I am I thought it best to keep it as simple as possible.

Goob · 10-25-2020, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeCoY

I bought a Hawk 250 (Carb model) here in Denver at 5,000 ft. The thing runs flawlessly around town, and required no additional work to run well at 11,000ft on the trails, completely stock.

The ONLY thing you should be very aware of, is that the Carb model is lacking the FMVSS certification, which can make the bike more difficult to plate in many states. I personally had to register mine in South Dakota because Colorado is dumb, the plates should come in the mail in a day or so, can't wait.

For easier registration, the DLX has all the highway certifications, but it will depend on your state. Either get the DLX, call your DMV, or be prepared to ride with SD plates like me lol.

(It's a big thumbs up from me for the Hawk 250, I LOVE this bike!)

I ended up with Vermont plates for my Orion RXB150. Did my best at the Denver DMV, but, like you, a no-go. I hadn't heard about SD until I had already sent in my Vermont stuff. They just cashed the check Friday, so I should get plates soon.

I mainly wanted them to legally and without hassle get from trail to trail up in Grand County where I do most of my riding. Of course, most of these trails are likely all burned over now!

Cool thing is I can ride it occasionally in Denver too. I sort of like the Green with white lettering on the Vermont plates. There are still lots of cars and motorcycles around with the same looking old Colorado plates (my 1987 Dodge Caravan for one). Maybe less cause for some cop to pull me over.

DeCoY · 10-25-2020, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goob

I sort of like the Green with white lettering on the Vermont plates. There are still lots of cars and motorcycles around with the same looking old Colorado plates (my 1987 Dodge Caravan for one). Maybe less cause for some cop to pull me over.

Yeah I too liked the Vermont idea because the plates look more like CO plates, but I swear I read somewhere it might be more difficult in Vermont, so I went with the sure thing which is SD.

My long term plan is to hopefully try to transfer the title/reg over and cross my fingers that the DMV allows it since it's already a titled bike, but only time will tell.

tknj99 · 10-27-2020, 10:49 AM

After a few more days of research, i'm now focusing on the Brozz 250 primarily for the counterbalanced engine. As i will probably be doing a fair share of street riding, i would hate to have buzzy vibrations ruining the experience. I spoke with Jeff at Peacepower, great guy btw, and right now they only have the Brozz in black or the recon models in desert beige or army green.. im leaning more towards the base Brozz with the 50/50 tires and may wait a bit to see if any other colors come in, i like the look of the blue model.. plus maybe a Biden win might signal tariff cuts for China and lower the cost of these buys, wishful thinking

JerseyTBR7 · 10-27-2020, 10:55 AM

I have the 2021 TBR7, and it is fine and half the price. It is easily registered for street use here in New Jersey, which is one of the strictest states to register.

tknj99 · 10-27-2020, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyTBR7

I have the 2021 TBR7, and it is fine and half the price. It is easily registered for street use here in New Jersey, which is one of the strictest states to register.

Looks very similar to the base Hawk 250 and same price point. You don't experience much vibration at cruising or highway speeds?

tknj99 · 10-28-2020, 01:10 PM

I like the Hawk DLX for EFI and larger wheels and like the Brozz for counterbalanced engine and presumably better quality with its Lifan engine but at the same price point the only thing holding me back from the DLX is whether or not the vibration from its non-counterbalanced engine is significant or not?
We have a Tao DBX1 and that rides fine and its also non-counterbalanced but with 140cc engine so not sure if thats a good comparison or not. any help to further sway me is greatly appreciated, thanks

JerseyTBR7 · 10-28-2020, 02:06 PM

I added inexpensive rubber washers in some areas to eliminate some panel buzzing. I am awaiting new sprockets to lower the gear ratio down, which will lower the rpm's down at higher speeds. The engine, when its is running at normal rpm ranges, is fine. The bike from the factory is really geared for pure off-road. The sprockets and chain are negligible cost off ebay and relatively simple to swap. An $80 exhaust kit makes it sound right and $30 minkuni carb makes run right.

It is a street legal dirt bike, not a cruiser. This type of bike I would likely guess from any manufacturer never will never be a smooth heavy cruiser. Weight can only do that. Parts on dirt bikes are light and thin, by design. A very different animal to set expectations on this segment of shopping for you.

Going upwards in price range from this price point would lead me personally to exploring the used bike market for something more substantial. I bought mine as a very inexpensive, throw around, bounce around, not feel bad about dropping on trails, light trail bike I could also use on the street. All of the 250cc variants appear very similar, with some having higher quality parts in some areas (ex. shock, forks, fuel injection).

It really depends on how much you are willing to spend and feel happy about it still. My target was the lowest price point and still be street legal. Hope this helps.

tknj99 · 10-28-2020, 03:14 PM

Thx JerseyTBR7 i appreciate that input.. i think whats been throwing me off lately has been my thought of a do-it-all type bike. I'm currently in the process of selling my ZX14R and originally planned to get an inexpensive bagger cruiser with windshield and all and then add one of these sub 2k dual sports to ride alongside my son and for backroads.. but then i thought, hmm... if im mostly into back road scenic rides with occasional dirt, perhaps one of these bikes could do it all but i think ill need to go back to my original plan so that im not so restricted on the road and have capability to ride highway and get out of the way of cars when needed in addition to an easygoing relaxed cruising speed rpms bike.
With that being said, and where money would be the driving factor, its very compelling to save the $500 and get the base Hawk, struggling with whether its worth the extra money or not.. SRKcycles seemed to think it was as well as our good buddy MotoCheez

JerseyTBR7 · 10-29-2020, 09:40 AM

The hawk looks nice. It was not a road legal option in New Jersey. TBR7 registered with zero issues. Plus, it appears the TBR7 is slightly better on some features and quality, but appears really negligible. Its a light, knock around, have fun small engine, lower power inexpensive budget road legal dirt scooter. I take it on the roads and drives just fine, but certainly not a cruiser or something I would want on a highway regularly. It does not hold a candle to something like a Royal Enfield Himalayan for more practical budget dual sport, but is one third the price. They are different animals, adventure bike versus enduro dirt bike. I admit, I am partial to Enfield.

tknj99 · 11-04-2020, 02:55 PM

Circling back to close this thread.. I just pulled the trigger.. i didnt want to wait anymore as it was just getting frustrating. I ordered a Desert Tan Brozz Recon and am looking forward to getting it soon and will post up pics in a new thread when she arrives. I chose the Recon model instead of the base Brozz because i really liked the looks of the blacked out wheels, triple tree and swingarm.. also i think the knobbier tires should be fine especially around some of the gravel roads i can road close by and with my son.
Thanks again everyone for the help!

10-23-2020, 05:14 PM	#16
Ina Ditch Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: NW-Fl Posts: 305	Gwowzer makes excellent points, tires are limited but the recon tires are o.k. for off road even though I would prefer something much more aggressive. I too shied away from efi for the same reasons but if I was a better mechanic and much, much more patient I may have been willing to gamble but being the tool thrower I am I thought it best to keep it as simple as possible.
	1

10-27-2020, 10:49 AM	#19
tknj99 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Central VA Posts: 1,258	After a few more days of research, i'm now focusing on the Brozz 250 primarily for the counterbalanced engine. As i will probably be doing a fair share of street riding, i would hate to have buzzy vibrations ruining the experience. I spoke with Jeff at Peacepower, great guy btw, and right now they only have the Brozz in black or the recon models in desert beige or army green.. im leaning more towards the base Brozz with the 50/50 tires and may wait a bit to see if any other colors come in, i like the look of the blue model.. plus maybe a Biden win might signal tariff cuts for China and lower the cost of these buys, wishful thinking
	0

10-27-2020, 10:55 AM	#20
JerseyTBR7 Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 130	I have the 2021 TBR7, and it is fine and half the price. It is easily registered for street use here in New Jersey, which is one of the strictest states to register.
	0

10-28-2020, 01:10 PM	#22
tknj99 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Central VA Posts: 1,258	I like the Hawk DLX for EFI and larger wheels and like the Brozz for counterbalanced engine and presumably better quality with its Lifan engine but at the same price point the only thing holding me back from the DLX is whether or not the vibration from its non-counterbalanced engine is significant or not? We have a Tao DBX1 and that rides fine and its also non-counterbalanced but with 140cc engine so not sure if thats a good comparison or not. any help to further sway me is greatly appreciated, thanks
	0

10-28-2020, 02:06 PM	#23
JerseyTBR7 Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 130	I added inexpensive rubber washers in some areas to eliminate some panel buzzing. I am awaiting new sprockets to lower the gear ratio down, which will lower the rpm's down at higher speeds. The engine, when its is running at normal rpm ranges, is fine. The bike from the factory is really geared for pure off-road. The sprockets and chain are negligible cost off ebay and relatively simple to swap. An $80 exhaust kit makes it sound right and $30 minkuni carb makes run right. It is a street legal dirt bike, not a cruiser. This type of bike I would likely guess from any manufacturer never will never be a smooth heavy cruiser. Weight can only do that. Parts on dirt bikes are light and thin, by design. A very different animal to set expectations on this segment of shopping for you. Going upwards in price range from this price point would lead me personally to exploring the used bike market for something more substantial. I bought mine as a very inexpensive, throw around, bounce around, not feel bad about dropping on trails, light trail bike I could also use on the street. All of the 250cc variants appear very similar, with some having higher quality parts in some areas (ex. shock, forks, fuel injection). It really depends on how much you are willing to spend and feel happy about it still. My target was the lowest price point and still be street legal. Hope this helps.
	0

10-28-2020, 03:14 PM	#24
tknj99 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Central VA Posts: 1,258	Thx JerseyTBR7 i appreciate that input.. i think whats been throwing me off lately has been my thought of a do-it-all type bike. I'm currently in the process of selling my ZX14R and originally planned to get an inexpensive bagger cruiser with windshield and all and then add one of these sub 2k dual sports to ride alongside my son and for backroads.. but then i thought, hmm... if im mostly into back road scenic rides with occasional dirt, perhaps one of these bikes could do it all but i think ill need to go back to my original plan so that im not so restricted on the road and have capability to ride highway and get out of the way of cars when needed in addition to an easygoing relaxed cruising speed rpms bike. With that being said, and where money would be the driving factor, its very compelling to save the $500 and get the base Hawk, struggling with whether its worth the extra money or not.. SRKcycles seemed to think it was as well as our good buddy MotoCheez
	0

10-29-2020, 09:40 AM	#25
JerseyTBR7 Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 130	The hawk looks nice. It was not a road legal option in New Jersey. TBR7 registered with zero issues. Plus, it appears the TBR7 is slightly better on some features and quality, but appears really negligible. Its a light, knock around, have fun small engine, lower power inexpensive budget road legal dirt scooter. I take it on the roads and drives just fine, but certainly not a cruiser or something I would want on a highway regularly. It does not hold a candle to something like a Royal Enfield Himalayan for more practical budget dual sport, but is one third the price. They are different animals, adventure bike versus enduro dirt bike. I admit, I am partial to Enfield.
	0

11-04-2020, 02:55 PM	#26
tknj99 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Central VA Posts: 1,258	Circling back to close this thread.. I just pulled the trigger.. i didnt want to wait anymore as it was just getting frustrating. I ordered a Desert Tan Brozz Recon and am looking forward to getting it soon and will post up pics in a new thread when she arrives. I chose the Recon model instead of the base Brozz because i really liked the looks of the blacked out wheels, triple tree and swingarm.. also i think the knobbier tires should be fine especially around some of the gravel roads i can road close by and with my son. Thanks again everyone for the help!
	2