Hawk Talk

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by rojo_grande

My cousin, Marron (brown) Grande from Bee County Texas

Rojo

Yeah, I really liked Bee County, until I found out there are "Big Foots" there. I don't have anything against them, I just don't want to have to answer a lot of dumb questions from tourists looking for one. I guess I'll have to go a little further west, like to George West.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

I guess there is a difference between a wheelie and lofting the front wheel. I think of a wheelie as something done sitting down, at least to start, whacking open the throttle, and up it comes. On the Hawk, jetting issues have to be addressed and maybe the exhaust, as well. Lofting the front wheel is done standing up, feeding in some more throttle, and used for a couple of purposes, crossing a log the most obvious. Now, if you have trouble lofting the front wheel under full control, the placement of the footrests may be the problem. The footrests appear (to me) to be a couple of inches in front of the swinging arm pivot point on the Hawk. One way to find out if this is true is to cheat a little. Try using one of the regular footrests, and one of the passenger pegs. If I'm right, this will shift your weight back to about where the swing arm pivot point is. This will make lofting under control much easier, if I'm right. And, if I'm wrong, well you aren't out very much, right? Remember when you do this, not only is your weight further back, it is also an inch or so higher.

[pistolclass]

I have done a few wheelies with my hawk and find the toughest part of it (besides needed about 10 more HP) is the seat design. That hump thing makes sliding my position on the bike difficult. If I had my way on the Hawks seat design it would loose that hump/saddle thing and go more up the gas tank. On steep grades you want to be way up or back on the seat depending if you ascending or descending.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by pistolclass

I have done a few wheelies with my hawk and find the toughest part of it (besides needed about 10 more HP) is the seat design. That hump thing makes sliding my position on the bike difficult. If I had my way on the Hawks seat design it would loose that hump/saddle thing and go more up the gas tank. On steep grades you want to be way up or back on the seat depending if you ascending or descending.

That's a different way of riding than I do (did). I always stood on the pegs, or crouched (half stood) to control the bikes. I have ridden bikes that would lift the front wheel easily with less than 2/3rds the horsepower the Hawk has. It is all in the balance of the weight, fore and aft. The one thing I dislike most about the Hawk is the style of seat it has. But it is the style everybody seems to want these days. And you can't sell a bike without that style, or so it seems.

[pistolclass]

going down very steep slope i like to hang my bum as far back in the seat as possible. that hump thing impedes this. When I'm climbing a steep and on the throttle I'm sitting on the gas tank. Perhaps it is habit from my old 2 stroke days when I weighed only 135 pounds.

how do others ride on steeps.... And I mean steep, folks from kansas need not respond

in CT we have some serious topography.

[hertz9753]

Originally Posted by pistolclass

going down very steep slope i like to hang my bum as far back in the seat as possible. that hump thing impedes this. When I'm climbing a steep and on the throttle I'm sitting on the gas tank. Perhaps it is habit from my old 2 stroke days when I weighed only 135 pounds.

how do others ride on steeps.... And I mean steep, folks from kansas need not respond

in CT we have some serious topography.

I ride the same way when going downhill. Uphill I'm all over the place trying to find traction. When it's really steep I will make my own trail and usually run into something that I can't get through. I call it the lay over and back up and not a crash. If you slide or tumble down the hill and the bike comes looking for you it's a crash.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by hertz9753

I ride the same way when going downhill. Uphill I'm all over the place trying to find traction. When it's really steep I will make my own trail and usually run into something that I can't get through. I call it the lay over and back up and not a crash. If you slide or tumble down the hill and the bike comes looking for you it's a crash.

I'm not that adventurous yet but you sure drew a good picture

[hertz9753]

I was riding a 1974 Yamaha GT80 when I was really young and that bike was so slow I had to duck walk it over the top of some hills. When I was 14 I got a 1981 Honda XL185S. It had 16HP stock and weighed about 245 with gas. It felt like a rocket to me with 2 more HP and over 50lbs less than a stock Hawk

Not many pictures of a 1981 XL185 out there but the Hawk feels pretty close to XL after the mods for reducing weight and gaining a little more power and the forks similar for some reason...

[culcune]

Thanks for the photo--that bike has helped numerous Chinariders get aftermarket rear sprockets over the years for their enduros.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

I'm not that adventurous yet but you sure drew a good picture

BlackBike, I'm going to reccomend a youtube video for you to watch. It is a English motorcycle training film for dispatch riders. Dispatch riders had to ride all kinds of roads and off-roads in order to get the dispatch to the officer it was intended for. It is in 4 or 5 segments. It starts out assuming you don't know how to ride a motorcycle, but bear with it, as these guys learn how to handle those 16H Nortons in places you wouldn't (yet) take your Hawk. And how to get out of trouble too. I found it when I googled up Norton 16H.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by Ariel Red Hunter

BlackBike, I'm going to reccomend a youtube video for you to watch. It is a English motorcycle training film for dispatch riders. Dispatch riders had to ride all kinds of roads and off-roads in order to get the dispatch to the officer it was intended for. It is in 4 or 5 segments. It starts out assuming you don't know how to ride a motorcycle, but bear with it, as these guys learn how to handle those 16H Nortons in places you wouldn't (yet) take your Hawk. And how to get out of trouble too. I found it when I googled up Norton 16H.

Actually, I googled up youtube-norton16h. If you have a short attention span, only watch part 3. Otherwise, start at the beginning.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Ariel Red Hunter

BlackBike, I'm going to reccomend a youtube video for you to watch. It is a English motorcycle training film for dispatch riders. Dispatch riders had to ride all kinds of roads and off-roads in order to get the dispatch to the officer it was intended for. It is in 4 or 5 segments. It starts out assuming you don't know how to ride a motorcycle, but bear with it, as these guys learn how to handle those 16H Nortons in places you wouldn't (yet) take your Hawk. And how to get out of trouble too. I found it when I googled up Norton 16H.

Sounds like something I would download at the flying J...free Internet. Just too expensive with att 4g to watch videos at home. I like to download video frome there. Have watched all 10 long way round episodes, all the races to places and 1 Motocheez "hawk gang" ride.

This is a good opertunitunity to tell my story I picked up last weekend.. on our ranch we have what we call work days. I shreaded for about 6 hours in the common areas and for lunch we had hot tamales, chili and chips etc. I was talking to an older guy that has been a part of our community and he told me that he finally sold his bsa 650 (1952 year model). He is 90 years old but strong as a horse and really only recently started to take it easy. He said in the 50's he was in the Navy for 4 years and one night he was going home along the highway. He came across a motorist that turned out to also be in the Navy and had run out of gas. He said that they chained the bsa to that car and TOWED THE CAR ABOUT 15 MILES to the nearest gas station. He said he remembers that he never got out of 2nd gear but it did it. More testament to those old English steeds.

[hertz9753]

I watched the video and they did the layover on the hill. For some reason I want to join WWII and ride a motorcycle right now.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by hertz9753

I watched the video and they did the layover on the hill. For some reason I want to join WWII and ride a motorcycle right now.

Good, you got it to work. I hope that will help you in your more "adventurous riding". I hope you eventually watch the other two as well. A lot of good tips on riding on there. Especially on using the clutch. Lucky you, your bike is about 150 pounds lighter than what those guys were learning on. Yes, folding foot rests are wonderful - except when you've got to get back down a steep hill you couldn't climb!

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

Sounds like something I would download at the flying J...free Internet. Just too expensive with att 4g to watch videos at home. I like to download video frome there. Have watched all 10 long way round episodes, all the races to places and 1 Motocheez "hawk gang" ride.

This is a good opertunitunity to tell my story I picked up last weekend.. on our ranch we have what we call work days. I shreaded for about 6 hours in the common areas and for lunch we had hot tamales, chili and chips etc. I was talking to an older guy that has been a part of our community and he told me that he finally sold his bsa 650 (1952 year model). He is 90 years old but strong as a horse and really only recently started to take it easy. He said in the 50's he was in the Navy for 4 years and one night he was going home along the highway. He came across a motorist that turned out to also be in the Navy and had run out of gas. He said that they chained the bsa to that car and TOWED THE CAR ABOUT 15 MILES to the nearest gas station. He said he remembers that he never got out of 2nd gear but it did it. More testament to those old English steeds.

A 1952 BSA 650. When you see him again, ask him if it was called the "Golden Flash", and did it have plunger rear suspension.