Jim from Buffalo

jimwildman · 06-08-2016, 08:35 AM

hello,
I bought a red hawk from killermotorsports, I womt bother with pics, youve all seen them.

anyway, on assembly it wouldnt even idle.. i pulled the carb, cut slices into the saftey screws with a dremel, and opened it up to find casting material in the bowl, i debured it myself and cleared. the idle jet with a single bristle from a wire brush.

the hawk fired right up and runs perfectly. it doesnt seem lean to me. I wonder how many of these bikes suffer from the same issue.

so based on that i pulled the valve cover and looked over some of the casting there. agAin I found casting material stuck to the alluminum part.

cleaned that up, adjusted the valves, and i guess ill just do a few very short oil changes and look in the old oil for any loose material..

this is a qa issue. if your bike wont idle or runs lean i suggest you clean out all the little specs of casting material in the carb. the jets are soo tiny any little peice of anything will clog them up. a good reason for an in line fuel filter too.

other than that i can tell straight off thet the forks need better oil, and wow are they thin, half the diameter of my yz250. soo keep that in mind when you size up that big jump... bad idea!

the hawk is a trail, or road cruiser, not designed for such aggressive riding as a motocross bike is.

its a great bike, quite, comfy, easy to handle, and the looks are great.

as long as you understand what it is you wont be disapointed by the Hawk!

I also replac d the chain with an rk oring chain and a 17 tooth front sproket before even sitting on th bike. that chain wouldnt hold back my Dog. its seriously weak. and will ruin the sprokets as it streatches.

I would love to find a compatable fork set to rplace the stock forks, that would be my only issue.

believe me there is a reason why a motocross bike has such a large fork.

if this bike had a better fork it would ride and feel exactly like an xr250 i used to have.

Loved the xr250 and ultimatly is why imlooked into the hawk in the first place.

I finnaly heard back from the dealer on my mco request and it had come to them with a mistake on it, they have asked for a new one, at least they picked up on that and didnt send it to me incorrect.

now im waiting for a new one,minlive in the city and litterally cant ride the bike outside my driveway..

that said, anysuggested mods while i wait? I might as well do stuff to it while i wait!

SeerAtlas · 06-08-2016, 09:02 AM

consider lubing the axles/swing arm, clutch cable, and speedo hub housing and cable. also, check w mjsef on this board for one of his nifty digital tach/speedo clusters. maybe the best mod for hawks out there

I have one and its first class! Also, if you haven't already, change the oil and clean the oil strainer. blue locktite every bolt/nut on the frame,forks etc. that you value, get a low profile oil drain plug and start looking for a bash plate.
I have two hawks and luv em, i went for 16/45 gearing for arkansas ozarks street/trail gearing. put one of those battery charging leads on while you have the seat off, you'll find a tool area you can't get to without pulling the seat. go to harbor freight- 5 bucks gets you an airproof /waterproof welding rod tube you can fix to the frame with a stainless circular clamp on the shifter side of the bike on the rear quarter. will give you a GREAT place to store your tools, maps or the infamous "burrito" (a board joke

re tools, walmart has a 1.5 buck canvas paint brush roll up caddy that does a fine job of holding your tools in that tube and makes it easy to fish em in and out. you'll find the diameter of the tube helps balance a a set of small saddlebags

paint the tube to your preference, comes in orange. also start looking for a handy sized magnetic tank bag( the gas tank is steel

.
you might want to pop the rubber blocks out of your foot pegs. if you don't like em practically any of the bear claw pegs will fit. consider a longer shift lever,
then,
prepare yourself for a chit load of FUN

Sport Rider · 06-08-2016, 10:18 AM

how did you find the jetting on the stock carb? did you change them at all? even with removing the casting burrs, I'm surprised you aren't running very lean, particularly when trying to get high end speed.

upgrades.....lots of them.

I did the mikuni knockoff carb along with currently running 117.5/30. I'm going to try some slightly smaller ones. 112.5/27.5 is next for me.

there is an oil cooler you can add. I have had a lot of luck though with running synthetic mobil 1 MC oil after breakin. prior to that, when the oil got hot, I'd have serious clutch problems. clutch would stick and stall when I stopped in traffic.

get yourself some spare brake, clutch, shifter levers.

Sprockets.

I have a hydraulic clutch on order.

there's a hydraulic switch for the rear brake pedal I have on order too.

I put Shinko 244s on mine. they are 50/50 tread. they are much kinder on hard roads.

rear trunk case is practical for holding stuff around town. I use it a lot for my work commute. I got one that the base directly bolted to the 4 bolts on the back end.

the digital tach that was mentioned was a nice upgrade too.

I upgraded to a pod filter for air intake.

one of the members just had the sprocket bolts shear off. I've not had problems, but for 20 bucks, seems like a safe upgrade.

oh....LOCKTITE everything!!!!

Weldangrind · 06-08-2016, 11:18 AM

Welcome!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimwildman

I won't bother with pics, youve all seen them.

Please don't deny us new bike pics.

I've found that really old XR200 triples will bolt into most Honda clone China bikes. Knowing that (bear with me, here), an '85 XR250 front end might bolt on as well. The '85 version had a cable speedometer and a disc brake. I bolted a complete assembly onto my Son's '83 XR200R.

Bruce's · 06-08-2016, 01:50 PM

Holy crap ! One of my older brothers best friends name was Jim ,he ended up playing for the buffalo sabres ,and he has been known to be called the "wild man" when things got going rough !Jim Weimer was his name .I am guessing you are not him ,but I got a chuckle out of how close it could be .

Azhule · 06-08-2016, 02:09 PM

Might try "Mobil 1 Automatic Transmission Fluid" for your Fork Oil, several folks around here have switched over and like how it makes things feel up front on their bikes (me included)

jimwildman · 06-08-2016, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce's

Holy crap ! One of my older brothers best friends name was Jim ,he ended up playing for the buffalo sabres ,and he has been known to be called the "wild man" when things got going rough !Jim Weimer was his name .I am guessing you are not him ,but I got a chuckle out of how close it could be .

ha,

My brother is a Wildman as well, its my real name.. My father was French Canadian I have no idea about the origins of the name, but can imagine many.

funny thing, when Im tired or depressed my friends start calling me Mildman.

I have a 30mm mikuni here somewhere, I havent taken the hawk out for any speed runs yet so i cant say what it will be like at speed but around the yard its doing fine.

if it goes lean ill dig through my bucket of mikuni's and grab all the jets i can find that will fit the 30mm and work through it.

Iv'e been looking for a nice fitting tank bag for thw hawk, havent made a choice yet. and definetly will grab a burrito tube.

BlackBike · 06-08-2016, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeerAtlas

consider lubing the axles/swing arm, clutch cable, and speedo hub housing and cable. also, check w mjsef on this board for one of his nifty digital tach/speedo clusters. maybe the best mod for hawks out there

I have one and its first class! Also, if you haven't already, change the oil and clean the oil strainer. blue locktite every bolt/nut on the frame,forks etc. that you value, get a low profile oil drain plug and start looking for a bash plate.
I have two hawks and luv em, i went for 16/45 gearing for arkansas ozarks street/trail gearing. put one of those battery charging leads on while you have the seat off, you'll find a tool area you can't get to without pulling the seat. go to harbor freight- 5 bucks gets you an airproof /waterproof welding rod tube you can fix to the frame with a stainless circular clamp on the shifter side of the bike on the rear quarter. will give you a GREAT place to store your tools, maps or the infamous "burrito" (a board joke

re tools, walmart has a 1.5 buck canvas paint brush roll up caddy that does a fine job of holding your tools in that tube and makes it easy to fish em in and out. you'll find the diameter of the tube helps balance a a set of small saddlebags

paint the tube to your preference, comes in orange. also start looking for a handy sized magnetic tank bag( the gas tank is steel

.
you might want to pop the rubber blocks out of your foot pegs. if you don't like em practically any of the bear claw pegs will fit. consider a longer shift lever,
then,
prepare yourself for a chit load of FUN

bogieboy · 06-08-2016, 09:59 PM

welcome from a fellow upstater... sandwiched at the north end of the finger lakes here... right near canandaigua...

Weldangrind · 06-09-2016, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimwildman

I have a 30mm mikuni here somewhere, I havent taken the hawk out for any speed runs yet so i cant say what it will be like at speed but around the yard its doing fine.

if it goes lean ill dig through my bucket of mikuni's and grab all the jets i can find that will fit the 30mm and work through it.

What we've been calling a 30mm Mikuni is actually closer to 26mm. If you have a genuine 30mm, it will be too big for these little motors. The carbs we've been using are 30mm across the inlet, at the leading edge (not the bore near the slider).

jimwildman · 06-09-2016, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

What we've been calling a 30mm Mikuni is actually closer to 26mm. If you have a genuine 30mm, it will be too big for these little motors. The carbs we've been using are 30mm across the inlet, at the leading edge (not the bore near the slider).

I do have a new 30mm mikuni looks about right just eye balling it.

I have a bunch of mikunis, probly 20 or more. Im pretty sure I have one thats close enough.. they work on a pretty wide range of engine sizes. id guess if the bolt pattern fits it will work fine, so long as there isnt a big edge at the inlet, even then some port matching can make it work. I have rebuilt many motorcycle engines over the years, and have many spares.

honestly though im not afraid to drill out the main jet on this carb, im mean its junk either way so why not try it.

or swap it out with a jet from a mik if it will fit.

maybey ill just romp it down the road late at night to see how she goes

jimwildman · 06-05-2017, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Welcome!

Please don't deny us new bike pics.

I've found that really old XR200 triples will bolt into most Honda clone China bikes. Knowing that (bear with me, here), an '85 XR250 front end might bolt on as well. The '85 version had a cable speedometer and a disc brake. I bolted a complete assembly onto my Son's '83 XR200R.

Iv'e just pulled the trigger on a set of 1984 xr350 showa forks with tripple tree.

Im hoping it wont take too much modification to adapt.

Im running a replacement fork on one side now after blowing the seals on a jump. they bottom out soo easily and are just too flimsy at 32mm thats smaller than many 125's.

Weldangrind · 06-06-2017, 01:06 PM

I'm looking forward to seeing your installation!

06-08-2016, 08:35 AM	#1
jimwildman Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 237	Jim from Buffalo hello, I bought a red hawk from killermotorsports, I womt bother with pics, youve all seen them. anyway, on assembly it wouldnt even idle.. i pulled the carb, cut slices into the saftey screws with a dremel, and opened it up to find casting material in the bowl, i debured it myself and cleared. the idle jet with a single bristle from a wire brush. the hawk fired right up and runs perfectly. it doesnt seem lean to me. I wonder how many of these bikes suffer from the same issue. so based on that i pulled the valve cover and looked over some of the casting there. agAin I found casting material stuck to the alluminum part. cleaned that up, adjusted the valves, and i guess ill just do a few very short oil changes and look in the old oil for any loose material.. this is a qa issue. if your bike wont idle or runs lean i suggest you clean out all the little specs of casting material in the carb. the jets are soo tiny any little peice of anything will clog them up. a good reason for an in line fuel filter too. other than that i can tell straight off thet the forks need better oil, and wow are they thin, half the diameter of my yz250. soo keep that in mind when you size up that big jump... bad idea! the hawk is a trail, or road cruiser, not designed for such aggressive riding as a motocross bike is. its a great bike, quite, comfy, easy to handle, and the looks are great. as long as you understand what it is you wont be disapointed by the Hawk! I also replac d the chain with an rk oring chain and a 17 tooth front sproket before even sitting on th bike. that chain wouldnt hold back my Dog. its seriously weak. and will ruin the sprokets as it streatches. I would love to find a compatable fork set to rplace the stock forks, that would be my only issue. believe me there is a reason why a motocross bike has such a large fork. if this bike had a better fork it would ride and feel exactly like an xr250 i used to have. Loved the xr250 and ultimatly is why imlooked into the hawk in the first place. I finnaly heard back from the dealer on my mco request and it had come to them with a mistake on it, they have asked for a new one, at least they picked up on that and didnt send it to me incorrect. now im waiting for a new one,minlive in the city and litterally cant ride the bike outside my driveway.. that said, anysuggested mods while i wait? I might as well do stuff to it while i wait!
	6

06-08-2016, 09:02 AM	#2
SeerAtlas Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 770	consider lubing the axles/swing arm, clutch cable, and speedo hub housing and cable. also, check w mjsef on this board for one of his nifty digital tach/speedo clusters. maybe the best mod for hawks out there I have one and its first class! Also, if you haven't already, change the oil and clean the oil strainer. blue locktite every bolt/nut on the frame,forks etc. that you value, get a low profile oil drain plug and start looking for a bash plate. I have two hawks and luv em, i went for 16/45 gearing for arkansas ozarks street/trail gearing. put one of those battery charging leads on while you have the seat off, you'll find a tool area you can't get to without pulling the seat. go to harbor freight- 5 bucks gets you an airproof /waterproof welding rod tube you can fix to the frame with a stainless circular clamp on the shifter side of the bike on the rear quarter. will give you a GREAT place to store your tools, maps or the infamous "burrito" (a board joke re tools, walmart has a 1.5 buck canvas paint brush roll up caddy that does a fine job of holding your tools in that tube and makes it easy to fish em in and out. you'll find the diameter of the tube helps balance a a set of small saddlebags paint the tube to your preference, comes in orange. also start looking for a handy sized magnetic tank bag( the gas tank is steel. you might want to pop the rubber blocks out of your foot pegs. if you don't like em practically any of the bear claw pegs will fit. consider a longer shift lever, then, prepare yourself for a chit load of FUN __________________ Seer's First LAW-"FLY THE PLANE!", fail that, and nothing else matters. 12th Law- Consider what marvels you might do if only you had tomorrow to live over again. Third Law-When someone tells you some thing "Can't Be Done", what they're really saying is They can't do it!!14th Law-Just because something "IS", doesn't necessarily mean it SHOULD be.. Eighth Law-The only true personal security is anonymity.Ninth Law-Humans tend to learn very little when speaking.10th Law-Some lives ARE worth taking
	1

06-08-2016, 02:09 PM	#6
Azhule Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: CO Posts: 1,525	Might try "Mobil 1 Automatic Transmission Fluid" for your Fork Oil, several folks around here have switched over and like how it makes things feel up front on their bikes (me included) __________________ "Think as you like... but this self proclaimed Professor is always right" - Buckshot "You never know what someone is hiding beneath their smile..." - NinjaTom - R.I.P.
	0

06-06-2017, 01:06 PM	#13
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	I'm looking forward to seeing your installation! __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

06-08-2016, 10:18 AM	#3
Sport Rider Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Mooresville NC Posts: 2,038	how did you find the jetting on the stock carb? did you change them at all? even with removing the casting burrs, I'm surprised you aren't running very lean, particularly when trying to get high end speed. upgrades.....lots of them. I did the mikuni knockoff carb along with currently running 117.5/30. I'm going to try some slightly smaller ones. 112.5/27.5 is next for me. there is an oil cooler you can add. I have had a lot of luck though with running synthetic mobil 1 MC oil after breakin. prior to that, when the oil got hot, I'd have serious clutch problems. clutch would stick and stall when I stopped in traffic. get yourself some spare brake, clutch, shifter levers. Sprockets. I have a hydraulic clutch on order. there's a hydraulic switch for the rear brake pedal I have on order too. I put Shinko 244s on mine. they are 50/50 tread. they are much kinder on hard roads. rear trunk case is practical for holding stuff around town. I use it a lot for my work commute. I got one that the base directly bolted to the 4 bolts on the back end. the digital tach that was mentioned was a nice upgrade too. I upgraded to a pod filter for air intake. one of the members just had the sprocket bolts shear off. I've not had problems, but for 20 bucks, seems like a safe upgrade. oh....LOCKTITE everything!!!!
	1

06-08-2016, 01:50 PM	#5
Bruce's Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Sudbury ,Ontario Posts: 855	Holy crap ! One of my older brothers best friends name was Jim ,he ended up playing for the buffalo sabres ,and he has been known to be called the "wild man" when things got going rough !Jim Weimer was his name .I am guessing you are not him ,but I got a chuckle out of how close it could be .
	0

06-08-2016, 09:59 PM	#9
bogieboy Join Date: May 2013 Location: finger lakes NY Posts: 2,045	welcome from a fellow upstater... sandwiched at the north end of the finger lakes here... right near canandaigua...
	0