Holy Moley!

[Megadan]

Used my Hawk to get go work today since it was a nice 60 degrees outside. I think I found my setups happy place, because I managed to hit 75mph in the exact same stretch of road where I previously maxed at 71. I was also able to cruise along at 60 with more than 1/4 turn of throttle left.

That speed on a Hawk with occasional cross winds is really scary if you are wondering. Shinko 705s also make a lot of vibration. My behind was getting a bit tingly lol.

Oh, and this is with the silencer in on the exhaust.

[JerryHawk250]

LOL, yes it does get a little scary after 70 mph. You are now officially in the 75 mph club. lol

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

LOL, yes it does get a little scary after 70 mph. You are now officially in the 75 mph club. lol

Yeah, and I havent even put the ported head on yet. Maybe I can join the 80mph club lol

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Yeah, and I havent even put the ported head on yet. Maybe I can join the 80mph club lol

I think Azhule has done 87mph so is possible.


http://chinariders.net/showpost.php?...01&postcount=7

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

I think Azhule has done 87mph so is possible.


http://chinariders.net/showpost.php?...01&postcount=7

Yah but he has the advantage of being quite light. That's moving for someone Dan's size on such a tiny bike. If his jacket would have opened, it would have morphed into a wing suit!

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

Yah but he has the advantage of being quite light. That's moving for someone Dan's size on such a tiny bike. If his jacket would have opened, it would have morphed into a wing suit!

morphed into a wing suit!

[Emerikol]

Out here in the desert, my Hawk tops out at about 65-67 if I lean WAY over the handlebars. The tires are still the stock knobbies, and it gets really sketchy. I'm not at all happy with the bike going anything faster than about 50-55. The ruts/ridges/potholes out here really throw the bike for a loop, too. If you hit a pavement seam, it'll make the bike wander all over the lane. I'm not even interested in trying to get anything else out of the little bike because the steering and suspension is so questionable. It's a fun bike for what it is, and it's my go-to for running errands around town, but sinking a ton of time effort and money into it to try to wring every last drop of performance out of it isn't on my to do list any time in the near (or distant) future. All that being said, I'm glad you guys are having so much fun tinkering around with the bikes, and the numbers you're putting up there are truly impressive!

[Megadan]

If my jacket opened, i would have probably slowed to 50 lol.

I wasnt even tucked in. And yes, I am a huge parachute myself lol

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Emerikol

Out here in the desert, my Hawk tops out at about 65-67 if I lean WAY over the handlebars. The tires are still the stock knobbies, and it gets really sketchy. I'm not at all happy with the bike going anything faster than about 50-55. The ruts/ridges/potholes out here really throw the bike for a loop, too. If you hit a pavement seam, it'll make the bike wander all over the lane. I'm not even interested in trying to get anything else out of the little bike because the steering and suspension is so questionable. It's a fun bike for what it is, and it's my go-to for running errands around town, but sinking a ton of time effort and money into it to try to wring every last drop of performance out of it isn't on my to do list any time in the near (or distant) future. All that being said, I'm glad you guys are having so much fun tinkering around with the bikes, and the numbers you're putting up there are truly impressive!

I will say this, before I got the front end dialed in a bit more between oil weight, volume, and my preload spacers, my Hawk was a bit nervous past 60. It is very stable now. It will only get better once I get my fork brace installed. Not having knobbies helps as well

[Sochin]

Dan, you'll have this thing up to 90 once the head is on.............

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Sochin

Dan, you'll have this thing up to 90 once the head is on.............

I would have to gear down more than I already have to hit 90. 85 may be possible, but I have the disadvantage of being NFL linebacker sized - hence the name megadan. Aerodynamically speaking, I am not the ideal peraon to go chasing speed records

Plus 90mph on a Hawk would be borderline terrifying lol

[Emerikol]

Originally Posted by Megadan

I will say this, before I got the front end dialed in a bit more between oil weight, volume, and my preload spacers, my Hawk was a bit nervous past 60. It is very stable now. It will only get better once I get my fork brace installed. Not having knobbies helps as well

My front tire isn't wearing down at all. I'm not sure what brand of adamantium or unobtainium they used to cast it, but the slightly raised ridges on the outside of each knobby block are still clearly visible some 2000 miles in. I'm down to the last 1/3rd or so on the back tire, but the front just isn't going anywhere. I'm giving some thought to replacing the fork oil, and maybe putting in a little preload. What weight oil did you use and how much? Are there preload spacers from the factory? At 170lbs, it would be really easy to overspring the front end, and that could almost be worse than too much sag. What are your thoughts, Dan?

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Emerikol

My front tire isn't wearing down at all. I'm not sure what brand of adamantium or unobtainium they used to cast it, but the slightly raised ridges on the outside of each knobby block are still clearly visible some 2000 miles in. I'm down to the last 1/3rd or so on the back tire, but the front just isn't going anywhere. I'm giving some thought to replacing the fork oil, and maybe putting in a little preload. What weight oil did you use and how much? Are there preload spacers from the factory? At 170lbs, it would be really easy to overspring the front end, and that could almost be worse than too much sag. What are your thoughts, Dan?

Yeah, the front doesn't wear, it's the lack of weight lol. My 705's still have a lot of the rubber nubs and mold tags on them even after 500 miles. I almost think they are going to outlast the bike at this rate.

I run 15wt oil in my forks. I usually start there, and then go up or down to tailor the dampening to my liking. I run 210ml now in my forks, with 54mm of preload. I also weigh about 90lbs more than you do though. Megadan, the name means something... lol

The stock spacers in my forks were 15mm. My first set of spacers I made were 38mm, and while still a touch soft for me, might actually work out well for you. You can actually swap out the spacers without having to take the forks out. Just do one side at a time. Then sit on it, ride it about, see if you like it, or want to add or remove some. 7/8" OD tubing/pvc cut to length, or you can stack washers in with the original preload spacers until you find what you need.

What you want to aim for is a combined sag (static and rider weight) of about 2 1/2-3 inches with your weight fully on the bike.

From there you can experiment with fork oil levels. I would suggest starting with 160-170ml and take it out for a ride. There are 2 aspects you are looking to tune.

The weight of the oil will alter the compression and rebound dampening. 15wt seems to be effective for most of the owners that have changed out the fork oil, including me. If the damping rate is too stiff, you can always try 10wt, not stiff enough, 20wt.

The level of the oil will change the air spring effect. More oil - higher air spring effect, which is a progressive increase in fork stiffness as the forks compress. If you are riding and feel the suspension is still too soft feeling, add 20ml more to each fork, ride it, repeat. If you feel it is close to ideal but still want a little more, add 10ml to each fork.

If you go too far and it gets too stiff, a big measuring syringe with a hose on the end is an easy way to remove some oil without having to take the forks off. Just make sure that you measure out the amount to remove in the syring, and drain the hose off back into the fork to help keep track of what was actually removed.

I do know that my buddy who is close to your weight rode it with 38mm spacers and 210ml of oil thought it was just about right for him. So, that could be a decent starting point at least.

Welcome to the world of dampening rod fork tuning lol.

[shanesaw]

I haven't rode bikes a long time or a whole lot in general. I don't really know what good forks are supposed to feel like...So maybe that's why I haven't noticed the sketchyness at fast speeds...seems just like riding fast to me...
I can relate with the tingling in the backside though Dan! Haha. That bike sure does vibrate at high speeds.

The only thing that sketches me out is the picture that appears in my head of the bike rattling/falling appart high speeds. I can't help but always think about that when I'm riding at high speeds...

[JerryHawk250]

I found that when I run the 17/40 sprockets I don't have the vibration and the bike just feels safer at higher speeds. With the 15/40's I feel lots of vibration at higher speeds and 16/40 not as bad. I think the high rpm's just makes your brain think you are going faster that you are. I've been running 17/40 lately as I have been doing more street riding.