First enduro. Which model?

[El jefe]

I'm looking at getting my first inexpensive enduro. I can't decide between the Hawk 250 or a BS250. Can anyone explain the difference between them? Also does anyone know what's the difference between the Hawk RPS and the Hawk Cougar? Thank you in advance.

[dearthvader]

I can't recommend the Bashan Storm 250 enough. Quality control on my bike was certainly better than expected. The BS250 is a little more expensive than the hawk; however, it has a nice metal rear rack, better cosmetics (IMO), a balanced engine, inverted forks and I believe a larger gas tank. Front tire on the BS250 is a little smaller than the Hawk. I've ridden my on and off road and I've had excellent results.

[BlackBike]

i agree with dearth... but i am biased since i have a bashan as well.

Most reports are good from the hawk owners too. first note , speedometer/odo are basically incorrect on both units and should just be used as a rough indicator only. Also , both have duel disc brakes.

Hanjin hawks, (companyMispelled) more pure dirt(knobby tires) than street but dual ability. have very nice aggressive styling, have a fuel tank gauge (bashan dont). no rear rack. hard to deny with their attractive pricing!

bashan storms, balanced lifan engines. bashan storm has inverted front forks. more duel sport with more balance toward street with street/dirt tires. has back rack. also have remote start and "security" which is not really useful but is additional feature over the hawk.

pretty much down to styling... main difference ... bashan has rack and balanced engine and inverted forks

the rest of the parts are mostly off the shelf shared source parts commonly available in Chinese production provinces. ( human being... please correct me if i am incorrect. i would love to here your opinion on this hawk vs bashan question)

here are side by side pics in red as close to same profile as i could find them, trying to make this as fair as i see it, good luck with purchase !!! you cant go wrong. and la bienvenida al foro corredores de China (sorry, i used translator)

highly rated and praised seller of hawks, picture below, note wheels and motor mostly shipped in painted black now:
http://www.apscusa.com/New-2015-Hawk...cle_p_472.html


bashan storm, photo is red but Orange is nice!, picture below, note pic shows knobbies on tires, most shipped with duel purpose dirt/street tread:
apscusa.com has it labeled as a Stallion 250 but it is commonly known as a bashan storm.
http://www.apscusa.com/New-2015-Stal...uro_p_627.html

[BlackBike]

Also does anyone know what's the difference between the Hawk RPS and the Hawk Cougar?


unknown

retailers change the name of these bikes to differentiate themselves from other retailers, usually the same common bike if you know what to look for. not nice for consumers .

this apscusa.com place has also been known to answer phone call questions.

[Louis Angel]

I am guessing the CSC "TT" is out of your price range?
The TT would be my pick. And in truth, even being priced so close
to a good used Honda CRF230L, now seeing how awesome CSC is
with it's customers, I would ( most likely will ) buy the TT as my next
Dual Sport.
Having all that been said, if it is strictly down to the Hawk or the BS250,
I would buy the BS250 in a heartbeat!
Don't need a fuel guage. That is what the trip meter and reserve tank lever is for! ( however YES a fuel gauge is real nice to have. When they work )
.
The Lifan balanced engine and inverted forks are well worth the extra $$$$$
IF you can afford the BS250, that's the way to go. ( provided the TT is out of
your budget. )
.
Best of luck!!!!

[Ron B]

What state do you live in? that could answer your question right there.

[Mag00]

Originally Posted by Ron B

What state do you live in? that could answer your question right there.

This would be very important for registering for on road use.

My choice for the Bashan came down to fuel tank size, counterbalanced engine and seat height.

Both bikes are excellent choices. I almost bought the Hawk just to have one. You can't even buy a well used Jap 250 for the price of a new Hawk.

[BlackBike]

true true ron b.

i would have gone for tt250 too but that would have been quite the wait since feb1 for me, and tt are still not delivered unless today is first ship day. you speak the truth my friend. this is a great consideration since you have total , i mean, total support for that product compared the the rest. not sure but would guess after tt&l, not including options it would come in under $2500 (just a guess) im sure 2lz could comment on that.

[2LZ]

To me, it's more a question of meeting your riding needs. Removing the known Hawk registration issues from the equation, do you do more street riding or trail riding?

If you're doing more trails, I'd go with the Hawk. If you do far more pavement, the Bashan Storm would be my pick with the balanced motor, USD forks and more supermoto setup for tires and rims.

Of course, if you wanted to spend a little more $$$, the TT250 . At 1895 + fees. (In CA, CSC has to do all my DMV work and send me the tags, by law. It came in at about 24-something after tax, assembly, shipping, DMV, etc..). It's a nice choice as it comes with the balance shaft motor, USD forks and 21/18 rims with less aggressive tread pattern tires to do the pavement better than knobbies but still gives you trailing ability. Plus all the added bling that CSC had it manufacturered with such as LED turns, MPH gauge backing, Hondoid motor built by Zongshen, upgraded 300W stator, upgraded switches, and a long list of other items and farkles.

If you REALLY want to spend more (2799.+/-)....then I'd look at the SSR XF250. Very fine bike, indeed. IMHO, the nicest, best built CB going. "Virtually Japanese". Tons of nice alloy work on it including rims and swingarm (less unsprung weight is the secret to good handling) and an OHC Suzuki-type motor (TU250). The only drawback there is possible lack of after-sale support. To me, even without all the alloy, excellent metal work and real Japanese type plastics, that's what put the TT250 over the top for me. CSC's service and support.

[pcspecialist]

TT and the Hawk can share most parts so you might factor that it. My Hawk will be in copper as soon as the TT parts are available. I fell in love with the copper TT the moment I saw it. Nearly all the things upgraded for the TT will likely fit the Hawk without any modifications.

[BlackBike]