Dirt Hawk ?

[Rail32]

After buying a set of new stock tires from a fellow member , seeing more than one street tires on many Hawks here , and what I am reading I am wondering if I am the only one who is gonna use their hawk for off-road more than on road ?
I love the super low gearing and the agressive tires !! Am I the only one .
Pix of your ride will be proof

[oldscooter]

I don't plan to change the gears. I will ride the trails more than the road. If I want a road ride, I'll take the Wing.

[JerryHawk250]

I'm about 50/50 on and off road. Still running the stock tires. We will be going ride the Spillway tomorrow.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by Rail32

I love the super low gearing

I'm about 50/50. I went to a 17T on the front, kept the 50T on the rear, and I really like how it stretched out 1st and 2nd. With the stock 15T gearing, I found myself hitting 3rd often enough on the trails around here, and the extra shifting got old. It also pushes above 60mph with the 17/50 combination for the roads around here too, so that was another plus.

Having said that, I do recall someone from a Rocky Mountain state that loved the stock gearing for the trails where he lived because it will pull you up the side of a mountain.

So it's subjective, but even on dirt, you may want to dial it in to what you prefer and where you ride. There's been enough research done on this site to get a feel for different options, that's for sure.

[emptyschmitz]

Was worried about the wear and street-ability of the stock tires so I ordered some replacements that are dual sport, but more towards the off-road spectrum. It was a good choice, my lady was riding her Hawk and managed to scrub the front tire under braking on the street. The stock tires are "street legal", but barely.

I specifically ordered a set of Michelin T63 rear and Shinko 804 fronts for their high rating and the tread design is best for most conditions (dirt, gravel, sand & mud) with the "paddle" arrangement of the knobs. They also had high ratings for being good on the road despite the aggressive tread. I noticed that the knobs on these tires were very wide and a little shorter than the knobs on the Hawk OEMs, which have a comparatively small contact patch while being tall.

I'm going to run the new tires and see how the bike feels. The Shinkos are a lot stiffer and heavier than the OEM tire so I hope they will wear long and feel good on the road. I've got a lot to do on the bikes today with new sprockets arriving, just got in new jets and now I need to figure out how to make bag supports to bolt to the frame. Fun!

[pete]

If the tyres are FIM rated they will have nobbs no higher than 13mm..

FIM.... Federation International Motorcycling...




.

[Rail32]

Originally Posted by pete

If the tyres are FIM rated they will have nobbs no higher than 13mm..

FIM.... Federation International Motorcycling...




.

Oh I think they are well over 13mm for sure on the rear tire. I will measure in the morning . But they are stamped DOT ( USA department of transportation)
I have ran off road tires and full blown race tires on the street before with no worries , but that's just me .

[hertz9753]

Originally Posted by pete

If the tyres are FIM rated they will have nobbs no higher than 13mm..

FIM.... Federation International Motorcycling...




.

My Hawk came with a US dime installed on the rear tire. I would say 17mm's.

[Rail32]

I want t fit in here . Being a few of ya are admittily cheap dudes , I will go to shop right now and look for my dime
It's gotta be there , because I rarely sweep out there. Honestly I do feel a little angry I did not see my dime when I unwrapped it . But in my defense I wanted to see what it was as soon as humanly possible. Pix a 5 year old guy trapped in a 51 year old body at Xmas

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Rail32

I want t fit in here . Being a few of ya are admittily cheap dudes , I will go to shop right now and look for my dime
It's gotta be there , because I rarely sweep out there. Honestly I do feel a little angry I did not see my dime when I unwrapped it . But in my defense I wanted to see what it was as soon as humanly possible. Pix a 5 year old guy trapped in a 51 year old body at Xmas

If you go see the right magician, there is most certainly a dime in your ear!!

[pete]

Hey guys these are cheap bike.... yer can't go thowing to much money at them..
dimes in the tyres/quarters in the suspension....


.

[hertz9753]

Originally Posted by pete

Hey guys these are cheap bike.... yer can't go thowing to much money at them..
dimes in the tyres/quarters in the suspension....


.

It was nickels in the forks.

[emptyschmitz]

Tried the new kicks on E's Hawk yesterday. I would have on mine, except my test ride stopped short because my genius mechanic forgot to tighten the sprocket cover! Need to fire that dummy.

Tried some dirt and gravel, rear tire hooks up and holds well under power, front tracks well. Went to a clean patch of tarmac and did some loops, good steady grip though they were new tires I didn't push it a lot. I left big, juicy chicken strips on them but already I feel much more confident in their road handling.