Don't let all the hawk guys scare you the magician is still a good bike. I have had mine since March ride it to work everyday and haven't had a single issue. I am 5'7" and personally wouldn't want to swing my leg over anything taller than the magician.

i have only seen one post of a frame break on a magician and i assume thats all the rest have seen too and all the sudden all magicians are going to fall apart. typical internet stuff! bad welds happen and sometimes dont get caught. show me 15 or 20 that are doing it then i might believe the internet. its like the chains on the hawk are supposedly no good and one guy was having to adjust every 50 miles. if you have to adjust every 50 miles its something to do with you not the chain. ok rant over. carry on.

Yes.....funny how interet BS becomes fact so quickly..



...

I can think of two for sure that have cracked welds in more than 1 spot (one on here, and the Magician Motocheez sold to his neighbor), and a review online that also mentioned a problem with having a weld break while running a trail. While 3 doesn't make a big issue, considering the low sales volume of these bikes it does give you something to think about.

That said, all three examples that I know of were used off-road. I also know of few Magicians that have been run on-road without a single frame issue.

That's why I advise caution with them, but also state that for a road only bike it will likely be fine. I just think the Magician frame isn't quite heavy duty enough for any sort of trail riding, but adequate for scooting around town.

Never once did I say "They are terrible, don't buy them, total junk," and instead said "Known examples of this issue, so it is something to keep in mind." Much like the Hawk tends to disappoint people trying to do serious motorcross style riding and hardcore off-roading, I think the Magician just needs to be realistically approached. I don't think it's good for any sort of off-roading. Just my opinion, and never once stated as fact. Heck, I've even toyed with the idea of a Magician for something else to tinker with, but I have held back because I have heard it is a bit more cramped for those of us of a taller persuasion. I think it would make an excellent commuter bike.

That is why I think the Magician is the better commuter--has more comfortable gearing than the Hawk from stock, and like the original poster mentioned, she is not planning any sort of off-roading. The only thing that I can find that is 'bad' about the Magician is the fuel tank size, and that is commuting related. Not to mention, the OP stated her height is 5'2" and the Magician is much better suited to her size.

As far as welds go; I have seen Motocheez's video(s) and he does like to trail ride, so I can imagine the Magician is not suited for it (other than dirt roads). I was not aware of the weld issue with Motocheez until Megadan mentioned it, as I have not watched his videos lately. The member who had a weld issue did use if for trails. I do believe that RPS should throw on 17/17 street wheels and disclaim the Magician is not made for off-roading; if you want to trail ride, get their Hawk. If I was in the same position as the OP, I would lean to the Magician knowing what I (she now) know(s).

You will probably want to repost this on its own thread, since we are in the middle of a discussion unrelated to setting valves--that way you will get more exposure for your specific question. I do not have one of these engines, but I would suggest to look up youtube videos related to the Hawk (Motocheez has numerous ones, and probably one or two on valves) or even the Bashan Storm, Brozz, Shark, or others that have to do with valve adjustments. There are at least two or more videos I can think of I remember watching a couple years ago regarding Bashan bikes and valve adjustments.

Yeah, a guy on here thought of making a trials bike out of one, but (wisely, in my opinion) dropped it. In the first place, it could never compete with modern purpose made "trials" bikes, nor could it even enter the classic trials held in many places in the US....ARH