My amazon review that has not shown up yet.

[KenTaoyan]

I knew what to expect as I read other reviews. This is a new out of the crate project. If you are expecting to ride this after 3 hours of assembly you are mistaken. I knew this but my wife does not understand. (She bought it for me so she wants me to write this review.)

First I will go with the Cons.
• Because of this Covid-19 BS it was two months late on original shipping estimates and seller didn’t keep me in the loop. The good thing was that the seller did not charge the credit card until after it was shipped. I will mention this again in the pros list.
• It came with a few scratches but no big deal for me.
• Upon initial inspection some of the welds on the frame are pretty ugly. But looks solid.
• Lower swing arm was not bolted. This means that you should strip this thing totally down and double check all bolts and connections. (which is highly recommended in the forums)
• Chain guide does not line up properly. I was directed towards the TT250 for replacement which was the exact same part and misalignment. (This is covered in the YouTube video “Hawk 250 the ugly truth”.)
• I immediately ordered a recommended sprocket set only to find out that the only nuts that were holding the guide bolts in place were pretty close to the only nuts on this bike that were installed with Loctite. Which brings me to tires. (Incidentally the sprocket studs were mentioned in the “Ugly Truth” YouTube video. My 81 XL185s has the exact same setup and it is still running 39 years old)
• If you want to ride this on the road, the tires that come with this bike are too aggressive for the street and meant for the dirt. I ordered some nice tires (Shinko 244 Dual Sport Tires) and had them mounted and balanced at a local shop. I took the rims down and asked them to try and break loose the nuts that hold the sprocket studs on. They were only able to mar one of the nuts which meant to get online and order some higher quality ones. (which leads me to shipping)
• Shipping for everyone right now during this Covid-19 BS is very problematic. So parts ordered takes a long time. Call first to see if they have it in stock before placing an order. I went with BikeBandit for the above mentioned sprocket studs. They charged my card and after numerous attempts to get a status it took two weeks for them to tell me “sorry, shipment is delayed.” I had to get a little creative to carefully grind down the nut for removal. I found some other nuts that will do until the “sorry, shipment delayed” ones get here.
• I have had this bike for over a month and finally took it out for a neighborhood ride. Which leads me to……
• Gas gauge……. Didn’t work and when I filled up the gas tank the next morning I noticed a gas smell in my garage. It turns out that during assembly, the wire was pinched and broken and the “O” ring on the sensor was miss-aligned damaging it. So back to parts ordered. (this time I went with CSC Motorcycles, the TT250 uses the same sensor and so far the customer service has been great)

Secondly, the Pros
• I live in Washington state and I got the paperwork the same day as the bike. Licensing it for the road was the most painless thing about this purchase.
• Yes it is 1/3 the price of a Japanize as the Hawk is a Chinese clone. For instance the above mentioned sprocket studs are the same as my 1981 Honda XL185s and the shop manual covers a lot of things like torque specifications and such.
• Lots of youtube and support from sites such as Chinarider. They have been very helpful and gave me a lot of tips.
• The Hawk is nimble and easy to maneuver. I wasn’t looking for a crotch rocket.
• The new out of the box project has only been molested during assembly. (Unlike the above mentioned 1981 Honda XL185s. I didn’t totally abandon that bike. It’s just a different beast altogether)
• Seller didn’t charge until shipped. Most places charge you right away. Call first for availability before placing any order it still might take some time due to shipping but if the part resides in the states, it won’t take too long. I went with CSC Motorcycles for some parts. I was able to get them on the phone and emails were responded quickly. I will be going through them as much as I can as so far their customer service is good.
• You only need a few tools to work on this bike. Additional tools would include Motorcycle jack and ring clip pliers as it is a clip that holds the sprocket. (Similar to my 81 XL185s) both are Harbor freight items. (the jack and pliers, not the Honda)

Overview, I am a little disillusioned due to how long I have had the bike and how much road time I have had so far. Most of it is due to the Covid-19 BS that is going on right now. The wife is second guessing her decision on buying it. (Which is the reason for only three stars) I knew what I got into when ordering as I read all the reviews. This is an ongoing project and will continue to be. The Chinese are great at reverse engineering. They took a Japanese bike and cloned it. Unfortunately it means cheaper parts as well. I have been to China several times for work and know only too well that they are for the most part awesome hard working individuals but lack the eye for detail. If you want a project that you will tear apart and be very intimate with before riding, this is the bike for you. Otherwise, spend the $$ and get Japanese bike. There is a reason that the old Hondas are still running.

Of course this is all open for critique/Questions/Ridicule. Comments always welcome.

Short vid of the fuel gauge testing

[culcune]

You have said a lot, but the only thing I will comment on since you already commented in detail on everything and seem to have a good grasp on the whole Chinese bike thing in your short period of time owning one, is you mentioning your XL185s. Back in the mid-00's (eg 2006), the XL185s was the default bike to order rear sprockets for one's Chinese dual sport. I ordered a 44 tooth sprocket from Dennis Kirk for a 1980 XL185s which did not get my Jetmoto dual sport any higher top speed, but did offer it far, far greater comfort from the extreme vibrations at 55 to 60 mph (not sure because GPS, let alone cell phones, had not become quite as popular at this point making getting accurate GPS speed tests non-existent). So I might have just improved on my comfort at 45 mph top speed, lol; I will never know!. Also, from takeoff, the ride was much more pleasant considering I wasn't going into third just as I cleared an intersection following a fresh green light.

Do you find getting parts difficult or expensive (or both) for the old Honda?

[alex_in_az]

The Chinese are great at reverse engineering.

As an Engineer, I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you here, the chinese are OK at reverse engineering

[KenTaoyan]

On the Honda, I probably would have just kept fixing it if I could easily gotten a title for it. It was never titled and the certificate of origin is lost in another state. It is difficult to deal with especially due to the Covid-19 and travel.

[2LZ]

Fair enough critique. Put some miles on it. You'll end up liking it more every time. These dang things have a way of growing on you......