2018 Hawk vs. 2018 Brozz

[Meloman]

Well as the likelihood of being able to register the Hawk in Oregon is slowly fading into the sunset, the “cheap” Chinese bike seems no longer to be a reality. The Hawk sitting at the dealer was $1700 assembled otd. Searching further brought me to the Brozz at $2000 delivered in a crate and I assemble it. But as I get more feedback I cooled a little on the Brozz for various reasons. Moving on up, I spoke to Steve today at CSC about the new TT250. Now we’re up to $2575 assembled and delivered. Then the SSR and the XTR surfaced. Now we’re approaching $3000+.
However, both the SSR and XTR may have registration issues like the Hawk and also, they look like they have more of a motocross style seat rather than the big cushy seats like on the other three I mentioned.
So with the Hawk out of the running and the Brozz not totally lighting my fire anymore, though still a remote possibility, and the SSR & XTR not contenders, that leaves only the TT250 in the running with its dealer support and great features.
So is there anything else out there to compete with the TT and is it worth paying $2575 for one ?

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Meloman

So is there anything else out there to compete with the TT and is it worth paying $2575 for one ?

The previously mentioned Bashan Enforcer. The literal brother of the Hawk and TT250. AFAIK, the Enforcer has less issues with registration, but it would still be worth looking into. Usually runs around 100 bucks more than a Hawk.

The real issue you will have is that this time of the year all of the shops will be waiting for new models to come in. I had to pre-order my Hawk in April of last year and it didn't arrive until June 3rd. From what I can tell, the Enforcers are pretty much sold out, so there might be a wait for one.

Is the TT250 worth it? Considering you get what is essentially a Hawk with - A much better charging system with accessory wiring, a better battery, better quality plastics, a bolted on rear sprocket, and even a slightly better quality seat (in terms of foam according to a Hawk owner who swapped to a TT250 seat). You also get, USD forks and preload adjustment in the front and rear suspension as well as rebound adjustment. Let's not forget the counter balanced engine or better carb and carb tuning from the factory. 50 state legality as well.

In short, the TT250 is a Hawk with all of the things most people want on a Hawk, for about $1000 more. I think it's worth it. If I had to do it all over again, I likely would have gotten the TT250 over the Hawk.

That said, since I live in a state where I can register almost anything for road use, for around that same money I would probably get the XTR 250 T4 LC. It's definitely more off-road oriented, but has a much better suspension with 4" more travel, more adjustment, and aluminum rims and better spokes. That's just me though, and since you are wanting something more road friendly, I say get the TT250.

Toss on some dual sport tires, put on a rear sprocket with a few less teeth, and you will have a great road friendly bike that can still hit some light trails. That is essentially my Hawk in a nutshell, and it makes a great bike for zipping around town. You can even do all of the same mods that us Hawk folks do if you feel like it.

[2LZ]

I haven't been disappointed in our TT250, but how can you go wrong with a CG motor?

Likes:
As Dan stated earlier, all the upgrades.
The real Zongshen motor
300w stator
A/B switch to control the accessory wiring under the side cover
Adjustable suspension front/rear
USD forks
Counterbalanced motor
The tires were FAR better than I expected. Good on pavement, acceptable on gravel roads and moderate trails. I'll probably replace them with stockers when I do.
50 state approval (a BIG deal here).
Good torque for a little motor.
Really like the fat handgrips. Way better than what I replaced them with.
I also like the stainless fasteners on the plastics and recessed gas cap. All nice "cherry on the cake" touches.
The new ones come with the electronic dash. Nice upgrade.

The dislikes:
More expensive than most CG motored bikes though I didn't feel it was out of whack for the upgrades, dealer support and CARB approval.
The battery was still garbage. Lasted about a year.
Speedo was off by about 5 mph. No shocker there.
It's no rocket ship.

I completely disassembled and reassembled the entire bike after break-in. It was far better built than my CB's of the past. Surprised me really.

Again, compared to the Hawk? It's more expensive. Compared to the DR200 Suzuki, it's a steel at half the price.