could you not just make a bracket and put new caliper on stock forks? ... maybe have one made at a shop for a bit less than cost of new forks ... but on the other hand, new parts are always good too

Thanks for your input. Yes, I thought of that solution. ;) However, the problem has resolved itself; after riding it for about 84,000 miles, I have retired my Zong. Goodbye old girl; you served me well. :)

I replaced my Zong with a 2006 Yamaha XT225. I bought the bike for $1,800 dollars. It was in mint condition with only 1,004 miles on the odometer. :tup: I have transferred the shock spring, skid plate, hand guards, and 4.1-gallon fuel tank from the Zong to the XT225. I will post a thread on my Yamaha in the near future. :)

http://i.imgur.com/TMH2hwU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZMpT1Wp.jpg

That bike is pretty close to the old Honda XL185S. Congrats on the purchase of the lightweight wife bike and I mean that in a good way. :tup:

I wonder if these front forks could be used with the TT250 triple clamps for a budget fork upgrade on the Hawks? Buying the whole assembly from CSC would cost almost $800, because they want $300 a piece for the forks, but the entire triple clamp assembly is only $95, and if these forks would work, that could do the whole conversion for $255, and be, more or less, a bolt in conversion.

Yes, I know I could convert to some name brand bike forks, and it's tempting, but for a hassle free conversion that requires no real work, it's a step up from the toothpick forks the Hawk comes with.

Anybody with a TT250 care to measure the forks at the triple clamps? If the match these then I may just pull the trigger on ordering some parts to do this.

Thank you.

The XT225 has a larger engine than the XL185, and a beautiful, wide-ratio, 6-speed transmission. :tup: I can comfortably cruise at 50-60 mph for hours on the XT225. With a low saddle height and a dry weight of only 238 pounds, the XT225 handles nimbly on steep, rocky and loose terrain; it is a joy to ride. :)

If you are referring to the Chinese USD forks, I believe you might be correct. You need to determine if the triple tree from the TT250 will fit the Hawk. However, you would also need to convert to the TT250/Bashan front wheel, brake rotor, brake caliper, speedometer sending unit, et cetera. ;)

What is the fork travel for the Hawk?

The tt250 tree will fit the Hawk. I know that without a doubt. Speedo sending unit as well since I have seen a TT250 with a hawk tach cluster. Front brakes are a close match if not identical except for the rotor shape. Axle diameter is the same but length may be different, but a tt250 front axle is 5 bucks lol. May also need the tt250 left side spacer, but that is even cheaper.

Not too sure on the Hawk suspension travel. I have never seen any published figures from any vendor or even RPS. I would estimate around 8 inches, give or take. Maybe a bit longer. I could deal with a little loss in travel if these forks are shorter, same with height. I was considering making it into a more road oriented bike anyway.

The TT250 front wheel, brake rotor, and speedometer sending unit are the same as those on my Zongshen Sierra 200. I might be wrong, but I believe the Hawk uses the traditional, Chinese front wheel. Can you post photos of your Hawk's front wheel, et cetera.

Any particular picture you are looking for? I don't really want to pull the front wheel if I don't have to, but if necessary I will.

Spud, you've been busy.. great job, I Guess you can say old zongs never die, they just keep Rollin on.

With only 1000 miles you really found a gem! It's barely passed the break-in.

No, you don't have to pull the front wheel. ;) Just take photographs of both sides of the wheel hub, and also take a photograph of the brake rotor.

Incidentally, I am parting out my Zongshen Sierra 200. Therefore, I have all the parts you might need.

Zongshen Triple Tree
Zongshen Forks
Zongshen Front Wheel (alloy rim)
Zongshen Front Brake Rotor
Zongshen Front Axle
Zongshen Headlight
Zongshen Ignition Switch
Zongshen Speedometer Sending Unit
Zongshen Front Brake Caliper and Master Cylinder
Et cetera...