So Many Hawk Issues!
Let me tell you about my Hawk X 250 experience. I purchased a new, 2024 Hawk X 250, carbureted, put together by the US distributor and shipped to me in January 2024. Cost: about $1,950, which included a break in period, Nibbi carb upgrade, and oil changes. Once it arrived at my house, the bike would not start for the first five days. The factory battery was weak and needed constant charging. The battery "cables" are nothing more than thick wires, as is the cable that runs from the solenoid to the starter. So its a dual problem: the small battery is putting out minimal power, and the cables are barely delivering enough power to engage the starter. The Hawk arrived at my house with four miles on the odometer. So it seems that the distributor (I won't name them because I don't want to get sued) "broke in" the bike by starting it and letting it idle for....what, 20 minutes at a time? Then they changed the oil, and started the bike and let it idle again. So by the time the bike arrived at my house it had such a carbon buildup that it refused to start. That's my theory, at least. More to come, including how I solved the cable problems. Thanks for reading. :thanks: |
I solved my problem with A black 20 inch 8AWG copper battery cable with 1/4" lug ends. I made my own power cable out of the same size wire and lugs. The 1/4" lug ends are the only part that is hard to find pre-made for that size of wire, but you can find them yourself easily.
The wire gauge used for the starter is theoretically sufficient, but I noticed quite the difference once I put that 8awg cable from the battery to solenoid, and then solenoid to battery. Stock batteries are a known weak point anyway, and most of us upgrade them or replace them immediately, or very early on out of necessity. The original battery amps is also generally fairly weak. On my first Hawk I installed a 240cca lithium battery from battery tender, and that bike cranked faster than all hell with the stock wires. The original batteries on most Hawks have, 88-90cca. I run a YTZ7S style battery in my current Hawk and it cranks over better thanks to having 130cca. |
this is why I would rather assemble and break in myself. i don't trust shops and the types of "mechanics" they employ aren't particularly skilled. did you do the nibbi carb, or did they?
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BTW we're on the same page on the cable upgrade. I had to upgrade the cable from the solenoid to the starter - it was all I could do to get the starter to work! |
Did you buy from Manny?
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OK, they "assembled it", but these motorcycles need constant attention. This makes all of the setup and initial tuning really your job. I am sure you knew this all along, but lots of experience to help here. The key things to check are EVERY single nut and bolt (some may need loctite blue, or loctite red), valve clearance, and carb jetting. Placement of levers (and mirrors), routing of cables (throttle cable, in particular), might need attention. Actually, this is not unusual for dirt bikes, including dual sport. The dealer might take care of initial build, but you can customize the fit while you go over stuff. Dealers suggest that you bring it in for a check up within 500 miles to make sure things aren't coming undone. Then 6 months into ownership, you will need to do additional maintenance. Check everything! The chain will need attention within days. Chains stretch. This is a constant issue, even with good aftermarket chains. But things like the bolts that hold the brake calipers on, fork tube tension on the triple clamp, gear shift lever bolt, well, everything can loosen up !! |
Yep, there is a reason these bikes are so cheap. You are the quality control guy, the PDI technician, and the mechanic.
That said, once you sort out the various little foibles, most of them small quality issues or just poor assembly, they are great bikes. Spokes are a great example. Stay on top of them for a while and eventually they stop needing checked on fhe regular as the wheel settles in. So many new people, especially on Facebook groups, are constantly breaking spokes or having whole wheels collapse, because they never touch them. I have had the same spokes and rims for several years now, not one problem. |
Oh crap. Just did maintenance and forgot the spokes. I was almost done I guess.
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