Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck
Great job Ariel Red Hunter. I have been waiting for an article like this regarding the engine,now I feel a lot better when I hold the throttle open.I have been very impressed so far with the quality of the bike being my first chinese bike.More info will be appreciated.
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Yes, it is a superb little engine, almost perfect for its role in the Hawk. A wide mid-range that is what you need off road, and this engine has it. But it can be improved. The jetting in the carburetor is way too lean, the exhaust system reminds me of what a top engine tuner described the problem with my AJS 350. "It inhales really well, but it suffers from constipation on the exhaust side". The head pipe of the exhaust is awful - not to even mention the catalytic strangler that is in there. Even if you remove the cat, the poor flow at the very beginning of the head pipe and the gasket between the port and the head pipe are pretty bad. I personally would change the carburetor out for a Mikuni VM 26 (So much easier to re-jet), and buy and install a complete new after market exhaust system, not forgetting to use that Honda copper o-ring gasket next to the exhaust port. When riding off road, having an exhaust you can hear is much more useful than having a tachometer. I think the Magician is a considerably better on-road bike, a tach on the Magician would serve as something besides an ornament. Modifying the air box for more flow helps also. Moto-cheez has a youtube video showing how to do it.