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The Hawk
So, what is it? As it comes from the factory it is a compromise dual-sport. In this case, it is not fast enough to be a real roadster, nor is it really an off-road motor cycle. BUT you can make either one out of it. Not as good as a TU 250 on the road, or as high end as a Japanese or Euro Enduro, but good enough for 90% of the riders out there in the 250 class. Off road it is good enough to get you there, but not good enough to be the leader of the pack. For me, I'd only need to ride on the road up to 20 miles to reach the trails that I want to ride. I think the handlebars are too narrow for good control off road. And the foot pegs are too much forward to make standing comfortable for more than a few minutes at a stretch. And those rubber covers on the foot pegs are an abomination, off road. If you have to wind the hell out of the engine and then dump the clutch to get the bike to come up in order to get over a log, move the foot pegs back. Shift lever is too short for American feet. Carburation is way too lean for good throttle response. Exhaust system is too restrictive, and too heavy. At a minimum, you will want a carburetor that you can get both main and pilot jets for. Wheels need at least two rim locks in the rear, one in the front. Better tubes in the tires. My preferance in tires are Pirelli MT 43 trials type tires, run at low pressures off road. You will have to pump them up for the highway, OR fill them with CO2, which gives low pressure at low speeds, but higher pressure when they heat up on the road. I'd remove the hump in the seat. Much easier to shift your weight that-a-way. The beauty of this bike is that it is affordable. You don't have to finance it. Then you make changes as money becomes available. That way you are never in over your head in this sport. Learn to ride it. What nobody tells you is it is much more the rider than it is the machine...ARH
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