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Mission accomplished but with a different bike. I came close to pulling the trigger on a Hawk but found a 97 DR350S for about the price of a carb'd Hawk that was in good shape. It has a good slow putt-putt speed so I can tag along with my little nephew on his XR100 and has been good for my other older nephew that is learning to ride. It's also a bike that puts a smile on my face, it's easy to ride and has some pep.
Although the Templar X would be the most fun bike for me I chickened out with the newness of the bike and would have gone with the Hawk. There is value in the Hawk for me with easy access to aftermarket parts and every nut and bolt is known on that bike.
For me the point is to be out riding however regardless of bike there is a maintenance/tinker factor. I've been keeping track of maintenance on the DR versus my thoughts on a new Hawk. I think overall the DR has probably netted out to less work. On the DR I've check valves, swapped batteries, changed tires, shimmed the carb and have fluids to change. On the Hawk I would have had assembly, valves, carb and fluids. Also I was able to see and ride the DR before the purchase where as the Hawk has the damage during shipping hassle factor that may occur.
Still may end up with a Hawk though, the older nephew has a younger brother that likes the idea of riding. We'll see where that goes, glad to see the price of Hawks have dropped a bit. Maybe I can stumble onto a cheap used Hawk.
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