Snow Hawk

DSAdventures · 02-04-2024, 02:46 AM

Got the Hawk on a proper ride yesterday thanks to the jet stream bringing mild temps to the Pacific Northwest. We had 45+ degrees in the mountains so comfortable enough to ride. This was my first time off-road with the Hawk and I thought it did quite well and was easy to ride. We encountered gravel, dirt, mud, engine case deep puddles, baby head size rocks, snow and a bit of compact snow and ice. I am still running stock gearing and that worked fine for what we were doing. I do plan to swap out the rear sprocket for a 44 tooth which would make a 2.93 gear ratio. I know some guys go for a 17 tooth counter shaft sprocket and stock 50 tooth rear for a 2.94 gear ratio. I am hoping 1st will still be low enough for the rough stuff offroad. Since more mud is in this bikes future I want the extra clearance of the 15 tooth sprocket with the engine case so went for the rear to adjust ratios. Only plan to run country back roads so a 50mph cruise is good enough with a 55mph sprint if needed. My only real disappointment with the bike was the rear shock. From the factory the rear shock preload was adjusted to the middle of the range and there was zero sag and the back end was board stiff. I backed off the preload to only about 1 turn which gave me some sag but the back end just feels stiff compared to the front. I am hoping the spring will soften up a bit more after more rides. It's a bit of a rough ride on a road full of pot holes at speed and dampening is lacking. I really think the current spring rate in use right now is too stiff. I think my bike has a build date from the summer of 2023 and my shock looks like this one https://www.powersportsmax.com/produ...ducts_id/24161

After reading all the issues with carburetor I thought I was going to need to do some work on it to make the bike rideable. Mine runs okay out of the box so tinkering with the carb has fallen to a lower priority. I did adjusted the valves prior to starting the bike which was a good thing since they were way too tight. I think the valves mess folks up with these bikes and they start chasing carb modes when a valve adjustment would help more. I'll get to the carb one of these days and just plan to adjust the mixture screw and shim the needle a bit.

These bikes sure seem like an incredible value.

02-04-2024, 02:46 AM	#1
DSAdventures Join Date: Nov 2022 Location: Seattle Posts: 32	Snow Hawk Got the Hawk on a proper ride yesterday thanks to the jet stream bringing mild temps to the Pacific Northwest. We had 45+ degrees in the mountains so comfortable enough to ride. This was my first time off-road with the Hawk and I thought it did quite well and was easy to ride. We encountered gravel, dirt, mud, engine case deep puddles, baby head size rocks, snow and a bit of compact snow and ice. I am still running stock gearing and that worked fine for what we were doing. I do plan to swap out the rear sprocket for a 44 tooth which would make a 2.93 gear ratio. I know some guys go for a 17 tooth counter shaft sprocket and stock 50 tooth rear for a 2.94 gear ratio. I am hoping 1st will still be low enough for the rough stuff offroad. Since more mud is in this bikes future I want the extra clearance of the 15 tooth sprocket with the engine case so went for the rear to adjust ratios. Only plan to run country back roads so a 50mph cruise is good enough with a 55mph sprint if needed. My only real disappointment with the bike was the rear shock. From the factory the rear shock preload was adjusted to the middle of the range and there was zero sag and the back end was board stiff. I backed off the preload to only about 1 turn which gave me some sag but the back end just feels stiff compared to the front. I am hoping the spring will soften up a bit more after more rides. It's a bit of a rough ride on a road full of pot holes at speed and dampening is lacking. I really think the current spring rate in use right now is too stiff. I think my bike has a build date from the summer of 2023 and my shock looks like this one https://www.powersportsmax.com/produ...ducts_id/24161 After reading all the issues with carburetor I thought I was going to need to do some work on it to make the bike rideable. Mine runs okay out of the box so tinkering with the carb has fallen to a lower priority. I did adjusted the valves prior to starting the bike which was a good thing since they were way too tight. I think the valves mess folks up with these bikes and they start chasing carb modes when a valve adjustment would help more. I'll get to the carb one of these days and just plan to adjust the mixture screw and shim the needle a bit. These bikes sure seem like an incredible value. Attached Thumbnails
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