What would you change about the Hawk?

[CSR_Sprocket]

Hi Adam!

Thanks for posing the question, and thanks also to everyone else for chiming in. I'm surprised than nobody has mentioned these:

1) A longer kick stand. My Hawk leans over at an uncomfortable angle unless I prop it up with at least 1 piece of 2x4. For "parking" purposes I have two 2x6 pieces screwed together (3" thick). Several of the "Dealers" the web have Hawks that are propped up on a 2x4 or leaning against a wall .

2) Rubber components that don't crumble in less than a year. I bought my Hawk in November of 2015 and the following rubber components have already failed: fork (accordion) boots, caliper pin boots, brake bleeder caps, and front master cylinder banjo bolt dust cover. While the banjo bolt cover doesn't matter, the rest allow dirt to get into places where it shouldn't. And in most cases ruin seals that aren't easy to replace.

3) A speedometer that doesn't read 65 MPH when my GPS says that I'm doing 55.

4) Rear turn-signal brackets that don't bend when my short legs don't make it over the seat all of the way. The brackets on my Hawk are made of very thin gauge sheet metal...

4) Either a battery cage that isn't welded into the frame at a 30 degree angle (which makes it difficult to keep acid in the battery), or an AGM battery that won't leak. When new my bike wouldn't hold a charge and I got tired of kicking it over. Within a week I replaced the lead-acid battery with LiFePO (which is overkill, cost me about 200, but never needs to be kept on a battery tender).

5) A rear shock with preload adjustment to compensate for different rider weight and overland travel loads.

6) Better cable routing for clutch and speedo. Most likely because I'm daft it was a process of trial and error before I found routes for both cables so that they didn't catch on anything. Has anyone else had their speedo cable get wrapped around the horn?

7) A swingarm "chain rail" (the part that wraps around the front of the swingarm) that matches the intended chain line. The one installed on my Hawk pushes the chain in a direction that it ain't supposed to go.

8) A rear tire that doesn't rub against the chain. The 5.10 knobby that came on my bike is both masculine looking and aggressive. But not good for either on-road traction (especially wet weather) or chain life. Although it did keep the tire-side of my chain very shiny.

9) A pre-cured ceramic coated exhaust system. If not that, then stainless as others have suggested. But ceramic paint is cheaper than stainless steel. Any exhaust paint, though, if not cured properly will burn off in the first 10 minutes.

10) Foot pegs that are wide, serrated, and level. Maybe I got a Friday bike, but mine looked like they needed Viagra. Both were pointing down at the ground.

These aren't complaints. I love my Hawk and hope that it lasts until I'm old and gray.

[BlackBike]

Csr...valid concerns all!

The reason we tolerate this...average price...about $1450

[culcune]

Hahahahahaha! You just described every low-cost Chinese enduro offered in the US for the past 10 years!!

Originally Posted by CSR_Sprocket

Hi Adam!

Thanks for posing the question, and thanks also to everyone else for chiming in. I'm surprised than nobody has mentioned these:

1) A longer kick stand.

2) Rubber components that don't crumble in less than a year.

3) A speedometer that doesn't read 65 MPH when my GPS says that I'm doing 55.

4) Rear turn-signal brackets that don't bend when my short legs don't make it over the seat all of the way. The brackets on my Hawk are made of very thin gauge sheet metal...

4) Either a battery cage that isn't welded into the frame at a 30 degree angle

5) A rear shock with preload adjustment to compensate for different rider weight and overland travel loads.

6) Better cable routing for clutch and speedo.

7) A swingarm "chain rail" (the part that wraps around the front of the swingarm) that matches the intended chain line. The one installed on my Hawk pushes the chain in a direction that it ain't supposed to go.

8) A rear tire that doesn't rub against the chain.

9) A pre-cured ceramic coated exhaust system. If not that, then stainless as others have suggested.

10) Foot pegs that are wide, serrated, and level. Maybe I got a Friday bike, but mine looked like they needed Viagra. Both were pointing down at the ground.

These aren't complaints. I love my [insert Chinese bike brand] and hope that it lasts until I'm old and gray.

...and the low-cost and the quirks are why we love them...

[jimwildman]

my top complaint and thing i would, will change is there is no beadlock on the rear tire forcing us to run a very hard tire pressure, literally making the bike dangerous om the trail.

i bought a bead lock for it and hosnestly at $5 why is this missing?


the hawk is all over the trail and needs at least 15 psi dropped out of the tire.

but run even 32 psi without a beadlock and your air nozel will be ripped right out of the innertube.

id rather be all over the trail than stranded with a flat.

[JerryHawk250]

I had to drag this one back up. Members have answered the question and posted what they thought. Are any of them being done on future Hawks?
My list would be.
1. 45 tooth sprocket on rear. Not going to cost any extra because you still need a sprocket. This seems to be the perfect size. 15 front stock is good for off- road and some highway. The owner can upgrade to 16 or 17 tooth.
2. Having a tachometer would be great or just have the Digital cluster that Matt sells.
3. O-ring chain since most of us will do off-road. Dirt and sand eat these chains up. At least the dirt will stay on the outside of the chain and not get in the bearings of the chain. The chain that comes on the Hawk is junk.
4. A chain guide that is in line with the chain and not at a skew. You would think this would of been right from the beginning.
5. Provide a proper size stock jet 110 seems to be the correct size and a couple of extra jets so the owner can change out to tune for different elevations. My Cheap Wen generator came with 2 extra jets. Not going to break the bank. And remove the tamper proof screws and cap for idle mixture.
6. Kick stand could be a little longer.


Making the changes can't cost more than $50 more if that. These few and minor items will make this a better product. But then again we wouldn't need this forum if it didn't have issues.

[timcosby]

an assembly manual would of saved me a lot of time guessing and maybe have the bolts to each part in seperate and labeled bags would be great.

[pistolclass]

A DOT Sticker.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by pistolclass

A DOT Sticker.

[shawn66]

Let me start by saying I love the hawk. But with the increase of small dual sport bikes from Japan and Germany these Chinese bikes days are numbered. They are playing catch-up. What has hurt the hawk the most is lack of a good parts supply and just down right terrible dealer support. Any bike you have to modify right out of the box, lie to get a tag for it and comes with a sticker that says off-road use only. It's only a matter of time till it fades away as a dual sport. The thing that you can do to the hawk is start over get it D.O.T or C.A.R.B certified for on road use, screen your dealers better, Get a handle on quality control and get a parts supplier network in place because the one you have now is not the best even e-bay is better. The bike is a good bike its just to much trouble to own. Cheap is nice but when it comes to a motorcycle do you want to stake your life on it? Because the hawk is only one lawsuit away from being no more as a dual sport. CSC has the right game plan for its bikes and I hope they make it.
P.S I own and ride a hawk everyday do I trust it no but still love it. Keeps me on my toes.

[pistolclass]

Originally Posted by shawn66

Let me start by saying I love the hawk. But with the increase of small dual sport bikes from Japan and Germany these Chinese bikes days are numbered. .

Not sure a $5,000-$6,000 bike is much of a threat to the Hawk. Also, not all registered vehicles need to be NHTSA certified. States make their own laws. If RPS claimed they were NHTSA Street certified and they weren't then there would be grounds. However they are sold as not DOT approve dirtbikes.

I too have a Hawk and had to register it in a neighboring state. I certainly wish there was a DOT tag on it.

I think the dealer issue isn't the death nail of the hawk but it is certainly holding it back from going prime-time. Just look at the scooter market. They are eveywhere and mostly Chinese.

[letsride]

Originally Posted by CSR_Sprocket

Hi Adam!

Thanks for posing the question, and thanks also to everyone else for chiming in. I'm surprised than nobody has mentioned these:

1) A longer kick stand. My Hawk leans over at an uncomfortable angle unless I prop it up with at least 1 piece of 2x4. For "parking" purposes I have two 2x6 pieces screwed together (3" thick). Several of the "Dealers" the web have Hawks that are propped up on a 2x4 or leaning against a wall .

2) Rubber components that don't crumble in less than a year. I bought my Hawk in November of 2015 and the following rubber components have already failed: fork (accordion) boots, caliper pin boots, brake bleeder caps, and front master cylinder banjo bolt dust cover. While the banjo bolt cover doesn't matter, the rest allow dirt to get into places where it shouldn't. And in most cases ruin seals that aren't easy to replace.

3) A speedometer that doesn't read 65 MPH when my GPS says that I'm doing 55.

4) Rear turn-signal brackets that don't bend when my short legs don't make it over the seat all of the way. The brackets on my Hawk are made of very thin gauge sheet metal...

4) Either a battery cage that isn't welded into the frame at a 30 degree angle (which makes it difficult to keep acid in the battery), or an AGM battery that won't leak. When new my bike wouldn't hold a charge and I got tired of kicking it over. Within a week I replaced the lead-acid battery with LiFePO (which is overkill, cost me about 200, but never needs to be kept on a battery tender).

5) A rear shock with preload adjustment to compensate for different rider weight and overland travel loads.

6) Better cable routing for clutch and speedo. Most likely because I'm daft it was a process of trial and error before I found routes for both cables so that they didn't catch on anything. Has anyone else had their speedo cable get wrapped around the horn?

7) A swingarm "chain rail" (the part that wraps around the front of the swingarm) that matches the intended chain line. The one installed on my Hawk pushes the chain in a direction that it ain't supposed to go.

8) A rear tire that doesn't rub against the chain. The 5.10 knobby that came on my bike is both masculine looking and aggressive. But not good for either on-road traction (especially wet weather) or chain life. Although it did keep the tire-side of my chain very shiny.

9) A pre-cured ceramic coated exhaust system. If not that, then stainless as others have suggested. But ceramic paint is cheaper than stainless steel. Any exhaust paint, though, if not cured properly will burn off in the first 10 minutes.

10) Foot pegs that are wide, serrated, and level. Maybe I got a Friday bike, but mine looked like they needed Viagra. Both were pointing down at the ground.

These aren't complaints. I love my Hawk and hope that it lasts until I'm old and gray.

I hate to say it, and please don't take this as a Hawk Bashing, but my Brozz has most of this stuff in your list already. And I got it for 1500 bucks out the door, about the price I would have paid for a Hawk. It already has the DOT label and is 49 State legal. The turn signals are LED and rubber mounted so they flex if you hit them. I actually love that about them. Seems to me the parts on Chinese bikes are sourced from the same place. So can it REALLY be that hard for Haosen to get the same crap that is on the Brozz? Granted I would have bought a Hawk no sweat if I could not have found my Brozz. But the Bashan has most of the stuff Hawk owners want. And I think Haosen can make it happen if Bashan does. Just my .0001

[shawn66]

Originally Posted by pistolclass

Not sure a $5,000-$6,000 bike is much of a threat to the Hawk.

Pay $4995 for a Honda CRF250l or $4800 for the new BMW 310 ride them for a year or two the resale will still be up there. The Hawk you can't hardly give them away. So in the long run you can come out to the good. CSC is a real threat with there customer support and warranty. From what I have been reading there are a lot of small dual sports on there way its the fastest growing motorcycle segment.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by shawn66

Pay $4995 for a Honda CRF250l or $4800 for the new BMW 310 ride them for a year or two the resale will still be up there. The Hawk you can't hardly give them away. So in the long run you can come out to the good. CSC is a real threat with there customer support and warranty. From what I have been reading there are a lot of small dual sports on there way its the fastest growing motorcycle segment.

The depreciation on one of the $5k bikes will be the cost of a Hawk. People are paying half or more for the price of a new Hawk for used ones, according to new members, so they aren't depreciating to $0 like the old GY-200 bikes from 10 years ago. However, the beauty of the Hawk is you pay cash, and it is a throw-away bike, if worse comes to worse (you crash and it's your fault and you don't have comp and collision insurance. If you mess up a $5k bike, and you are financing, you messed up your 'investment' unless you were required to carry expensive comp and collision insurance. If you decide to keep it clean and not ride it in rough conditions, then you defeated the purpose of buying a top of the line name-brand dual sport in the first place. Several people have posted photos and videos of them on their Hawk in some fairly rough terrain, so I am of the opinion that if these Hawks are getting through rough stuff, and not being their stereotype which is to fall apart, then those members, and the proof is, that these are worth the $1400 to $1500 they cost. I am not saying I wouldn't want a nice new dual sport if I had the luxury of cash like that sitting around, but if I was to buy one, I would have to finance it since that is my reality--including used ones since I never see couple year old bikes in the $1000 range, let alone the $2k range. For my intended purposes, commuting, a Chinese dual sport fits the bill nicely. To each their own, but I won't be convinced that a brand new $5k bike is a good investment.

[pistolclass]

When I went to buy a dual sport the quote was $5,700 out the door. They charge to put it together, tax (6.35) and reg. If I drove it for a year I could at best get $4,000.

Currently I'm into my hawk for under that:

1,200 shipped
30 carb
15 jets
100 cluster
10 charging adapter
115 reg and tax
1,470 all in. If it turns to dust in 2-3 years I still am ahead.

If this was my daily mode of transportation or I was doing the Baja 1000 of course the hawk is not the bike. For the trails around here and the back roads I use to get there this bike fits the bill.

As for the Brozz, I would have gotten that if it had 18/21 tires.

[MDStroup]

Originally Posted by letsride

I hate to say it, and please don't take this as a Hawk Bashing, but my Brozz has most of this stuff in your list already. And I got it for 1500 bucks out the door, about the price I would have paid for a Hawk. It already has the DOT label and is 49 State legal. The turn signals are LED and rubber mounted so they flex if you hit them. I actually love that about them. Seems to me the parts on Chinese bikes are sourced from the same place. So can it REALLY be that hard for Haosen to get the same crap that is on the Brozz? Granted I would have bought a Hawk no sweat if I could not have found my Brozz. But the Bashan has most of the stuff Hawk owners want. And I think Haosen can make it happen if Bashan does. Just my .0001

What is the Brozz? Do you have a link?