Hawk 250 DLX Motocheez review

[NzBrakelathes]

China had an EFI hawk around 4-5 years ago so it’s nothing new.
Due to lack in demand.......
Jailing had it and I rode 1 back from Kunming to Chengdu with my then GF
It was a much better built bike then any other id seen and better speced then Honda
Still had a couple issues with the first owner who did 2 up all over china clocking up 25000 odd km
Every km in China is much harder then the USA let me tell you!

[DualSport]

Just got one pre-assembled from TX. It has the gas tank and clutch problems too.. As was said earlier the clutch rattle is probably gonna be a big problem..

The EFI is a SBC with inline injector and two sensors. I haven't looked at chips to find flash and debug protocols yet. They likely don't use a signed loader on the ECM so it's not gonna be hard to mod the firmware with a bin patching solution over I2C, JTAG, UART or whatever they use..

I'm probably going to keep this and just sale off all my other RPS bikes the QA is slightly better than 2016 and I'd rather deal with carb tuning only on my other bigger bikes.. I'm interested in the 6000RPM firmware issue, though..

[Cravin01]

Just some thoughts.....

This is going to open up the market for those looking into a more affordable China bike but less savvy with carb tuning experience. I'm sure plenty of people have steered away from a China bike due to all the extra attention everyone says you need to give them, this is one big problem killer for quite a few people.

When the dealers get tired if handing out parts to the new EFI system(tanks) the manufacturer will make the few adjustments and this shall pass I hope!

I like the tires, forks and cluster, Expect to be welcoming new members to the forum due to this major upgrade with EFI. add the 200cc lifan Xpect w/ EFI and we are looking at a new era in China bikes. The only question unaswered is how does the China Tariffs play into this new bike launch...Today everything goes up to 15% on China exports.

[DualSport]

They will have to up the QA on the regulator too.. I predict overloading ECM passive components killing the ECM will be an issue.. Also sourcing fuel pumps..

It's basically the 2016 Hawk with inverted forks, more fragile fuel delivery, and a computer connected to a poor all-in-one regulator.. I think "better low-end torque" is all in fuel delivery and no geometry changes..

I plan on making a editor/flasher for the firmware. ECM can be dumped and re-written with basic cheap prototyping hardware over USB. I just have to allocate time to reverse engineer in IDA or Ghidra it looks like ARM v7.

UPDATE: There are already pro Harley tech tools that work with this ECM.. You can get the whole kit for around $1,300.

[RedCrowRides]

Me personally , I would rather have seen an upgraded ( thinking boxed aluminum) swingarm / improved chain adjusters in lieu of the EFI for the Hawk DLX, and maybe some higher quality/ stronger rims , I've seen too many posts about folks folding Hawk front rims in the dirt. I guess what I'm saying is more dirt capability focus ,but I get it's very likely the vast majority of Hawk owners use them quite a bit more for street than dirt ., so i am the odd man out on that issue.

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by Cravin01

Just some thoughts.....

This is going to open up the market for those looking into a more affordable China bike but less savvy with carb tuning experience. I'm sure plenty of people have steered away from a China bike due to all the extra attention everyone says you need to give them, this is one big problem killer for quite a few people.

When the dealers get tired if handing out parts to the new EFI system(tanks) the manufacturer will make the few adjustments and this shall pass I hope!

I like the tires, forks and cluster, Expect to be welcoming new members to the forum due to this major upgrade with EFI. add the 200cc lifan Xpect w/ EFI and we are looking at a new era in China bikes. The only question unaswered is how does the China Tariffs play into this new bike launch...Today everything goes up to 15% on China exports.

Seems you are not a Trump supporter and unaware of the politics of it all.

All the weak point CAN and are EASILY addressed at the factory IF they were not so CHINESE about MONEY ONLY.
Want quality pay quality and keep it American made so jobs for Americans, but they want for a penny a pound of value and you have been exploited and addicted for many years.

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by RedCrowRides

Me personally , I would rather have seen an upgraded ( thinking boxed aluminum) swingarm / improved chain adjusters in lieu of the EFI for the Hawk DLX, and maybe some higher quality/ stronger rims , I've seen too many posts about folks folding Hawk front rims in the dirt. I guess what I'm saying is more dirt capability focus ,but I get it's very likely the vast majority of Hawk owners use them quite a bit more for street than dirt ., so i am the odd man out on that issue.

In China there are many and have been Hawk like bikes made fairly well - at USD$2000ish retail IN CHINA.

All these cheap things are a consumer drug........

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by DualSport

Just got one pre-assembled from TX. It has the gas tank and clutch problems too.. As was said earlier the clutch rattle is probably gonna be a big problem..

The EFI is a SBC with inline injector and two sensors. I haven't looked at chips to find flash and debug protocols yet. They likely don't use a signed loader on the ECM so it's not gonna be hard to mod the firmware with a bin patching solution over I2C, JTAG, UART or whatever they use..

I'm probably going to keep this and just sale off all my other RPS bikes the QA is slightly better than 2016 and I'd rather deal with carb tuning only on my other bigger bikes.. I'm interested in the 6000RPM firmware issue, though..

http://bitedit.ru/en

Search the RX3 section on EFI - same ECU and many other bikes and stationary engines use it.
Delphi MT05 or MT 05.2
AJP, PR5 also use this type and so did Harley Davidson back 20 years ago - there are a couple of versions of ECU and many programs to suit differnt bikes of course.

It is a small engine up to twin cylinder EFI system and often ONLY the ECU is Delphi but other parts are from companies making compatible thottle bodies and or sensor etc - fairly common

[DualSport]

Originally Posted by RedCrowRides

Me personally , I would rather have seen an upgraded ( thinking boxed aluminum) swingarm / improved chain adjusters in lieu of the EFI for the Hawk DLX, and maybe some higher quality/ stronger rims , I've seen too many posts about folks folding Hawk front rims in the dirt. I guess what I'm saying is more dirt capability focus ,but I get it's very likely the vast majority of Hawk owners use them quite a bit more for street than dirt ., so i am the odd man out on that issue.

Pirelli HD tubes and Tusk rims are what I put on my keepers.. I just order whole wheels but I measured all spokes and bearing spec and posted here once. I run Timken bearings cause the factory is close by..

I foiled the entire front-end on a Magician once just jumping three feet down at about 25MPH..

[OneLeggedRider]

Wow, what a piece of.. What are you paying the extra $600 for, the factory fuel leak or the bad clutch? And it requires even more assembly than my Hawk did? Which the TBR7 requires very little of. It did start and idle pretty well but I foresee troubles in the future. And I didn't see anything about valve adjustment. The only real benefit is the forks. As another poster said I'd rather have better rims and swingarm.

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

Wow, what a piece of.. What are you paying the extra $600 for, the factory fuel leak or the bad clutch? And it requires even more assembly than my Hawk did? Which the TBR7 requires very little of. It did start and idle pretty well but I foresee troubles in the future. And I didn't see anything about valve adjustment. The only real benefit is the forks. As another poster said I'd rather have better rims and swingarm.

Then the blue eagle fits your demands!

[DualSport]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

Wow, what a piece of.. What are you paying the extra $600 for, the factory fuel leak or the bad clutch? And it requires even more assembly than my Hawk did? Which the TBR7 requires very little of. It did start and idle pretty well but I foresee troubles in the future. And I didn't see anything about valve adjustment. The only real benefit is the forks. As another poster said I'd rather have better rims and swingarm.

It's mostly identical to the original hawk save some trim, suspension, and EFI.. Engine and frame are identical..

I just got it for EFI cause a jap 250 with efi is at least two time what you pay for a carb 650 jap dual sport.. You go over 250 with EFI with a jap maker you're going too close to new car principle.. Basically Husqvarna 700 level cash..

[Wbflyer]

I will say, being that this bike is DOT certified makes knowing you can ride it legally is very appealing. The Carb version is a crap shoot, being in Oregon I can't get the DMV to tell me if it's legal or not without getting the full VIN and nobody will give me the full VIN.. frustrating.

[2LZ]

Once again, I'm in the minority here but I still don't see the advantage to a more complex EFI system, over a gravity-fed carb on such a small engine, other than maybe CARB or EPA regs.

People make such a big deal over tuning a carb, when it's not tough at all. Heck, my neighbor left his TT250 stock, except for the EBay pipe, and it runs perfectly.

On the other hand, my RX3 with it's injection, leaves me at a total loss for tuning or engine mods other than the cylinder kit. It's very frustrating. No reflashes readily available or anything. It still likes to occasionally stall and I can't do a damn thing about it. If it was a carb, I would have had it fixed long ago.

NZ- You keep saying how what we get here is old tech in China. You should start a thread on all the newest latest bikes that are available there for the masses, with pics, pricing and specs. That would be awesome reading for us.

[DualSport]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

Once again, I'm in the minority here but I still don't see the advantage to a more complex EFI system, over a gravity-fed carb on such a small engine, other than maybe CARB or EPA regs.

People make such a big deal over tuning a carb, when it's not tough at all. Heck, my neighbor left his TT250 stock, except for the EBay pipe, and it runs perfectly.

On the other hand, my RX3 with it's injection, leaves me at a total loss for tuning or engine mods other than the cylinder kit. It's very frustrating. No reflashes readily available or anything. It still likes to occasionally stall and I can't do a damn thing about it. If it was a carb, I would have had it fixed long ago.

NZ- You keep saying how what we get here is old tech in China. You should start a thread on all the newest latest bikes that are available there for the masses, with pics, pricing and specs. That would be awesome reading for us.

For people who don't want to adjust jets and mix while touring or on season changes.. As far as I know EFI dual-sport market is so expensive nobody touches it, so this is just a easy-tune cheap bike thing..