Well, it was fun while it lasted.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

I completely agree with you Weld but if that were the case, we should all band together and buy you a Ferrari!

I remember that you donated to my Daughter's GoFundMe page when she was headed into the world to fight human trafficking. Without the help of generous folks like you, she wouldn't have met her goal.

My point is that this is a community that I'm pleased and blessed to be a part of. We all give back in the form of supporting each other (primarily through the sharing of experience), with donating to a new bike for Dan being one of our finest examples.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I really like RND2 as a plate idea; I also like HAWK2. That said, vanity plates are expensive where I live. I'd rather see you put cash into R&D.


Let me be the first to say that the cash I donated is not earmarked specifically for a Hawk. IOW, if you decided to try one of the other China models, that would be fine with me.

Vanity plates here are only $40 more than standard plate/rego fees. Not too expensive at all.

As far as not getting a Hawk, that really only leaves me with two ways to achieve that. I still have my TIG welder, small drill press, and a few other tools listed for sale. I had decided to go ahead and sell those items and if they do sell for what I have them listed that would give me another $1500 to spend. This would give me enough to buy every mod on the bike that was lost when it was stolen and even some upgrades I was still considering doing.

The thought did occur to me that I could also get an XTR250 LC if I combined the two. It's tempting to be sure, but then I feel I would let down the many Hawk owners who donated because I was trying to get a new Hawk. Plus, it would be kind of fun to be able to get a brand new Hawk and just go to town during assembly and install every mod under the sun in one fell swoop. That includes my ported head, because I am tired of waiting to install it, especially after this whole fiasco. I might even look at doing the EFI install.

Plus, if I were going to spend the extra money on a different bike, I would rather simply get the LXR250f, but even at the best deal I could find that would be almost $4000 after shipping, which is a tad out of my price range unless I financed the difference. I mean, I could take a loan out against my 401k, but that seems a silly thing to do for a bike for multiple reasons... even if it is insanely tempting. Plus, if I were going to do that for a bike, I would have done so from the start and not done a Gofundme campaign.

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

My point is that this is a community that I'm pleased and blessed to be a part of. We all give back in the form of supporting each other (primarily through the sharing of experience), with donating to a new bike for Dan being one of our finest examples.

I never expected the level of response I got. It went from putting up a page because a few people messaged me asking if they could donate or help in any way, to having enough to purchase a new Hawk in just 72 hours. I set it up not knowing what to even put as the target for the campaign, so I just decided to go with what a new bike would cost me. At most, I expected that I would get 200 or maybe 300 bucks, which would still have been amazing. I never in a million years expected that I would surpass even the goal I had set when I first started, especially not within 3 days. It has been an incredible experience, and highlighted just how different this group is from every other one I have been a part of. Especially in the motorcycle community. As "brotherly" as many bikers claim to be, more often then not many of them are very self centered and/or selfish.

This experience has made me consider trying to setup some sort of "emergency" fund for future instances of guys/gals in need on this forum. Not exactly sure how to do that, but I love the idea of it. I know there have been many people who have bought a bike, had a major failure, and were stiffed due to the warranty "coverage" offered by certain sellers, ending up leaving them with a new bike they can't ride and a bad taste in their mouth.

[Megadan]

Also, getting a Hawk makes a lot of sense considering the parts I have laying around.

One stroke of luck was that I still hadn't installed the oil coolers, and I had removed Jerry' skid plate setup. Then obviously my cylinder head and carb. collection.

[Weldangrind]

All good points. I agree that a Hawk makes the most sense.

[Megadan]

I just had an offer from a gentleman not too far away from me in Kansas City to send me an extra ebay exhaust he had for free. Long story short, he ended up with a second one for free, and he said he would rather not pack it up during his move.

What an incredible community of owners.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Megadan

I just had an offer from a gentleman not too far away from me in Kansas City to send me an extra ebay exhaust he had for free. Long story short, he ended up with a second one for free, and he said he would rather not pack it up during his move.

What an incredible community of owners.

Well that's just awesome. One of these day I'll have to change out the muffler to something a little more free flowing. Trying to build the HAWK budget back up. Lol

[Sullybiker]

Take it as a measure of the value you bring. I said before this is one of the nicest commuties on the web.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

Well that's just awesome. One of these day I'll have to change out the muffler to something a little more free flowing. Trying to build the HAWK budget back up. Lol

Well, ya know... I still have the muffler from the first one if you are still interested in it.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Well, ya know... I still have the muffler from the first one if you are still interested in it.

Sure I am.

[khigh]

Is there a large difference in performance between removing the cat and rear baffle, and going to the aftermarket?

It sounds silly, but as much as I hate the tank plastic, I like the muffler plastic.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by khigh

Is there a large difference in performance between removing the cat and rear baffle, and going to the aftermarket?

It sounds silly, but as much as I hate the tank plastic, I like the muffler plastic.

I have never ridden a bike with both a modified stock exhaust or the aftermarket systems to be able to give a comparison. Considering Jerry's and my own bike were very similar in mods and gearing and could achieve similar performance, but with his having a modified stock system vs. my ebay setup, that should tell you what you need to know. If there was a performance difference, it was too minute to really care about.

In fact, the only real advantage is that the aftermarket system is notably lighter than the stock setup and made of stainles steel and aluminum.

[Megadan]

Everything bad happens at once it seems....

And then everything good. I had you worried for a second didn't I?

My best friend - a guy I have known since 8 years old - decided to surprise me today with the one thing I needed to get my VFR back on the road safely. The whole reason I couldn't use it goes back to the leaky forks that happened 2 weeks after I bought it. My front brake pads ended up getting oil soaked into them, which made the brakes... scary. If it were a Hawk with the front brakes being kind of iffy, I probably could have lived with it, but a nearly 200hp missile... completely different story.

Here is one of the forks after spotting said leak on my ride home back in March, right after getting new tires put on it (my luck).



Anyway, the reason it was down was the price of the pads. $85 a set, and it takes 2 sets of pads for the front. The soonest I could even buy those was going to be June 8th, and then that would have sacrificed my spending money to fix my truck.

Long story short, that jerk (meant in the nicest way) shows up today with 2 brand new sets of OEM Honda pads for my VFR.

I still have to install them, which I can't do until Monday - a great way to spend a Holiday. So that should at least allow me a slightly safer way to get to work. Another friend gave me an Oxford chain and lock set he bought for his bike that he doesn't use anymore so I can secure it at work as well. I don't think I would ever park it at work otherwise.

It's definitely not the most practical means of commuting, but it is a huge relief not having to drive my truck any more.

I still can't wait to get the Hawk in though. It was my "Jeep."

[khigh]

I'd be curious if the pads couldn't be salvaged for backup in an ultrasonic cleaner with a heavy degreaser solution.

If you don't have an ultrasonic cleaner, ask your gun buddies.

[Weldangrind]

They're cheap at HF as well.

[Megadan]

The problem with the ultrasonic cleaner idea is the organic elements in the pad material can potentially be damaged, which could cause an even more dangerous condition.

The problem with brake and clutch material is that it acts a lot like cast metal. It wicks and traps the oils inside, and even if you clean the hell out of it, the second they heat up the oils.come back out to the surface. I dont take chances with my life.