My hawk 250 build

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

"Ahhh Roger DeCoster one of my heroes for sure."
Me too. Last I heard, DeCoster is still managing professional motocross teams.
He still loves competition.

MY hero was Jeff Smith.

[Sir kayakalot]

Ok it's time for my next mod and I need some recommendations from folks who have been there and done that. I'm thinking about just changing the rear sprocket to a smaller size to gain a little more top end speed. Also want to change out the crappy chain. I have less than 150 miles on this bike and have literally adjusted the chain 4 times now. Any recommendations on what size rear sprocket and what brand chain to go with?
Thanks in advance

[JerryHawk250]

You can get a 40t and keep the 15t up front or go with a 16/43 or 17/45. All are about the same gear ratio..

[Sir kayakalot]

Is there an advantage going with the 17/45 vs the 15/40?

[pete]

Originally Posted by sir kayakalot

is there an advantage going with the 17/45 vs the 15/40?

17/45 = 2.64
15/40 = 2.66




..

[chuck]

Originally Posted by Sir kayakalot

Ok it's time for my next mod and I need some recommendations from folks who have been there and done that. I'm thinking about just changing the rear sprocket to a smaller size to gain a little more top end speed. Also want to change out the crappy chain. I have less than 150 miles on this bike and have literally adjusted the chain 4 times now. Any recommendations on what size rear sprocket and what brand chain to go with?
Thanks in advance

Very good ratio for road use 17-43 but then it depends of what type of riding you do and your weight.I weigh 165 lbs.

2015 Hawk.

[Emerikol]

Good Morning, All;

I apologize I didn't realize I had some questions to answer here. I'll try to get everyone in one post:

OUTERLIMITS:
I've had the bike airborne quite a few times, and I haven't seen any indication of contact with the rear fender, or anything else back there. The bike takes jumps, hills, and whoops just fine. I weigh in at about 160lbs, and just don't think that the rear suspension is set up right, and there aren't any options out there that someone can put their hands on easily. I dropped a pile of cash on my DR to get the suspension (front and rear) set up right, and the difference is unbelievable. I use the DR more for long distance adventure touring, and have the Hawk set up more for the off-road and crazy stuff.

Sir kayakalot:
I only put about a mile on my factory chain, and immediately changed it out to an O-Ring chain. I went with an RK brand from Amazon.com. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WJCSR2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also went with JT Brand sprockets. I have a 17/39 setup because I have a lot of roads I have to be on before I get to the trails down here in GA. If you run a search for the rear using JTR269.xx (xx is the tooth count), and JTF259.xx for the front, you should come up with all the options you can use. Happy Hunting.

Ariel Red Hunter:
I think that it's possible the spring rate is too stiff (compared to the average Chinese rider, all Americans are woefully overweight and slovenly), but I think it's more likely they didn't spend a lot of time figuring out the optimal suspension geometry. For regular around town runs and a little bit of graded dirt road, the suspension is just fine. For the more technical stuff, I find the rear wheel does a lot of hopping and skipping and it's hard to keep it in contact with the surface. I have one particular route I go where I can skate the bike along on the front tire only for about 10-12 feet until the back tire comes back down. Interesting, to say the least...

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Sir kayakalot

Is there an advantage going with the 17/45 vs the 15/40?

I went with the 15/40 because at the time the 45 was not available. going with the 15/40 meant that I didn't have to buy two sprockets and the 40 was a lot cheaper than the 45. If you go with the 16/43 you will have an option to go down to the 15 on front if you would to lower your gear ratio or go up to the 17 if you want a higher gear for the highway. Personally I have no regrets going with the 15/40 combo. 15/40,16/43 and 17/45 seam to be the sweet spot on these bikes for off and on road use. Here's a link to a sprocket calculator. http://www.sprocketcalculator.com/

[Sir kayakalot]

Thanks guys for all of the information, you've been very helpful

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by Emerikol

Good Morning, All;

I apologize I didn't realize I had some questions to answer here. I'll try to get everyone in one post:

OUTERLIMITS:
I've had the bike airborne quite a few times, and I haven't seen any indication of contact with the rear fender, or anything else back there. The bike takes jumps, hills, and whoops just fine. I weigh in at about 160lbs, and just don't think that the rear suspension is set up right, and there aren't any options out there that someone can put their hands on easily. I dropped a pile of cash on my DR to get the suspension (front and rear) set up right, and the difference is unbelievable. I use the DR more for long distance adventure touring, and have the Hawk set up more for the off-road and crazy stuff.

Sir kayakalot:
I only put about a mile on my factory chain, and immediately changed it out to an O-Ring chain. I went with an RK brand from Amazon.com. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also went with JT Brand sprockets. I have a 17/39 setup because I have a lot of roads I have to be on before I get to the trails down here in GA. If you run a search for the rear using JTR269.xx (xx is the tooth count), and JTF259.xx for the front, you should come up with all the options you can use. Happy Hunting.

Ariel Red Hunter:
I think that it's possible the spring rate is too stiff (compared to the average Chinese rider, all Americans are woefully overweight and slovenly), but I think it's more likely they didn't spend a lot of time figuring out the optimal suspension geometry. For regular around town runs and a little bit of graded dirt road, the suspension is just fine. For the more technical stuff, I find the rear wheel does a lot of hopping and skipping and it's hard to keep it in contact with the surface. I have one particular route I go where I can skate the bike along on the front tire only for about 10-12 feet until the back tire comes back down. Interesting, to say the least...

Yes, the rear suspension is not optimal, design wise. It is designed to be made cheaply, and look modern, the way other single shock rears do. But there are better options out there. C/Rider JimWildman found a spring shock combo that interchanges, and improves rear suspension performance more than a little. If I recall correctly, it cost about $69.00. You'll have to hunt back through this bunch of posts to find it. He even had a link to where he bought it.

[pete]

The Hawks prob is theres no linkage so no rising rate...
The rising makes the shock accelerate & de-accelerate
though it travel....
So if the swing arm move at a constant speed the shock
speeds up & slows down though out it's travel...



...

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by pete

The Hawks prob is theres no linkage so no rising rate...
The rising makes the shock accelerate & de-accelerate
though it travel....
So if the swing arm move at a constant speed the shock
speeds up & slows down though out it's travel...



...

Yes, that absolutley is the problem with the Hawk's rear suspension. It is operating at a terrific mechanical dis-advantage. It would work much better if it had a twin shock rear suspension. But it can't. Mono-shock rear suspension has been so over sold that almost no one understands that a mono-shock without rising rate linkage is very poor indeed. So, we have to figure out a way to get the best out of this poor design that is possible.

[pete]

Originally Posted by Ariel Red Hunter

Yes, that absolutley is the problem with the Hawk's rear suspension. It is operating at a terrific mechanical dis-advantage. It would work much better if it had a twin shock rear suspension. But it can't. Mono-shock rear suspension has been so over sold that almost no one understands that a mono-shock without rising rate linkage is very poor indeed. So, we have to figure out a way to get the best out of this poor design that is possible.

OHLINS..... but one would cost more than the bike did...
And I'm not jokeing.......



...

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by pete

OHLINS..... but one would cost more than the bike did...
And I'm not jokeing.......



...

Twin shocks with Hagons would be night and day better than what's on there.

[Sir kayakalot]

Ok boys and girls I think you're gonna like my latest mod because it's one of those that really need to be done IMO.