New Hawk, new adventures.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

I used one of the forward mounts and my bike is LOUD. but I had to push it so far on the header I'm probably only benefiting from 2/3 of the packing. When I let other people ride it I can hear it coming from a long ways off.

That's strange. My muffler actually has a lip on the inside that stops it once it hits the pipe. It just so happened to line up with the rear mount. I will grant that the consistency of these exhausts is rather wide ranging as far as fitment and such. Even between my last Hawk and this one there were quite a few variances, and this one actually fits better. I had to tweak the heck out of my old one to get it to fit without touching the engine case and the frame, and then align with the mount for the muffler at the rear.

I have been eyeballing a muffler like this to hopefully tone it down a bit. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free...d-7ae27c84d477
it's about 80mm longer than the ebay muffler, and the actual core and packing is the same total length as the entire ebay muffler. I am sure the packing in it is totally crap too, as they all seem to be lol.

The other one I have looked at is this one (the straight version). https://www.aliexpress.com/item/XUAN...77532e0enfN38m
Not too sure it would fit though without doing a bit of measuring.

I am just trying to decide if I want to spend the money to repack the ebay can and hope it helps, or get this one and then have to repack it as well most likely.

[Megadan]

So, with everything going on I had to get out and ride for a while to clear my head. While I was out riding I noticed my bike was running a bit stronger than normal, likely the atmopsheric conditions were just about perfect for my jetting so I decided to give it a large hand full of throttle and see just how far I could push it. I found my familiar long straight flat stretch of road and went for it...

I then hit the rev limiter in 5th gear, and recorded a max speed of 79.2mph on my GPS. Suffice it to say even I was impressed. I have been able to consistently hit 74 to 75mph, which I consider the bikes actual top speed, but it's nice to know that it has the potential to do 80 in the right conditions.

On my last bike I had to run taller gearing (17/43) to even consistently hit 70. On a 17/45 with the old bike I would generally top out around 67-68. Now I can surpass that by 7mph with the same basic gearing on a regular basis. If you want any more proof that it is worth porting the cylinder head, there you are.

That might not sound impressive to some people, but considering my 6'4" tall 260lb sail of a body is on the bike, I honestly think with a smaller lighter rider and a bit more gear under it this bike could consistently hit 80 and maybe max out at 85 or close to it. To answer your possible question, yes I did tuck in a bit to try and reduce my drag. 75 on flat ground without a head wind is about all it has with me sitting up otherwise.


I also played with the damping adjustments on the shock a bit and discovered that the last 3 positions are just about the only ones I can use without the rear end being too bouncy with my big butt sitting on it. The last position is very very firm and with the stock seat it's not very butt friendly, but for all out road handling it works really well. One down from that is a great compromise for on and off road and the position it came shipped with. One more down from that is very soft without being uncontrolled and worked great on a rutted hard pack road I often travel down. After that it starts to get a bit "boingy" and the risk of bottoming out is much higher.

I think once I get the clutch and other goodies done I am going to have my seat re-done with firmer foam, reshaped to remove the hump and level it out more front to rear, and covered in a heavy duty marine vinyl. That will more or less wrap up all of the mods I want to do with this bike.

[JerryHawk250]

That's close enough to 80. Same here, I can do 74-75 no problem but when the stars are align and a full moon LOL it will go faster. 80 mph on my GPS was the fastest I recorded. The head work was a big improvement.

I'm still curious if the pwk30 will make any improvements over the pumper. I almost bought the pumper carb but figured I try the pwk30 first.


You need to find a 100lb biker chick to take it for a test run or invite Azule over. The biker chick sound better IMO.

On your post on the muffler. I like the one in the first link. It's a little longer and should push the tail end closer to the stock position. I think I'm going to order some ceramic packing. It was noticeably louder when I rode it Sunday.

[OneLeggedRider]

I got my pipe from Amazon, but it looks identical to yours Dan. As far as fitment it was perfect, lays right wear it should and doesn't touch anything. But yeah you can slide mine really far up on the header pipe. I could probably bolt it further forward if I wanted.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

That's close enough to 80. Same here, I can do 74-75 no problem but when the stars are align and a full moon LOL it will go faster. 80 mph on my GPS was the fastest I recorded. The head work was a big improvement.

I'm still curious if the pwk30 will make any improvements over the pumper. I almost bought the pumper carb but figured I try the pwk30 first.


You need to find a 100lb biker chick to take it for a test run or invite Azule over. The biker chick sound better IMO.

On your post on the muffler. I like the one in the first link. It's a little longer and should push the tail end closer to the stock position. I think I'm going to order some ceramic packing. It was noticeably louder when I rode it Sunday.

I think I have the gearing about as well matched as it can get in terms of the engines capabilities and a desire to retain decent acceleration while being able to cruise along at 60-65. I have to fight the temptation to gear it up more.

I have that CQR intake on order from Taobao, so in about a month when it finally arrives I will be able to test the PWK30 back to back against the PZ30B. I suspect the PWK will have a stronger pull in the top RPM range. While my engine will happily wind out that high, you can just feel like something is holding it back a little bit. Past 65 the acceleration rate starts to fall off a bit, and I suspect the PZ30 is nearing the limits of it's airflow capabilities. something a smooth bore 30mm shouldn't have a problem with.

I considered the ceramic packing route myself, but I would like something that will have a bit more life. A buddy of mine directed me to this kit. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...HBGTMZ4A&psc=1
I like the fact that it has the screen and uses a stainless steel wool for the inner core with fiberglass for the outer core/insulation. He has a couple thousand miles on his bike with that kit and says it's still going strong.

Just be careful handling that ceramic wool. Not only is it nasty stuff to breathe in, but it forms carcinogenic silicate compounds once it is exposed to enough heat. I have also read that it is a good idea to run some type of screen around the core as the ceramic fibers like to come apart and fly out of the muffler.

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

I got my pipe from Amazon, but it looks identical to yours Dan. As far as fitment it was perfect, lays right wear it should and doesn't touch anything. But yeah you can slide mine really far up on the header pipe. I could probably bolt it further forward if I wanted.

If you like it where it is. I would say mark the pipe where the end of the muffler is, measure the depth of that end cap it sits in, remove the muffler, mark that distance on the pipe down from the first mark, cut off the excess.

[ChipToothy]

You're having the same experience with the shock as I am. It's like riding a Pogostick over 50mph! I had been using mine 2 clicks from F for road and 3 clicks back from F for dirt. After the chain jumping off last week I doubt I use 3 clicks back anymore. It's my belief that the shock has too much travel for a small sprocket creating a large gap in chain tension under aggressive compressions. Of course with the 520 set up it's probably a whole other set of physics going on back there and may be better. I don't know.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by ChipToothy

You're having the same experience with the shock as I am. It's like riding a Pogostick over 50mph! I had been using mine 2 clicks from F for road and 3 clicks back from F for dirt. After the chain jumping off last week I doubt I use 3 clicks back anymore. It's my belief that the shock has too much travel for a small sprocket creating a large gap in chain tension under aggressive compressions. Of course with the 520 set up it's probably a whole other set of physics going on back there and may be better. I don't know.

Post 14 of this thread, at the very bottom, you will see this image. https://i.ibb.co/p2khv5S/tensioner.jpg

As to it helping prevent the chain from whipping off, it's quite possible. Just also bear in mind that I am rather broken of body, so I don't get super aggressive off road either.

There is probably a small difference in how the two chain types react as well given the longer spacing of the 520 rollers. I also keep on top of my chain tension like a...Hawk ... sorry, I had to lol.

I had to deal with a lot more rear suspension travel on my last hawk with the stock shock and I ran a 428 chain and sprockets on it for quite a while and never had the chain come off once. Sure you weren't just running that chain a bit too loose? In my experience it doesn't take a whole lot of excessive slack with the right combination of variables for the chain to come flinging off. I use the CSC chain tension spec, which is 15mm of free play with the chain at its tightest point, both in rotation and in rear suspension compression. In my experience that puts the slack at a bit more than 1 inch ( 1 1/4 ish inches) with the rear suspension fully extended. I set my chain to about 1 1/2 inches extended just to be a little on the safe side.

If the motion ratio math is correct, this 325mm shock should have about another inch of travel over the stock unit, which would put it around 7.5 inches total. It also raised the back of the bike about half an inch which is why the back end of my bike sits so high. I honestly need to set aside the time to set my preload for rider sag. I know it currently doesn't actually have enough (maybe 2 inches with my weight on it). I would like to get it to about 3., but I just haven't had the time to tinker with it very much. The spring rate is just about perfect for my weight though. I have hit dips that bottomed out the stock rear shock with ease, and I was nowhere close to bottoming out even with the "3rd" damping setting.

[OneLeggedRider]

Mine's not like a pogo stick and I think it's 4 clicks from firm. What kind of tire pressure are you running nowadays Dan? I'm at 18F and 26R because I was trail riding the last time I had it out but it's usually 24 and 26.

[ChipToothy]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Post 14 of this thread, at the very bottom, you will see this image. https://i.ibb.co/p2khv5S/tensioner.jpg

As to it helping prevent the chain from whipping off, it's quite possible. Just also bear in mind that I am rather broken of body, so I don't get super aggressive off road either.

There is probably a small difference in how the two chain types react as well given the longer spacing of the 520 rollers. I also keep on top of my chain tension like a...Hawk ... sorry, I had to lol.

I had to deal with a lot more rear suspension travel on my last hawk with the stock shock and I ran a 428 chain and sprockets on it for quite a while and never had the chain come off once. Sure you weren't just running that chain a bit too loose? In my experience it doesn't take a whole lot of excessive slack with the right combination of variables for the chain to come flinging off. I use the CSC chain tension spec, which is 15mm of free play with the chain at its tightest point, both in rotation and in rear suspension compression. In my experience that puts the slack at a bit more than 1 inch ( 1 1/4 ish inches) with the rear suspension fully extended. I set my chain to about 1 1/2 inches extended just to be a little on the safe side.

If the motion ratio math is correct, this 325mm shock should have about another 1 1/2 to 2 inches of travel over the stock unit, which would put it around 8 inches total. It also raised the back of the bike about half an inch which is why the back end of my bike sits so high. I honestly need to set aside the time to set my preload for rider sag. I know it currently doesn't actually have enough (maybe 2 inches with my weight on it). I would like to get it to about 3., but I just haven't had the time to tinker with it very much. The spring rate is just about perfect for my weight though. I have hit dips that bottomed out the stock rear shock with ease, and I was nowhere close to bottoming out even with the "3rd" damping setting.

At like 20:35 he shows the tension. I have been riding the past year with way less slack in mine. So that the chain cannot touch the swingarm when pushing up from the bottom has been my rule of thumb. I never had an issue until I recently swapped to the 43 cog and 128 link chain.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by ChipToothy

At like 20:35 he shows the tension. I have been riding the past year with way less slack in mine. So that the chain cannot touch the swingarm when pushing up from the bottom has been my rule of thumb. I never had an issue until I recently swapped to the 43 cog and 128 link chain.

I run the same or more slack than he does. I ran the same slack on my 43 tooth 128 link chain setup on my last Hawk. Never bucked the chain. Jerry runs an even smaller sprocket on the back of his and hasn't bucked a chain as far as I know. Sounds to me like there is something else at work.

[Megadan]

So, my brake pads and the straight spoke style front rotor arrived. Yeah, they dont work. Not because of offset, thickness, or even the hub pattern. That is all dead on accurate.

They won't work because they are too small in diameter.

Yep, you read that right, instead of confirming it for myself I believed something I read on the internet (here) and decided to assume that the information I read was accurate. Sucks, but sometimes you gotta pay to learn. Maybe somebody on here can use them on different bike.

So the Hawk has a 265mm front brake rotor (10.4xx") and 220mm rear the same as a GY200.

Guess what I found on Aliexpress for $20 less (shipping included) than what is being charged by the Manny Machine/RPS? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/265m...c-8e80e336609a

I will eat the loss just so I know for sure what does and doesn't work. It's all in the name of science! Well, that and there really wasn't any concrete information out there.

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by Megadan

So, my brake pads and the straight spoke style front rotor arrived. Yeah, they dont work. Not because of offset, thickness, or even the hub pattern. That is all dead on accurate.

They won't work because they are too small in diameter.

Yep, you read that right, instead of confirming it for myself I believed something I read on the internet (here) and decided to assume that the information I read was accurate. Sucks, but sometimes you gotta pay to learn. Maybe somebody on here can use them on different bike.

So the Hawk has a 265mm front brake rotor (10.4xx") and 220mm rear the same as a GY200.

Guess what I found on Aliexpress for $20 less (shipping included) than what is being charged by the Manny Machine/RPS? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/265m...c-8e80e336609a

I will eat the loss just so I know for sure what does and doesn't work. It's all in the name of science! Well, that and there really wasn't any concrete information out there.

That is China for you, they are not responsible to 'Get it right" that is your job because its cheap. Had a mayor argument with my wife yesterday and she clearly told me it is MY FAULT to not check every detail on the racks I bought and its not the factories job to make it how I expect it to be (To be correct and fit correctly to bike listed) I shouldn't expect to buy at a low price then sell to the USA at a higher price and not have to deal with such issues.
I clearly told her she is STUPID and that way of thinking is PRIMITIVE, yeah typical woman and now I am in the dog box if I am lucky (Or divorced!).

So far I am at 2 days trying to get some other basic stuff and about 2 months for the racks etc

They think you need to change what you want to suit what THEY have etc.

Maybe I am more expensive but if I get it wrong I refund 100% and I only had to do that 1 time. Also I can check with the customer to see if what he wants and what I have or get is correct before it all makes the journey to the USA or elsewhere etc.


I feel your pain and know VERY well what n how shit don't work etc

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by NzBrakelathes

That is China for you, they are not responsible to 'Get it right" that is your job because its cheap. Had a mayor argument with my wife yesterday and she clearly told me it is MY FAULT to not check every detail on the racks I bought and its not the factories job to make it how I expect it to be (To be correct and fit correctly to bike listed) I shouldn't expect to buy at a low price then sell to the USA at a higher price and not have to deal with such issues.
I clearly told her she is STUPID and that way of thinking is PRIMITIVE, yeah typical woman and now I am in the dog box if I am lucky (Or divorced!).

So far I am at 2 days trying to get some other basic stuff and about 2 months for the racks etc

They think you need to change what you want to suit what THEY have etc.

Maybe I am more expensive but if I get it wrong I refund 100% and I only had to do that 1 time. Also I can check with the customer to see if what he wants and what I have or get is correct before it all makes the journey to the USA or elsewhere etc.


I feel your pain and know VERY well what n how shit don't work etc

I went into buying the parts knowing full well they probably weren't going to work. Something about the dimensions seemed visually off, but it's hard to judge that stuff 100% via pictures on a computer screen, so I decided to sacrifice some extra cash to the "box of parts" gods in the name of accurate information. Stupid? sure. I could have just bought the front rotor I needed right here in the U.S. for what I shelled out with the cost of shipping factored in.

At least not all of it was a waste. I do need new pads thanks to the warped rotor, and the sintered pads I got seem like pretty good quality parts. EBC sintered pads in the same pad style cost more than what I paid for the pads and the rotors, so I will just consider it a wash because it makes me feel better that way lol.

[Megadan]

In other news, since I can't sleep again, I decided to try and dial in my preload/sag front and rear. I ended up taking 10mm out of the forks to get it right at about 2.75-3 inches. With the fork valves installed the front end is much more controlled, so I can actually get away with a more off road friendly amount of rebound travel. Out back I took about 1 1/4 turns out of the preload adjuster to achieve close to the same 3 inches-ish of sag (hard to get accurate when trying to do it solo.

To finish off the fork setup I am going to go to a lighter oil, either 10 or 7.5 to reduce rebound damping just a little bit.

The other half of my insomniac garage session was working on getting my headlight and spot lights re-mounted so the cutoff and light spread from the headlight is further out on low beam, and the spot lights are tucked in a bit tighter.

In order to get the headlight aimed properly I had to get creative with the lower and upper mounts. With the lower tabs in the rubber tabs in the triple the beam pattern was aimed pretty far down, and with such a distinct cutoff from the bulb I am using, it made riding on dark country roads a bit scary if I couldn't run my fog lights.

I first dismounted the headlight and used cable ties to secure the lower tabs to the outside of the lower triple clamps in a cross cross pattern (surpsingly effective). Doing this aimed the headlight WAAAY high, and now I had the opposite problem of the light being too high with the headlight adjusted all the way down. I spaced the upper mounts off the upper triple with 4mm aluminum spacers. That was the ticket to get my headlight aimed in a 2 inch down in 25 foot beam angle with my weight fully on the bike.

As ghetto sounding as it is, it was very effective at not only allowing me to get light where I need it, but buying me just enough room to get my spot lights tucked up against the headlight a bit more and away from the inside edges of the tank plastics (one was slightly rubbing).

I didn't take any pictures of the end product, but I am going to try and cover it in a video and try to show the light output with me sitting on the bike tomorrow night. For now I am going to pass out.

[OneLeggedRider]

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you go to the lighter fork oil. I never rode the bike before changing the oil and adding spacers, but I had watched several videos of the forks bottoming out. And my original plan was to go with 15w, but from owning several Hondas and working in the shops I knew they used ATF for years in their dirtbike forks. So a quick internet search to find out the weight of ATF, and another to find out the weight of Polaris/Victory fork oil (because that's the nearest Dealership and the weight isn't specified on the bottle) told me both were 7.5w.

I am very happy with the rebound characteristics of the forks now, and they get tested daily with all the washboard and potholes on these dirt roads and riding the whoops out at the Reclaim. And the bike doesn't feel springy or bouncy at all, it's quite stable infact. Now if I just add some preload to the monoshock I think I'll be done with the suspension.

Also with me being 6'2" and 265lbs at the moment we are very similar in size when it comes to suspension tuning.