So Many Hawk Issues!

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Hawks & Turkeys

You're absolutely right that doing work on your bike will give you familiarity. But as someone who has owned a Honda and a Yamaha but never a Hawk (and is not a natural born mechanic), it takes some time to get over the shock of the new bike needing so much in the way of repair and upgrade. ITS A BRAND NEW BIKE! So seeing things on Day Five of ownership like, "Remove the gas tank" or "You need a valve lash." In a normal world, its not the way its supposed to work! But here we are...

Cheap crate bike. It's great! But no dealership to set the bike up properly after it arrives or help you with any warranty.

OK, they "assembled it", but these motorcycles need constant attention.

This makes all of the setup and initial tuning really your job. I am sure you knew this all along, but lots of experience to help here.

The key things to check are EVERY single nut and bolt (some may need loctite blue, or loctite red), valve clearance, and carb jetting.

Placement of levers (and mirrors), routing of cables (throttle cable, in particular), might need attention.
Actually, this is not unusual for dirt bikes, including dual sport. The dealer might take care of initial build, but you can customize the fit while you go over stuff. Dealers suggest that you bring it in for a check up within 500 miles to make sure things aren't coming undone.

Then 6 months into ownership, you will need to do additional maintenance. Check everything! The chain will need attention within days. Chains stretch. This is a constant issue, even with good aftermarket chains. But things like the bolts that hold the brake calipers on, fork tube tension on the triple clamp, gear shift lever bolt, well, everything can loosen up !!

[Hawks & Turkeys]

Originally Posted by Thumper

Cheap crate bike. It's great! But no dealership to set the bike up properly after it arrives or help you with any warranty.

OK, they "assembled it", but these motorcycles need constant attention.

This makes all of the setup and initial tuning really your job. I am sure you knew this all along, but lots of experience to help here.

The key things to check are EVERY single nut and bolt (some may need loctite blue, or loctite red), valve clearance, and carb jetting.

Placement of levers (and mirrors), routing of cables (throttle cable, in particular), might need attention.
Actually, this is not unusual for dirt bikes, including dual sport. The dealer might take care of initial build, but you can customize the fit while you go over stuff. Dealers suggest that you bring it in for a check up within 500 miles to make sure things aren't coming undone.

Then 6 months into ownership, you will need to do additional maintenance. Check everything! The chain will need attention within days. Chains stretch. This is a constant issue, even with good aftermarket chains. But things like the bolts that hold the brake calipers on, fork tube tension on the triple clamp, gear shift lever bolt, well, everything can loosen up !!

Really well said. I feel like I'm on the downhill side - there's only so many issues to tend to before the Hawk starts riding pretty well! My last big issue is the throttle free play and next to nothing in the way of adjustments. There's no adjustment at the carb end, and a bare minimum locking nut at the throttle end.

[Zapkin]

Originally Posted by Thumper

OK, they "assembled it", but these motorcycles need constant attention.

Think of your Hawk kind of like a woman...if you want to ride her long and hard, you have to give her lots of attention!!!