New Hawk, new adventures.

[duck9191]

I've been waiting for some 3d printer parts that were shipping from around 200 miles from me for a month lol. Another package left Detroit the 23rd and hasn't shown up at the next stop yet so im guessing im not getting that one.

[MINTY DLX]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Mild revamp of the Introduction page for 5/7/2020.

I wanted to change this to include all current upgrades and modifications as well as a full mods list breakdown for those that are interested. I will include links to some of the upgrades that may be harder to find.

Modifications:

Engine.
1. Ported head with smoothed and polished combustion chamber.
2. Head decked 1mm to increase compression ratio to over 10:1 (calculated 10.3:1)
3. NGK DPR8EIX-9 Spark Plug.
4. Shortened factory plug wire with NGK XDO5F plug cap with resistor removed.
5. 125ml sump drawn Oil Cooler. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32913143396.html
6. Nibbi Racing PE30 Carburetor with 35 pilot and 135 main jet with needle at center (3rd) notch.
7. CQR 250 rubber intake. https://www.chinahao.com/product/581545449897/
8. Dual layer foam pod filter.
9. Ebay CRF230F Exhaust with factory muffler end cap installed and DEI Header wrap on head pipe.
10. Stainless Steel header studs and hardware.

Chassis/Suspension/Brakes
1. YSS PD238 Fork valves with custom made adapters. Found through ebay out of Germany. 15wt oil.
2. Bashan Brozz rear swing arm. https://shop.brozz250.com/eshopprod_...ingArm_Kit.htm
3. Fast Ace Bs-22ar/bda01ar 280mm rear shock with 1000lb/in spring
4. Fork Brace. (temporarily removed).
5. Sintered brake pads front and rear.
6. Dot 5.1 Ravenol brake fluid.
7. New Master Cylinder with factory levers. (this style https://www.amazon.com/Lisyline-Univ..._t3_B078W4GRWJ )
8. Custom Jerryhawk250 Skid plate with center stand.

Chain, Sprockets, and shifter
1. DID VX2 520 Chain, 98 Links
2. Front Sprocket - JTF328 13 tooth
3. Rear Sprocket - JTR279 33 tooth
4. Honda Sprocket Studs - 90128-KE2-940
5. IMS Flightline Folding Shift Lever - model 312223 for XR400.

Tires
Shinko 700. Front 3.0x21 and Rear 4.6x18 with heavy duty IRC tubes.

Controls/Display
1. Digital Tach cluster sold by Matt (no longer available).
2. Renthal Fat Bars https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3278...archweb201603_
3. Adjustable riser adapters. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3283...archweb201603_
4. Quarter turn throttle assembly.
5. Progrip 737BK Grips.
6. Round swing-away style mirrors.

Lighting/Electrical.
1. Fanless H4 LED headlight from Superbright LEDs.https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...0-lumens/4444/
2. 1157 LED Tail/Brake bulb. https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...15d-bulb/2625/
3. Motogadget M-Blaze Pin turn signals. (from an old project) https://www.amazon.com/Motogadget-MG.../dp/B0145Q61N4
4. Cheap LED Spot lights with relay wiring harness and waterproof handlebar switch. (soon to be upgraded).
5. Upgraded main ground strap to 8awg wire.
6. YTZ7S Battery.
7. 4 position fuse panel and relays installed in modified air box.

Miscellanious
1. CSC TT250 rear luggage rack.
2. Shimmed front fender at rear bolts to angle away from oil cooler for clearance.

Current consistent top speed with mods and gearing is 74mph via GPS at around 8000rpm on the tachometer, but realistic sustained top speed is around 60-65mph for longer stretches. Acceleration is very strong through all of the gears.

A few pictures as it currently sits.

how many studs do you need, my bikes not here yet. Do you need new nuts as well? Also thank you so much for putting all this info in one place and your dedication to all the R&D that went into it.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by MINTY DLX

how many studs do you need, my bikes not here yet. Do you need new nuts as well? Also thank you so much for putting all this info in one place and your dedication to all the R&D that went into it.

Sprocket studs? 4, and yes I would get new flange nuts too, Serrated flange nuts of possible, or Nylock nuts and lock washers.

[Megadan]

Went on a little adventure today with a local that found me through Youtube. He has owned a few Chondas in the past and his Newphew just got a TT250 about a week ago. Today was supposed to be sunny, dry, and in the mid 70's/ Naturally it was cloudy as heck, wet, and high 50's to low 60's and windy as hell.

That made for one stretch where we had to literally turn around because the mud was so thick and sticky that even the big knobbies on the Himalayan couldn't clear themselves. So my Shinko 700's and the stock TT250 tires (a 50/50 tire) didn't stand a chance. I couldn't even idle in first gear without spinning. All three of us were ice skating, and the TT250 eventually went down and bent the hell out of the rear brake lever.

The poor TT250, which is mostly stock, was struggling against the wind going up some of the steeper hills. Definitely a good display of the power difference with my bike and his. I am geared about 5 teeth down roughly, and I am probably a good 80lbs heavier than he is, and I was having to let off to slow down so I didn't run into him lol.

The only other casualty was my Hawk, which just like my last one, had the red wire from the ignition cylinder break off right at the connector behind the headlight.

Still was a fun day, despite the weather.

[Megadan]

There, found a picture of the TT250. Can you tell he went down on that side? The brake lever took 90% of the impact. He got lucky with everything else, the mirror dug in but didn't break or bend, and none of his controls broke.



Also, as an edit. The entire rear underside of my bike was coated in mud. Not one spec on my pod filter.

[Megadan]

Slight jetting update. Bumping up the pilot jet from a 35 to a 38. It's just a hair too lean at light throttle when the temps dip below 70. It didn't used to be an issue, but I also have had to recently bump up my main jet as well. I can only assume that my bike has finally finished seating the rings. I went through the same tuning changes with my last Hawk and the Mikuni clone as it was breaking in too.

[Megadan]

Ok, so final jetting results, at least for now until the weather suddenly decides its going to be 90+ degrees for the next 4 months and I have to mess with it again. 38 pilot, 2 turns out on the air screw is pretty close (was 1 5/8ish on the 35) and I stepped down from the 132 main to a 130. That proved to be the magic combo. No more part throttle hesitation, and no slight loading up on fuel. I did make a video, but it ended up being 23 minutes long, and at 60fps in 1080p, my laptop is probably going to self destruct trying to render it for 40 minutes lol.

Also cleaned it up, even polished the fuel tank a bit and treated the seat and other plastics with some 303 Protectant. I love 303. Unlike a lot of other options out there it doesn't attract dust when it dries, and it isn't slippery.

[Megadan]

[China Rider 27]

Your bike runs fabulous! especially at 70 mph and looking good and stable. Well worth the investment.

I have to say I think you should seriously consider a dyno test after you put in the cam and should make the test dependent on obtaining the funds to pay for it from the forum here. One day somebody will do it, why not you as you will have the best bike for the test. If the forum members will pay for it then why not? It will advance all members knowledge.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by China Rider 27

Your bike runs fabulous! especially at 70 mph and looking good and stable. Well worth the investment.

I have to say I think you should seriously consider a dyno test after you put in the cam and should make the test dependent on obtaining the funds to pay for it from the forum here. One day somebody will do it, why not you as you will have the best bike for the test. If the forum members will pay for it then why not? It will advance all members knowledge.

Thank you. Lots of tinkering to get it to that point, and lessons learned from my last Hawk. Funny thing is, I get a lot of compliments on how good my bike sounds lol. I think it's just the port work and added compression as there is nothing else really different about this bike compared to my last one.

The lowering of the back end really helped with the stability on the highway. At stock height the bike always felt a bit twitchy, but now it feels planted and stable. I still honestly wouldn't want to go much faster than 70 on it, but it can do it now without being too scary, as long as the wind isn't blowing too hard at least.

Even without the cam, I could honestly stay happy with the bike exactly how it is. I think I have struck the right balance of capable commuter bike and light off road machine. As you saw, it can run 60-65 in pretty much any conditions without fighting too hard, and reach at least 70 even when fighting against a mild head wind. I have no doubt that if I geared it taller it could achieve higher speeds, as I tend to run out of the power curve more than power itself, but I enjoy the acceleration more, hence the cam.

I may consider a dyno run at some point. Not high on my priority list, but it would be entertaining to see where I sit.

[China Rider 27]

There is no down side in my mind other than a disappointment that we have exceeded our expectations with our fanciful illusions of increased horsepower based upon our work. Even if the outcome is a lot lower than expectation, say a 1 hp gain it does not diminish the value of the modifications or the usefulness of the increased horsepower and in fact would show how important even the small gains to be and most importantly it provides a benchmark for measurement and comparison. Oh, I agree, the acceleration is much more enjoyable and you can do better on that with lower gearing!

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Loved the video! It was interesting that I am not the only one who seems to catch EVERY RED LIGHT!

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Funny thing is, I get a lot of compliments on how good my bike sounds lol.

I may consider a dyno run at some point. Not high on my priority list, but it would be entertaining to see where I sit.

I am curious at what horsepower these little dual-sports (and by default, street bikes that use the same engines) dyno at. Really just a curiosity thing, but like China Rider 27 stated, I would hope it would be you doing a dyno; if not you, Oneleggedrider or Jerryhawk250. But, you as number 1. Don't ask me why, but it has to do with you are kind of the guru of these bikes, both inside and out. Like YOU should have gotten a Motomax to evaluate and video from Peace Sports vs. Redbeard kind of guru. Really. In fact, if RPS was smart, they would send you a Hawk DLX, because I think you would be able to tackle the EFI. It might not be your forte (heck, it might BE, but you haven't mentioned having extensive experience with EFI), but you, if anyone, has the fortitude to learn and figure it out and make it, or at least make sure, it is reliable as these bikes seem to be released to the public for us to figure out the quality control

Originally Posted by China Rider 27

There is no down side in my mind other than a disappointment that we have exceeded our expectations with our fanciful illusions of increased horsepower based upon our work. Even if the outcome is a lot lower than expectation, say a 1 hp gain it does not diminish the value of the modifications or the usefulness of the increased horsepower and in fact would show how important even the small gains to be and most importantly it provides a benchmark for measurement and comparison. Oh, I agree, the acceleration is much more enjoyable and you can do better on that with lower gearing!

NZbrakelathes has mentioned time and time again that there are better engines out there out of the box, one of them being the rare and elusive Loncin NE250. He is still surprised that we have embraced these lowly, crude, 3rd world country dual-sports, but the US market is set up like that. These 'lowly' bikes are low-cost, and without the high tariffs that make name-brand bikes so expensive (and make even the no-name brand bikes in some countries a premium), if we were going to get into the 300 (i.e. Benelli TNT) or larger bikes, we would spend the extra grand or so and get a Honda or Yamaha or Suzuki or Kawasaki. Generally, when one is spending 3, 4 or more thousand, one is financing and then it becomes 'funny money' in which that extra grand comes out to be like $23/month. To tie it all in, forgetting about the premium bikes unless there is a performance advantage over the name-brand bikes, such as the TNT 135 or the KPmini 150 out-Gromming the Grom, they are not worth it. Okay, so to bring my tangent full-circle and related to horsepower in these sub-$2k dual-sports, we should be expecting engines like the Loncin NE250 with its 6-speed transmission as standard. One brand here in the US just released a bike with that engine, the Kayo T4, which appears to be a challenge to Pister Pro's dominance in the low-cost, decent quality (as compared to name brands) realm of their XTR 250 range. Heck, even the Pitster's bikes seem to have a little more hp over most of the more common bikes we know and love. This is what we should be expecting at this point is kind of what NZbrakelathes is saying (my interpretation of some of his mindset), and to tie it in with what you mentioned about a dyno, it would be great to dyno a stock engine (i.e. the bone stock TT250 that rode with Dan last week) and a modified one like Megadan's. Side by side comparison. BUT, as Megadan has stated numerous times, the only dyno in his area needs to be booked weeks/months in advance, AND the outside temperature needs to be within two certain temperatures, so the dyno plan is on permanent hold...

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by China Rider 27

There is no down side in my mind other than a disappointment that we have exceeded our expectations with our fanciful illusions of increased horsepower based upon our work. Even if the outcome is a lot lower than expectation, say a 1 hp gain it does not diminish the value of the modifications or the usefulness of the increased horsepower and in fact would show how important even the small gains to be and most importantly it provides a benchmark for measurement and comparison. Oh, I agree, the acceleration is much more enjoyable and you can do better on that with lower gearing!

I have some fairly realistic ideas as to the power gains from various mods and upgrades. Using the Hawk as the basis here since it is one of the lowest rated bikes in terms of power from the distributor at 14.1hp.

I actually believe that figure because of how poorly jetted it is to try and pass emissions.

With proper jetting and otherwise stock, I would put it at probably 15-15.5hp, basically in the same territory as the more properly jetted Bashans.

I see a full exhaust and intake mod are likely good for about 2hp, bringing these bikes up to around 17hp. Up to this point these figures are fairly easy to back up with actual dyno numbers from other sources, usually putting down 14-15hp at the wheels through a chain driven driveline.

After this point it is definintely more speculative, but given what I know from the former and how it affected the bike, I am confident in this educated guess. Admittedly, this can be a plus or minus affair depending on how aggressive the port work is.

Head porting with the 30mm smooth bore carb is good for another 2-3hp. I lean closer to 3 with my bike, because as you said I am optimistic lol. Again, some information to back this up thanks to the CCW land speed bike. With a cam and some race level engineering and assembly they put down 23hp at the wheels (thats about 26hp crank). So I don't think its too unrealistic to expect about 20 crank hp from everything I have done. (18whp ish). I am hoping the cam will be another 2-3hp, which I also don't think is too unrealistic, bringing me up to about 22-23hp, or about 20hp at the tire.

Something often overlooked with all of this work is the power gained below the curve. Every single upgrade here has also increased power and torque, especially in the mid range. The top end gains are mitigated by the cam profile, and once you port the head, that is the limitation you run into, lack of top end past 7000-7500, with the motor basically unable to really push past 8000rpm in the higher gears.

If you really want to be impressed with the performance of my bike in that video, remind yourself that the guy riding it is 6'4 and 270lbs and the bike has the equivalent of 17/45 gearing with a heavier 520 chain setup. Still hits 0-60 in about 14 seconds and can push 70mph with a slight headwind.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by culcune

Loved the video! It was interesting that I am not the only one who seems to catch EVERY RED LIGHT!

Yeah, I am a red light magnet whenever I am on a motorcycle. The fun gods frown upon me!

Originally Posted by culcune

I am curious at what horsepower these little dual-sports (and by default, street bikes that use the same engines) dyno at. Really just a curiosity thing, but like China Rider 27 stated, I would hope it would be you doing a dyno; if not you, Oneleggedrider or Jerryhawk250. But, you as number 1. Don't ask me why, but it has to do with you are kind of the guru of these bikes, both inside and out. Like YOU should have gotten a Motomax to evaluate and video from Peace Sports vs. Redbeard kind of guru. Really. In fact, if RPS was smart, they would send you a Hawk DLX, because I think you would be able to tackle the EFI. It might not be your forte (heck, it might BE, but you haven't mentioned having extensive experience with EFI), but you, if anyone, has the fortitude to learn and figure it out and make it, or at least make sure, it is reliable as these bikes seem to be released to the public for us to figure out the quality control



NZbrakelathes has mentioned time and time again that there are better engines out there out of the box, one of them being the rare and elusive Loncin NE250. He is still surprised that we have embraced these lowly, crude, 3rd world country dual-sports, but the US market is set up like that. These 'lowly' bikes are low-cost, and without the high tariffs that make name-brand bikes so expensive (and make even the no-name brand bikes in some countries a premium), if we were going to get into the 300 (i.e. Benelli TNT) or larger bikes, we would spend the extra grand or so and get a Honda or Yamaha or Suzuki or Kawasaki. Generally, when one is spending 3, 4 or more thousand, one is financing and then it becomes 'funny money' in which that extra grand comes out to be like $23/month. To tie it all in, forgetting about the premium bikes unless there is a performance advantage over the name-brand bikes, such as the TNT 135 or the KPmini 150 out-Gromming the Grom, they are not worth it. Okay, so to bring my tangent full-circle and related to horsepower in these sub-$2k dual-sports, we should be expecting engines like the Loncin NE250 with its 6-speed transmission as standard. One brand here in the US just released a bike with that engine, the Kayo T4, which appears to be a challenge to Pister Pro's dominance in the low-cost, decent quality (as compared to name brands) realm of their XTR 250 range. Heck, even the Pitster's bikes seem to have a little more hp over most of the more common bikes we know and love. This is what we should be expecting at this point is kind of what NZbrakelathes is saying (my interpretation of some of his mindset), and to tie it in with what you mentioned about a dyno, it would be great to dyno a stock engine (i.e. the bone stock TT250 that rode with Dan last week) and a modified one like Megadan's. Side by side comparison. BUT, as Megadan has stated numerous times, the only dyno in his area needs to be booked weeks/months in advance, AND the outside temperature needs to be within two certain temperatures, so the dyno plan is on permanent hold...

I wouldn't complain about one of these companies sending me a bike to evaluate. The problem I have is my honesty, and most of these distributors don't want negative things said about their product. I don't kiss ass and they want ass kissed.

As far as the CG250 being viewed as a poor person motor and crude and simple. That has a lot to do with the society where he lives. China is very image based in their society, so to be seen with a poor person engine on your bike means you are a poor person. On many levels the U.S. is also this way, especially in the motorcycle community. The only difference is, we are also a very nostalgic society, and simple old fashioned things are also attractive because of their simple old fashioned nature. We love them entirely because they are crude and basic. Plus, for a certain percentage of people, it's a form of entertainment to try and turn a motor that shouldn't be that good into something great. It's a point of pride for me in particular to be able to say I made the power myself and didn't just buy my way out of it. I can fully admit the newer engines are better designs, but my crude and simple CG will always be number 1 to me. Logic be damned.