Hawk 250 Fork swap.

[jimwildman]

if you go to http://www.allballsracing.com/index.php/forkconversion

and put in Dirt/ 1992 / Honda /XR200R you will find a list of forks and conversion bearing kits for many bikes.. within reason any will work.

I bought a set of 1984 xr350 forks and triple tree. found this line and ordered the bearings..

Honda XR350R 1985 26 47 15 99-3520-5 26 47 15 99-3520-5

Tore down the hawk.. removed the roller bearing races "keep em to drive the new ones in place".

installed the new taper races "perfect fit" and the new bearings onto the xr triple tree. "keep old bottom inner race to use to drive on the new bearing.

installed the tree and forks "perfect fit, close to the tank at full turn but no hit."


They are 41mm and longer so I have about 2" poking above the tree, to keep the height right.

[pete]

why 30 year old forks ?....



.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by pete

why 30 year old forks ?....



.

I am assuming because they are cheap used, you can buy springs, gold valves, the tubes are bigger, the triple upper and lower are stronger, and overall are a step up from the hawks brand new 30 year old fork design.

[pete]

just seems to me something a little later with damping & pre-load adjustment but
still in the same style as the Hawk... ie.. DRZ250/400 , TTR250.
would have been a better option...

[jimwildman]

Originally Posted by pete

just seems to me something a little later with damping & pre-load adjustment but
still in the same style as the Hawk... ie.. DRZ250/400 , TTR250.
would have been a better option...

sure it would, at a much higher cost, the hawk is a trail bike, so not much sense going overboard, i paid $100 for the set and $30 for the bearings, i have a lathe so thats the extent of my investment.

these are MUCH more substantial and wont blow the seals on the first ride..
bought my hawk, took it riding, blew a seal first thing, got a replacement fork..
went riding agian this spring, blew both seals. and im not a big guy, i weigh 165.

these are not gonna do that, and they are much more advanced than the 40 year old tech on the hawk..

air bleeders and better valving by far, and most important.. THEY DONT SUCK.


hawks forks are a joke. and by the third bump would have emulsified all the oil and lost damping. just junk. I used to ride an xr250, I know what those forks can take, and the hawk is very much like an xr..

the xr and hawk use exactly the same size bearing, albiet ball bearings on the hawk and taper rollers on the xr.

also the front wheel and axle fit, i must machine a bushing for the axle clamping side and to center the wheel, but any other set would likely be more work to fit. ill also have to make caliper adapter, or buy a honda xr brake..

you coould buy forks, with the front wheel and brakes if you wanted say a set of husky forks on your hawk.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by jimwildman

sure it would, at a much higher cost, the hawk is a trail bike, so not much sense going overboard, i paid $100 for the set and $30 for the bearings, i have a lathe so thats the extent of my investment.

these are MUCH more substantial and wont blow the seals on the first ride..
bought my hawk, took it riding, blew a seal first thing, got a replacement fork..
went riding agian this spring, blew both seals. and im not a big guy, i weigh 165.

these are not gonna do that, and they are much more advanced than the 40 year old tech on the hawk..

air bleeders and better valving by far, and most important.. THEY DONT SUCK.


hawks forks are a joke. and by the third bump would have emulsified all the oil and lost damping. just junk. I used to ride an xr250, I know what those forks can take, and the hawk is very much like an xr..

the xr and hawk use exactly the same size bearing, albiet ball bearings on the hawk and taper rollers on the xr.

also the front wheel and axle fit, i must machine a bushing for the axle clamping side and to center the wheel, but any other set would likely be more work to fit. ill also have to make caliper adapter, or buy a honda xr brake..

you coould buy forks, with the front wheel and brakes if you wanted say a set of husky forks on your hawk.

This is a new one. First time I've ever heard of a Hawk blowing fork seals at any time, let alone on the first ride. They should have been replaced under warranty....ARH

[Weldangrind]

Excellent thread!


I was lucky with Lifanda, because the bearings were already tapered rollers from the factory; I haven't changed the forks to anything Honda, but I might. Son of Weldangrind has an '83 XR200R that until last Thursday had a CG230 in it; one of the first things we did with that bike was upgrade to '85 XR250 forks, which provided a disc brake. Much better.


We're going to install a genuine XR200R motor in his bike, which is now equipped with a higher compression Wiseco piston. Should be fun.

[da4design]

Hey i think it is great that you did what you want, and i support it! I think we all need to stop critiquing what others do to their own bike. sometimes it fun to just do what you want and experiment, who cares what anyone thinks. it would be a boring world it we didn't try things

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Excellent thread!


I was lucky with Lifanda, because the bearings were already tapered rollers from the factory; I haven't changed the forks to anything Honda, but I might. Son of Weldangrind has an '83 XR200R that until last Thursday had a CG230 in it; one of the first things we did with that bike was upgrade to '85 XR250 forks, which provided a disc brake. Much better.


We're going to install a genuine XR200R motor in his bike, which is now equipped with a higher compression Wiseco piston. Should be fun.

In a world where we thought we have seen it all comes, SON OF WELDANGRIND

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Originally Posted by da4design

Hey i think it is great that you did what you want, and i support it! I think we all need to stop critiquing what others do to their own bike. sometimes it fun to just do what you want and experiment, who cares what anyone thinks. it would be a boring world it we didn't try things

Somebody critisized him about changing his forks? I can't find the critisism...ARH

[jimwildman]

Its just Better!

[Megadan]

I have yet to push my hawk super hard, but I just came back from giving it a test run through a field, went up and down a few hard bumps, and even hopped a curb and my stock forks handled it without failure. Considering I am not a light guy at 260lbs, I am probably making the stock suspension cry a little bit, but even with my large behind on the bike it never bottomed out through what I put it through so far.

That said, a fork swap like this is definitely an upgrade. If I come across an XR or CRF front end for the right price you can bet your butt I am going to do the same thing.

[dpl096]

Good the hear test ride 2.0 went well!

[jimwildman]

jumped a curb��

yeah thats not gonna blow a seal, you woukd need to add several feet of height to that test.

sorry guys, a curb is literally nothing.

ill blow your fork seals in one ride. a couple big downhill jumps and they start to weep oil, its a fact.

$1350 to my door im not complaining, just fixing it. ill stop posting info here now.


i was just tryimg to help.

enjoy your scooter forks boys...

[tomalak007]

If you've never been in a forum before, then you should know that in every forum there are always trolls and troll apprentices. That's a fact. So keep posting info, the rest of us benefit! Thanks for posting!