Calling Hawk riders! New rider in Georgia! - Page 7

**JerryHawk250** · 11-22-2016, 09:18 AM

Okay, I did some thinking last night. I know that could be dangerous.

I found an adjustable CDI. I also have an Air/Fuel ratio gauge an a O2 sensor I had laying around. I'm thinking about getting the Adjustable CDI and welding in a bung on the exhaust and hook it up to monitor the air/fuel ratio at WOT. I can do some fine tuning and see if I can get more horse power out of it. I do have access to a dyno. My only concern is I would need someway to monitor knock or detonation. Emerikol you had to bring up Avgas lol. Now i'm back in racing mode.

Emerikol · 11-23-2016, 08:19 AM

I take full responsibility for my actions! Avgas has the added benefit of being leaded (or at least low lead), and as mentioned earlier it adds a layer of protection to the parts that smash and bash. I'm just fine gassing up with the high-test stuff at the local QT. Yeah, the engine probably doesn't notice a difference, but I still think of it as cheap insurance to get a better and more reliable swig of fuel in the tank. With my next statement, I'm likely to ignite a firestorm though. Ethanol really doesn't do damage to the engine or components if you cycle through it with fresh gas regularly. It's only when ethanol-laden gas sits that the nasties really come out. I have only my own experience to speak of, and would gladly hear anyone else's points on it. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fantastic turkey day!

**JerryHawk250** · 11-23-2016, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emerikol

I take full responsibility for my actions! Avgas has the added benefit of being leaded (or at least low lead), and as mentioned earlier it adds a layer of protection to the parts that smash and bash. I'm just fine gassing up with the high-test stuff at the local QT. Yeah, the engine probably doesn't notice a difference, but I still think of it as cheap insurance to get a better and more reliable swig of fuel in the tank. With my next statement, I'm likely to ignite a firestorm though. Ethanol really doesn't do damage to the engine or components if you cycle through it with fresh gas regularly. It's only when ethanol-laden gas sits that the nasties really come out. I have only my own experience to speak of, and would gladly hear anyone else's points on it. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fantastic turkey day!

Ethanol doesn't hurt the engine itself. Its what is does to the rubber hoses, rubber seat on the float valve and the rubber intake manifold. It will harden the rubber and eventually crack. It might take 2 years but it will happen. I have replaced the intake and carburetor on a friend of mines go kart 3 times. And each time I do I tell him to stop using Ethanol fuel he just ignores me and keeps on using it. He said the Ethanol free gas is too expensive.

and I reply back so this carburetor, intake and my labor are not. Maybe I need to charge you more. lol I have chainsaws, weed eaters and lawn mowers that are over 15 years old and these have the hoses, carburetors that have never been replaced. But I have replaced a lot on other peoples equipment. So when I ask them if they use ethanol fuel the answer was always yes. Once they changed and started using ethanol free fuel they had no more issues. I know I put myself out of work lol. Now don't argue with an old man!

Happy Thanksgiving right back at you.
Added information on Ethanol http://www.fuel-testers.com/ethanol_...ms_damage.html

Emerikol · 11-24-2016, 07:30 AM

Jerry; as I mentioned, I only have my own experience to speak of. My big lawnmower (which, now that I think about it, has a bigger engine than the Hawk...

) has been running on QT premium for about four years now with no issues. I stabilize the gas with Sta-Bil and it seems to be doing just fine. The weed eater and edger are the same, although they get two stroke oil in addition to the Sta-Bil. The only thing I've really ever had trouble with is chainsaws, but I think that's my own fault for buying the cheap ones in the first place. The '87 Rebel I've got in the stable hasn't had any issues either, come to think about it. The whole carby had to be replaced once in it's life because the previous owner rode it into his garage and turned the key off, and then forgot about it for nearly 12 years. The carb wasn't even worth trying to clean. It was pretty bad. In any event, the premium fuel seems to be head and shoulders above the basic 87 octane, and I'm happy to pay the few extra cents per gallon when filling up the equipment and motorcycles. They have very miserly consumption habits anyway. The cars just get regular gas, because the missus and I go through enough fuel that it never really sits in the tanks. Happy Thanksgiving!

Azhule · 11-24-2016, 09:45 AM

Unless they changed the formula in the Stabil Red bottle*, you might want to make sure you are getting the Marine/Green version of Stabil, I (and several others) have had a few problems with the red version, but never the Marine/Green one.

*Have had several cans/tanks of gas go bad and gel/gum up carb parts when using the red, and it was in a month or two, not 12+ months of storage like the product said it could do

On a side note, I too (rarely) have issues with treated fuel, Top Tier 0% fuel is another 20+ miles (one direction) to get... or I can just add 7 - 20 cents worth of a fuel additive of choice and it has always kept the fuel well lubricated, clean, and stabilized for 12 to 24 moths.

I have been using a decent amount of "Schaeffer Neutra 131" lately (it cleans gum/varnish and turns carbon into a liquid better than a lot of products on the market right now), but I'm also known to use Sta-Bil Marine, StarTron, BioBor, Amsoil, WYNNS, BG, Yamalube, "RingFree", ... etc... I have a huge list of products (that actually work as advertised) that I have used over the years and I keep an eye out for the best price on them... whatever is least expensive I buy it over the others

BlackBike · 11-24-2016, 12:55 PM

my story, i just burn it up too dam quick to worry about. it never never seems to last long enough before i'm buying more

also, we put a pint or so full gas capacity in the honda "jaws of life" unit at least a year ago and also i watched our chief pour way more that the recommended amount directly into the task. just started it up and tested it and it ran fine. used the red stuff, your results may vary. actually, it may have been ethanol free fuel in the first place, oops, sorry.

**JerryHawk250** · 11-24-2016, 02:48 PM

All I'm going to say is there is no ethanol in my turkey. Lol Okay that was a long enough break. Back to the trails. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We'll get back to this subject on Monday.

BlackBike · 11-24-2016, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

All I'm going to say is there is no ethanol in my turkey. Lol Okay that was a long enough break. Back to the trails. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We'll get back to this subject on Monday.

But there is in your beam and coke.

**JerryHawk250** · 11-24-2016, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBike

But there is in your beam and coke.

my beans too.

Emerikol · 11-25-2016, 05:57 AM

My ethanol come directly from Scotch. Never less than 12 years old, preferably 18... Jameson Irish Whisky and Bailey's if you're putting them in coffee. Hope everyone had a fantastic turkey day! Now for the assault on the leftovers...

Emerikol · 11-25-2016, 02:50 PM

I went down in the garage for the obligatory day after thanksgiving ride, and decided that at 250 miles on the clock, it might be a good idea to check the valves. Boy, am I glad I did! I set the valves at 0.005 when I assembled the bike, and when I checked them again this morning, there was absolutely NO clearance there. I set them again at 0.004 and took it out for about 50 miles of street riding, with a few odd trails thrown in for variety. It seemed to do better, and I was able to comfortably maintain about 60mph for the whole trip. I would like to submit a question to the collective wisdom of the forum: I changed the oil when I first assembled the bike, so should I change the oil now at roughly 310 miles, again at 500 miles and then every 1,000 miles thereafter, or should I go ahead and ride out to 500 miles, then change it every 1,000 miles? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

pistolclass · 11-25-2016, 08:44 PM

Honestly the way I looks at it is about a $7 oil change tops. I changed it before start up an then once after break in, about 5 miles. I will do it at 100 miles, when I hit it. Then every 500. I'm sure it's overkill but I like to tinker, keeps me out of trouble.

Azhule · 11-26-2016, 12:11 AM

I too went a bit 'overkill' with oil changes... before I started it the first time, ~250 miles, ~500 miles, ~1,000 miles, ~1,500 miles... next oil change is at 2,250 to 2,500 and I will be sending the next few oil changes/samples to Blackstone or Polaris to find out how long I should actually go on the China Bike and the oil I use

At $16 a gallon for the synthetic oil I use (Rotella T6 5w-40), oil changes are extremely inexpensive and easy to do

What you are doing is just fine tho, some people just change the oil when finding neutral or shifting becomes rough

Emerikol · 11-26-2016, 01:01 AM

Pistol and Azhule, thanks for the feedback. I'm running Suzuki 10w40 in the Hawk, and it doesn't seem to be doing badly at all. I get that by the case for the oil changes on the DR, and I also use it in the Rebel. I ran the Hawk on the original oil just long enough to get it hot, then drained it and filled it with the Suzuki oil. I do the oil changes on the DR every 2500 miles, and haven't had any issues. I'm thinking that with the Hawk, every 1,000 makes sense as it's mostly an 'around town' kind of bike. That oil will be taking a lot of abuse from the frequent gear changes and stop and starts. I hope to put another 200 miles or so on the Hawk in the next couple of days. Really I'm trying to hit the 500 miles on the clock so I can do the next oil change and get a feel for what kind of wear I can expect to see.

letsride · 11-26-2016, 12:32 PM

For those of you that use 15W40, whats with the new Rotella T4? Is that the same regular ole Shell Rotella in new labeling or what? I didn't get it at walmart, I just picked up a few extra quarts of the Super Tech Diesel 15w40. I have been running that in my old Dodge D150 for a very long time and well she is still kicking so I may run it in the Dual Sport I get. I did use it in my Daughters Kymco ATV's engine and trans too when I changed to oil in it a few days ago (have been using Havoline Motorcycle 10W40). It seems to be good stuff, the truck likes it and hey at 9.94 a gallon it works for me.

And they way I see it Walmart doesn't refine oil, so its GOTTA be one of the Big Guys

11-22-2016, 09:18 AM	#91
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,533	Okay, I did some thinking last night. I know that could be dangerous. I found an adjustable CDI. I also have an Air/Fuel ratio gauge an a O2 sensor I had laying around. I'm thinking about getting the Adjustable CDI and welding in a bung on the exhaust and hook it up to monitor the air/fuel ratio at WOT. I can do some fine tuning and see if I can get more horse power out of it. I do have access to a dyno. My only concern is I would need someway to monitor knock or detonation. Emerikol you had to bring up Avgas lol. Now i'm back in racing mode. __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel Last edited by JerryHawk250; 11-22-2016 at 05:10 PM.
	1

11-23-2016, 08:19 AM	#92
Emerikol Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Carrollton, GA Posts: 1,465	I take full responsibility for my actions! Avgas has the added benefit of being leaded (or at least low lead), and as mentioned earlier it adds a layer of protection to the parts that smash and bash. I'm just fine gassing up with the high-test stuff at the local QT. Yeah, the engine probably doesn't notice a difference, but I still think of it as cheap insurance to get a better and more reliable swig of fuel in the tank. With my next statement, I'm likely to ignite a firestorm though. Ethanol really doesn't do damage to the engine or components if you cycle through it with fresh gas regularly. It's only when ethanol-laden gas sits that the nasties really come out. I have only my own experience to speak of, and would gladly hear anyone else's points on it. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fantastic turkey day! __________________ First Rule of Aviation: -Never Pass Up The Opportunity to Pee I was struggling to get my wife's attention; I sat down on the couch and looked comfortable. That did the trick! My wife says I only have two faults. I don't listen and something else... If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way I told you to... The Stable: 2005 Yamaha V-Star 650 - SOLD 2015 Suzuki DR 650 2015 RPS Hawk 250 - SOLD 2016 Ural Gear Up
	1

11-24-2016, 07:30 AM	#94
Emerikol Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Carrollton, GA Posts: 1,465	Jerry; as I mentioned, I only have my own experience to speak of. My big lawnmower (which, now that I think about it, has a bigger engine than the Hawk...) has been running on QT premium for about four years now with no issues. I stabilize the gas with Sta-Bil and it seems to be doing just fine. The weed eater and edger are the same, although they get two stroke oil in addition to the Sta-Bil. The only thing I've really ever had trouble with is chainsaws, but I think that's my own fault for buying the cheap ones in the first place. The '87 Rebel I've got in the stable hasn't had any issues either, come to think about it. The whole carby had to be replaced once in it's life because the previous owner rode it into his garage and turned the key off, and then forgot about it for nearly 12 years. The carb wasn't even worth trying to clean. It was pretty bad. In any event, the premium fuel seems to be head and shoulders above the basic 87 octane, and I'm happy to pay the few extra cents per gallon when filling up the equipment and motorcycles. They have very miserly consumption habits anyway. The cars just get regular gas, because the missus and I go through enough fuel that it never really sits in the tanks. Happy Thanksgiving! __________________ First Rule of Aviation: -Never Pass Up The Opportunity to Pee I was struggling to get my wife's attention; I sat down on the couch and looked comfortable. That did the trick! My wife says I only have two faults. I don't listen and something else... If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way I told you to... The Stable: 2005 Yamaha V-Star 650 - SOLD 2015 Suzuki DR 650 2015 RPS Hawk 250 - SOLD 2016 Ural Gear Up
	0

11-24-2016, 09:45 AM	#95
Azhule Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: CO Posts: 1,525	Unless they changed the formula in the Stabil Red bottle, you might want to make sure you are getting the Marine/Green version of Stabil, I (and several others) have had a few problems with the red version, but never the Marine/Green one. Have had several cans/tanks of gas go bad and gel/gum up carb parts when using the red, and it was in a month or two, not 12+ months of storage like the product said it could do On a side note, I too (rarely) have issues with treated fuel, Top Tier 0% fuel is another 20+ miles (one direction) to get... or I can just add 7 - 20 cents worth of a fuel additive of choice and it has always kept the fuel well lubricated, clean, and stabilized for 12 to 24 moths. I have been using a decent amount of "Schaeffer Neutra 131" lately (it cleans gum/varnish and turns carbon into a liquid better than a lot of products on the market right now), but I'm also known to use Sta-Bil Marine, StarTron, BioBor, Amsoil, WYNNS, BG, Yamalube, "RingFree", ... etc... I have a huge list of products (that actually work as advertised) that I have used over the years and I keep an eye out for the best price on them... whatever is least expensive I buy it over the others __________________ "Think as you like... but this self proclaimed Professor is always right" - Buckshot "You never know what someone is hiding beneath their smile..." - NinjaTom - R.I.P.
	0

11-24-2016, 12:55 PM	#96
BlackBike Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: George West, Texas Posts: 4,097	my story, i just burn it up too dam quick to worry about. it never never seems to last long enough before i'm buying more also, we put a pint or so full gas capacity in the honda "jaws of life" unit at least a year ago and also i watched our chief pour way more that the recommended amount directly into the task. just started it up and tested it and it ran fine. used the red stuff, your results may vary. actually, it may have been ethanol free fuel in the first place, oops, sorry. __________________ ***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
	0

11-24-2016, 02:48 PM	#97
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,533	All I'm going to say is there is no ethanol in my turkey. Lol Okay that was a long enough break. Back to the trails. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We'll get back to this subject on Monday. __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
	0

11-25-2016, 05:57 AM	#100
Emerikol Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Carrollton, GA Posts: 1,465	My ethanol come directly from Scotch. Never less than 12 years old, preferably 18... Jameson Irish Whisky and Bailey's if you're putting them in coffee. Hope everyone had a fantastic turkey day! Now for the assault on the leftovers... __________________ First Rule of Aviation: -Never Pass Up The Opportunity to Pee I was struggling to get my wife's attention; I sat down on the couch and looked comfortable. That did the trick! My wife says I only have two faults. I don't listen and something else... If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way I told you to... The Stable: 2005 Yamaha V-Star 650 - SOLD 2015 Suzuki DR 650 2015 RPS Hawk 250 - SOLD 2016 Ural Gear Up
	1

11-25-2016, 02:50 PM	#101
Emerikol Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Carrollton, GA Posts: 1,465	A New Take on Valves I went down in the garage for the obligatory day after thanksgiving ride, and decided that at 250 miles on the clock, it might be a good idea to check the valves. Boy, am I glad I did! I set the valves at 0.005 when I assembled the bike, and when I checked them again this morning, there was absolutely NO clearance there. I set them again at 0.004 and took it out for about 50 miles of street riding, with a few odd trails thrown in for variety. It seemed to do better, and I was able to comfortably maintain about 60mph for the whole trip. I would like to submit a question to the collective wisdom of the forum: I changed the oil when I first assembled the bike, so should I change the oil now at roughly 310 miles, again at 500 miles and then every 1,000 miles thereafter, or should I go ahead and ride out to 500 miles, then change it every 1,000 miles? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. __________________ First Rule of Aviation: -Never Pass Up The Opportunity to Pee I was struggling to get my wife's attention; I sat down on the couch and looked comfortable. That did the trick! My wife says I only have two faults. I don't listen and something else... If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way I told you to... The Stable: 2005 Yamaha V-Star 650 - SOLD 2015 Suzuki DR 650 2015 RPS Hawk 250 - SOLD 2016 Ural Gear Up
	0

11-25-2016, 08:44 PM	#102
pistolclass Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: connecticut Posts: 978	Honestly the way I looks at it is about a $7 oil change tops. I changed it before start up an then once after break in, about 5 miles. I will do it at 100 miles, when I hit it. Then every 500. I'm sure it's overkill but I like to tinker, keeps me out of trouble.
	0

11-26-2016, 12:11 AM	#103
Azhule Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: CO Posts: 1,525	I too went a bit 'overkill' with oil changes... before I started it the first time, ~250 miles, ~500 miles, ~1,000 miles, ~1,500 miles... next oil change is at 2,250 to 2,500 and I will be sending the next few oil changes/samples to Blackstone or Polaris to find out how long I should actually go on the China Bike and the oil I use At $16 a gallon for the synthetic oil I use (Rotella T6 5w-40), oil changes are extremely inexpensive and easy to do What you are doing is just fine tho, some people just change the oil when finding neutral or shifting becomes rough __________________ "Think as you like... but this self proclaimed Professor is always right" - Buckshot "You never know what someone is hiding beneath their smile..." - NinjaTom - R.I.P.
	0

11-26-2016, 01:01 AM	#104
Emerikol Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Carrollton, GA Posts: 1,465	Pistol and Azhule, thanks for the feedback. I'm running Suzuki 10w40 in the Hawk, and it doesn't seem to be doing badly at all. I get that by the case for the oil changes on the DR, and I also use it in the Rebel. I ran the Hawk on the original oil just long enough to get it hot, then drained it and filled it with the Suzuki oil. I do the oil changes on the DR every 2500 miles, and haven't had any issues. I'm thinking that with the Hawk, every 1,000 makes sense as it's mostly an 'around town' kind of bike. That oil will be taking a lot of abuse from the frequent gear changes and stop and starts. I hope to put another 200 miles or so on the Hawk in the next couple of days. Really I'm trying to hit the 500 miles on the clock so I can do the next oil change and get a feel for what kind of wear I can expect to see. __________________ First Rule of Aviation: -Never Pass Up The Opportunity to Pee I was struggling to get my wife's attention; I sat down on the couch and looked comfortable. That did the trick! My wife says I only have two faults. I don't listen and something else... If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way I told you to... The Stable: 2005 Yamaha V-Star 650 - SOLD 2015 Suzuki DR 650 2015 RPS Hawk 250 - SOLD 2016 Ural Gear Up
	0

11-26-2016, 12:32 PM	#105
letsride Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Leesville SC Posts: 832	For those of you that use 15W40, whats with the new Rotella T4? Is that the same regular ole Shell Rotella in new labeling or what? I didn't get it at walmart, I just picked up a few extra quarts of the Super Tech Diesel 15w40. I have been running that in my old Dodge D150 for a very long time and well she is still kicking so I may run it in the Dual Sport I get. I did use it in my Daughters Kymco ATV's engine and trans too when I changed to oil in it a few days ago (have been using Havoline Motorcycle 10W40). It seems to be good stuff, the truck likes it and hey at 9.94 a gallon it works for me. And they way I see it Walmart doesn't refine oil, so its GOTTA be one of the Big Guys
	0