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Ariel Red Hunter · 09-25-2016, 05:17 PM

If you choose to re-make the Hawk into a corner scratcher, like I have been talking about, something is going to have to be done about the swing arm bushings. When you put your Geoff Duke face on, you won't like that hinged-in-the-middle feeling. Urethane bushings are better than what's in there - and bronze bushings will really tighten things up. Front fork oil up-graded to at least Dexron ATF. If you want it a little firmer, try Mercon ATF. I would try to find Ferodo lined pads for the brakes. Remember, if you put Ferodo pads on, you have to warm them up before you get real serious. This is why 175's, 200's and 250's are so much fun. You really get to run the little bastards as hard as you can without getting into serious trouble. Maybe that's why I loved my little Model 14 AJS so much. Just ride the heck out of it, and enjoy. The Model 14 wasn't perfect - it came with 17 inch wheels. Even so, it would get right on down the road. Somewhat the same engine as a Hawk but tuned pretty good right from the factory. My uncle raced a 350 "Cammy" AJS on the board tracks in the 1920's. It was fast, but fragile. His nickname for it was "the valve swallower". The world has made tremendous strides in metalurgy and lubricants since those days. Back to the Hawk-a-thon. Be sure to change the brake fluid to DOT 3 or better. If you want to spend the time and money, you could do some work on the camshaft, to get more overlap. Pull the head to make sure the valve seats are good. If you are going to be running a lot at continious high rpm, look after the valve springs. If you can find high octane fuel without ethenol in it, run that. Pay attention to spoke tension. And have fun.

09-25-2016, 05:17 PM	#71
Ariel Red Hunter Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: akwesasne, NY-13655 Posts: 2,220	Speedhawk If you choose to re-make the Hawk into a corner scratcher, like I have been talking about, something is going to have to be done about the swing arm bushings. When you put your Geoff Duke face on, you won't like that hinged-in-the-middle feeling. Urethane bushings are better than what's in there - and bronze bushings will really tighten things up. Front fork oil up-graded to at least Dexron ATF. If you want it a little firmer, try Mercon ATF. I would try to find Ferodo lined pads for the brakes. Remember, if you put Ferodo pads on, you have to warm them up before you get real serious. This is why 175's, 200's and 250's are so much fun. You really get to run the little bastards as hard as you can without getting into serious trouble. Maybe that's why I loved my little Model 14 AJS so much. Just ride the heck out of it, and enjoy. The Model 14 wasn't perfect - it came with 17 inch wheels. Even so, it would get right on down the road. Somewhat the same engine as a Hawk but tuned pretty good right from the factory. My uncle raced a 350 "Cammy" AJS on the board tracks in the 1920's. It was fast, but fragile. His nickname for it was "the valve swallower". The world has made tremendous strides in metalurgy and lubricants since those days. Back to the Hawk-a-thon. Be sure to change the brake fluid to DOT 3 or better. If you want to spend the time and money, you could do some work on the camshaft, to get more overlap. Pull the head to make sure the valve seats are good. If you are going to be running a lot at continious high rpm, look after the valve springs. If you can find high octane fuel without ethenol in it, run that. Pay attention to spoke tension. And have fun.
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