Hawk 250: gearing testing. BEST gearing!!

[@wyorocker82716]

I changed the front and rear sprockets on my Hawk today. I went with a 17/45, now I can hit 50 in 4th gear easy. I am still breaking the bike in, but I love it for a good balance of on/off road use.

[@eddiespagetti8395]

Fun times. This covers sproket set ups best I have seen. Great fun little bikes. Can't get cheaper more reliable because these bikes last a long time. Just maintain oil and maintenance on it and enjoy. Thanks for share. I will need this soon when I buy a hawk myself

[@marcthebarber239]

Get one for sure I love mine

[@AndrewBoundy]

Great info - a well done video - thanks. In general, the back is worth 3 of the front. In other words, going down one in the front is the same as going up 3 in the back. Use the front for big changes and the rear for smaller ones to get yourself dialed -in. My DM250 (similar bike) will be going up 1 in the front to begin as it's super-low and I want a little more top speed. If I need more after that, I can go 1 or 2 down on the rear - but if I need 3, I can just swap +1 more in front. Great info here to get me thinking ...

[@ProDigit80]

I dont own the bike, but for street use, most people focus on top speed performance in 5th gear. When you look at the rpm difference between 4th and 5th gear, if 5th is 10% lower rpm than 4th, lower the rear speocket by another 10%. That way your 4th gear will be identical to your current 5th gear; you can do top speed in 4th, and use 5th gear for cruising in the city between 35-50 mph, and save some fuel in the process. So long you can still start in 1st gear, without feathering the clutch...

[@fettieteam2333]

Nice , I ran the 17-40 (2.35) By gear chart, and indeed it’s flat as hell at top speeds, geared to low, hard to explain but once you run it you’ll see. From factory it’s geared to high 15-50( 3.33) by chart. People like they 17-45 (2.65) By gear chart and I was like hmm. If I use my 40t rear I ordered( ordered trying get top speed without doing the math) 🤦🏽‍♂️ with the stock 15t, 15-40 (2.67) by chart that would put me close to the 17-45( 2.65) everyone likes. I have a 16t front coming so that’ll be 16-40(2.50) I’m thinking (2.50) is the sweet spot for these motors , your 17-42 (2.47) by chart so yeah 🤷🏽‍♂️ close enough . you can achieve AROUND the same gearing with different set ups you have on hand just have to use the chart. 15-40 (2.67) 17-45 (2.65) 16-42 (2.63) etc 18t to big for the front for those thinking, I already tried, so 15t,16t,or 17t front. Did you say you like the 17-42 (2.47) did you still have some throttle to play with or was it flat? Geared to low? Just wanted to add on to your shit for those new like me. This video save me some time and put some things in perspective for me as a newbie. Good shit fam! 💪🏽 Update: 16t arrived so now I’m running the 16-40 (2.50) WOW is all I can say. 2.50 that spot!

[@goodolboys713]

Awesome comment man! I can see you have put quite a bit of time in on this subject. There’s 2 ways to run this bike, off-road or on-road. In my opinion, if your riding down the highway, I would personally run 17 40 simply because My bike would cruise at 65mph and mostly because it keeps the rpm’s low. Now there are 2 other sets of gearing that I run (keep in mind i am mostly an off-road rider, to get to my riding spots I am topped out at cruising speed of 45mph, I am mostly riding on backroads) with that said I now run 17 42 and 16 42. I run 17 42 when I have a lot of road to cover (on backroads) I run 16 42 when I’m riding no more than 20-30 miles one way. As of now 16 42 is my favorite gearing. Gets me around at 45-50mph, most importantly 16 42 is the best gearing for any hill club the hawk will physically go up. That’s my two cents on the subject. Thanks for watching!

[@loganhenson9052]

@@BIasterXD from what I’ve seen 428 standard 130 link chain works, I just ordered mine the day before should be getting it soon

[@OddBallPerformance]

My favorite gearing setup is a 17 front 43 rear for road duty and a 15 front 43 rear for trails. So, not far off from what you like. I cant wait for my new cam to arrive to see how far I can stretch its legs.

[@goodolboys713]

OddBallPerformance awesome to hear right around 42-43 rear sprocket seems to be perfect gearing! I stretched the old hawks legs today, went 120 miles today.. it’s right in the middle of fall here and it is beautiful, I couldn’t stop riding!!

[@jakerook6248]

I got the Bashan raven 250, stock 17/46 sprocket setup. I was considering upgrading the rear to a 41t to get my 55mph tach around 5500rpm where she's more comfortable. I love it now, but comfortable cruising is around 47-50mph

[@johnvolstad5870]

I ran a 17/43 and managed, (with no wind or traffic) 80mph on the digital speedo. I put on a 18 tooth front, and went much slower, only 70. Put the 45 back on (2:50) it still wont get close to 80. I will put the 17 back on. The cover too, 18 is just too big.

[@marcelrivero4509]

can you use the stock chain with the 17/43 set up or will i need to swap it? i believe the stock chain has 130 links...thank you

[@sebi2439]

🤔

[@willywiggly2385]

I just ordered a 17/45 for my hawk. It's got a new carb with a pod filter. And an aftermarket exhaust. I'm working with a 115 main jet and it still pops a little when coming off of a high rpm, but no bogging. But can't wait I wanna go at least highway speeds

[@goodolboys713]

Excellent! Sounds like your well on your way to a faster hawk! Thanks for watching!

[@JoseDiaz-dm8kb]

Where did you order your sprockets and exhaust and if you have the parts # by any chance. it would be awesome, Thanks

[@tatsumaru12345]

@@JoseDiaz-dm8kb if you search up say jtr 269.42 it'll take you to an amazon listing with rear sprockets. For the front, I believe it's jtf 259.17. jtf front sprockets, jtr rear

[@agentsleepyhead]

Another great video! Unfortunately this info no longer does me any good. Some jerk with an unfortunate lack of pride decided to steal my HAWK. Only had 700 on it. Still love the vids keep em coming!!!

[@goodolboys713]

Dang! Sorry to hear that man! Hope you get the guy that stole your bike!

[@livelongexploreoften6163]

This was helpful. Thank you.

[@goodolboys713]

Super glad I could help! I figured I’d at least try to save others people money lol.. thanks for watching!

[@wyorocker82716]

Now I need to get a tach. Right now I am doing by ear, and feel.

[@goodolboys713]

Putting a tach on my hawk is the best thing I ever did, it’s nice to know how many rpm your engine is running. Thanks for watching!

[@mikga45]

I have the 150cc version and struggled to get to 60 to 65 kmph without over reving . 16 x 45 is good for dirt but revs put to fast,. Perfect for me is 17 x 45. I have a flat slide racing carb. Jets pilot 38 and main 110. And if I bypass the air box I can run a 115 main. I use airbox and even opened it up a bit to be able to run a 110 main. Adding a 65mm big bore kit tomorrow.

[@legolasontheshelf3587]

i appreciate this, thank you

[@danielbouffard986]

Great research

[@goodolboys713]

Thanks! Just figured there are others like me and you out there that would like to know this info! Thanks for watching!

[@Denver1976Man]

thanks. good video. im getting mine new and was wondering what sprokets to get so it is all done by the time the paperwork shows up. i like the 17-42 and if more off road.. swap out front to 15. it should be a fast and easy swap. you saved me a lot of time.

[@davidprather8888]

My bike has a 15t front and a 34t rear and it goes 70 on gps without running to the max. I still have some work to do to get some more power out of it.

[@marcelrivero4509]

great video, can you use the stock chain wit the 17/42 sproket set up?...thank you

[@juggernautherculesgarcia6076]

For you to know I’m looking for higher top speed and a nice acceleration

[@juggernautherculesgarcia6076]

Let’s say 70mph engine pretty relaxed would you say 17/40?

[@goodolboys713]

Definitely 17-40 is what your want to go with for speed. It keeps the motor relaxed as much as possible. For 70 mph I would go with 17-39 it the “fastest” gearing you can get. It keeps the engine in the lowest rpm possible. I personally have only seen 65 out of my hawk with 17-40. I personally think the engine is most happy when going 60 mph and under.. I have told many others before, I had a couple Honda crf250l bikes, they were both around 25hp they topped out at 75-76 mph. The hawk is only rated at 13-16hp (that’s what I have read online) so needless to say it’s extremely hard to get the hawk to go more than 65mph with any gearing. (Now of corse you will hear stories of 80+mph, some people are dreaming🤪. Even if you do some performance mods I imagine it’s hard to go past 65 mph on flat ground realistically) (not saying it can’t be done) now of corse you can find a really big down hill and go 110 mph on the hawk but is that realistic? In my opinion no😂 in some peoples minds that counts as a top speed run, again I would disagree with them. Anyways that’s just my two cents. Thanks for watching!

[@joseontiveros2619]

❤❤❤

[@rickynixon3091]

Hay man you haven't had to cut the chain since the first chain sizing video to fit the sprockets right?

[@goodolboys713]

I finally had to cut the chain about 50 miles ago, i took one link out of it. Keep in mind the stock chain broke around 400 miles, so I put the new “JT sprockets”chain on around 400 miles if I remember correctly, I now have around 8 thousand miles on the bike! So I roughly have 7600 miles on the “JT sprockets” chain now. Thanks for watching!

[@juggernautherculesgarcia6076]

Hey my brotha what chain do I need if I go to 17 tooth front and 40 tooth rear??!

[@goodolboys713]

If I remember correctly you need a chain that’s at least 130 link. The last chain I bought was 134 link and I had to take out some links, I’m pretty sure you have to shorten the 130 link as well. Don’t worry about getting a chain with the exact amount of links. My advice is always to buy a chain that’s longer than what you need and shorten it to the perfect length. I have a video on how to shorten a chain. It’s simple and easy. Hope this helps, thanks for watching!

[@juggernautherculesgarcia6076]

Thank you it did help , the 17 tooth I ordered came as a 428 so the smaller hole on the sprocket didn’t fit the 528 male engine piece

[@factdesignbr]

17F & 40R here... When Im off to some heavy ish off road I put the 15F on it. Do you really feel like the 15-40 ain't good for offroading? It doesn't bother me that much. But I sure tend to use my clutch a lil more

[@goodolboys713]

So first of all I want to say there is no wrong or right gearing, it’s whatever works best for you. So with that being said I felt that i can go both ways with 15 40 gearing off road. On one hand I like the first gear speed for normal easy off-road.. HOWEVER on the other hand with 15 40 off-road I found that even on simple hill climbs 15 40 the bike bogs out... now don’t get me wrong 15 40 is way better off road compared to 17 40. As of right now I am really enjoying my 42 rear sprocket and just switching between 15 and 17 on the front. It seems to be the perfect combo for me. Again it all depends on your riding style and preferences. this video was made to be a good baseline to help those who are looking to re gear their hawk 250 bikes. Thanks for watching commenting, it’s always good to get multiple opinions on the same things so people can really get a good idea of what kind of gearing to go with.

[@factdesignbr]

@@goodolboys713 of course brother. I hope it didnt come out as me being an *ss . Haha it might come down to how stock the bike is too. Readjust the valves... Put a nibbi carb there. 30mm is known to be as big as you can go. I went that route. It works like a dream. Maybe... Cause I have a lot of 2 stroke experience... I learnt to ride it always 5000+ when hitting a hill for example. Always give it speed/clutch work and it will go. Buuuut again. You got check your jets... Cause stock carb ain't good as it comes. As much as u tune it. You gotta rejet. Bogging is almost always due to that... The engine maybe start to slow down on rpm full throttle but it should NEVER bog. Check on that. If u want to go real cheap go the makuni pump jet 30mm route. Around 50 bucks. It will wake up ur bike. I only got thenibbi cause it has easy access to the idle knob thing. Super great. Think about it. At least rejet it. If you can... Make a video... After rejeting... Riding 15-40 on the trail. Hitting some hills. God bless ya brother.

[@goodolboys713]

@@factdesignbr good to see there are other god loving fellers out there. I did actually rejet to 110 when I first got the bike (well before this vid. it runs really well, but could still use a pilot jet.. anyway god bless than thanks for commenting!

[@factdesignbr]

@@goodolboys713 Amen u too bud

[@sykrss9534]

Did you have to shorten chain for the 17-42?

[@goodolboys713]

That’s a great question. I honestly can’t remember for this specific video, but every chain Iv put on the bike Iv had to shorten. Better too long than too short. I have a video titled chain and sprocket removal and install, it shows how to shorten a chain, it’s super simple. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!!

[@sykrss9534]

@@goodolboys713 cool man, checking that video out now, thanks! 👌

[@AJbartonworkshop]

So what was the top speed of the 17 front 42 rear set up? I never heard you say it. 17 front 40 rear you said top speed of 65 mph. What set up reach the highest top speed?

[@goodolboys713]

The TopSpeed for the 17 front 42 rear was 61 to 63 mph in my testing. With every different combination of gearing, I rode the bike for quite a while, the 1742 combo simply is not as fast as the 1740. If you want to go highway speed‘s 17front 40rear or 17front 39 rear gearing is the way to go. Hopefully this helps, thanks for watching!

[@wyorocker82716]

What about 17 on the front with a 50 on the back?

[@goodolboys713]

Definitely an interesting choice of gearing, I’ve heard of people using this gearing. It is taller than the stock gearing (15-50), however it is not tall enough for road riding in my opinion. Another issue with this gearing set up, is that I found it hard to find chains over 130 links or so. So it might be difficult to find a long enough chain. Just my two cents, hopefully this helps and thanks for watching!

[@wyorocker82716]

@@goodolboys713 well if the stock chain doesn't work. I'll be ordering a new chain. I'm not going to be on the highway much. Short stretches of 55 occasionally. I might just leave mine stock.

[@goodolboys713]

@@wyorocker82716 they are definitely a fun bike stock. I was saying even the aftermarket chains are hard to get in more than 130 links or so, at least in my findings lol. I’m sure you could find one If you looked hard enough lol.

[@juggernautherculesgarcia6076]

Hey buddy what would 13/40 do

[@goodolboys713]

13 tooth front sprocket would make the bike more put out more torque and less speed, while 40 tooth rear is going to give more speed and less torque. If you want to go fast you put a small rear sprocket on and large front sprocket on. If you want more torque and less speed, put small front sprocket on and large rear sprocket on. According to my quick math 13-40 would give you a ratio of .32 this is basically a tid but faster than stock gearing (stock is 15-50) which is a ratio of .3 this is great gearing for off-road. If you looking for on-road gearing you want something like I have (I run 17-40 for on road riding (has a ratio of .42). Hopefully this helps explain things. Thanks for watching!

[@jdfixit1]

HAS ANYONE TRIED 16 AND 41 AS A HAPPY MEDIUM SHOULD BE RIGHT AT 2;56?

[@goodolboys713]

I personally have not tried 16 41. I’m sure there are lots of different ways you could gear this bike and be happy with. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@jdfixit1]

good videoTHANK YOU FOR THE REPLY@@goodolboys713

[@alecbaker13]

Hey man having trouble with my hawk. In 1st gear i go about 3mph, second maybe 5-7mph. Clutch cable seems ok. I put everything on right according to the books. Would this be my throttle or something else? I really can’t figure it out. Even adjusted valves to .003 .004 and put a NGK spark plug in same result

[@goodolboys713]

It could be lots of different things.. is the bike revving out, or is the engine having trouble getting past idle?

[@tonysketch]

Bro had the same thing hapen, it's the choke lever

[@tonysketch]

Top is full choke Middle is half choke And bottom is choke off When it's warm the lever located on the left side of the carburetor should be at the lowest position

[@sosainc.6198]

How many gears down and up are on the hawk 250

[@goodolboys713]

One gear down (1st gear) one up is neutral (between 1 and 2) then 4 gears up (2nd -5th gear)

[@aresartis1]

Could you help me out?

[@goodolboys713]

What do you need help with? I am able to send messages on here to you.

[@aresartis1]

@@goodolboys713 trying to find best build for street.

[@goodolboys713]

@@aresartis1 my best recommendation is to gear the bike high so it runs at lower rpm (it will last longer) some people do performance mods but I don’t have anything that adds power on my bike and it does just fine. Iv got a lot of videos on how to Set up your bike depending on what you want to do, this video is one of the main ones though. Hopefully this helps!

[@randyp5089]

if i go with the 17t front and 42 rear will a 130 link chain fit it fine without needing to cut the chain?? this is the one on amazon im looking at RK Racing Chain 428MXZ-130 Steel 130-Links Heavy Duty Chain with Connecting Link

[@goodolboys713]

To be honest I don’t really know.. I always tell people that I don’t worry about how many links are in the chain.. really it just needs to be long enough.. chances are that you will have to cut the chain to size no matter what chain size you get.. hopefully this makes sense, guess my point is Iv never just bought a chain and put it on, in my experience Iv always had to cut them short. Thanks for watching!!

[@squarebob3813]

I was going 75 on a hawk

[@goodolboys713]

How much nitrous did it take to go that fast? 😉

[@squarebob3813]

@@tonycstech alot 420 blaze it⛽⛽

[@forever_gaming3395]

Wat about 16 42

[@goodolboys713]

That’s what I run most of the time now and it works pretty well. To be honest it’s a little slow for street riding, but if your on back roads it does fine, and also works great for the trails. Thanks for watching!

[@forever_gaming3395]

@@goodolboys713 what's best for street

[@goodolboys713]

@@forever_gaming3395 what I run for street gearing is 17 40, it’s tall gearing but is much needed for cruising around at 60-65 mph for long periods of time. Hopefully this helps! Thanks for watching!

[@forever_gaming3395]

@@goodolboys713 help me out with links

[@goodolboys713]

@@forever_gaming3395 Amazon is the best place to find sprockets. This video will show you all the ins and outs of changing and buying sprockets: How to: install CHAIN and SPROCKETS and SHORTEN your CHAIN on the HAWK 250 kzbin.info/www/bejne/goSUoYJtnNGWbKc I highly recommend watching it. It also has the exact sprocket part numbers in the description box. This should give you a solid base to start with. Thanks for watching!

[@tatsumaru12345]

"edit" Either 16/42 or 17/42 is my favorite so far. It could be just my bike. But 17/45 never feels good on road at 55. Whereas 17/42 can do 55mph in 4th without overrevving Original I used your 17/42. Not bad! But 5th gear is useless in most applications now. Maybe if I wasn't 260lbs? I'm in 4th going 55mph topping out, but then you go to 5th, and the torque is just gone. When the wind is blowing the right way, or after heavy mexican night, I can usually get low 60s with stock carb/jet via gps on 17/42. I'd probably go 17/45 doing it again. Not so much for a faster top speed, but it'd cruise at 55mph without revving so high.

[@goodolboys713]

Makes sense! Sounds like the 17/45 is perfect for your application 👍 I think it’s different for each person, I think we all have different needs for gearing. I actually use 2 types of gearing on a regular basis, I have off-road gearing and onnroad gearing. Thanks for watching!

[@tatsumaru12345]

I tried that 17/45. Seemed like I was switching gears more often. But kinda struggled to keep 55mph, which was odd. 17/42 is absolutely my favorite. Like you said switch to a 15 when going off road

[@goodolboys713]

@@tatsumaru12345 yes sir !

[@jaredshelton4718]

Is that seriously the top speed? I see people claiming 75mph with a simple 40tooth rear sprocket swap.

[@goodolboys713]

They are flat out lying lol!! That’s why I wanted to make this video.. With the stock 15 and 40 tooth rear, I can go wide open throttle for miles and it wouldn’t go faster than 60 mph😂 I will tell you that I am planning on doing a gearing update about the 42 tooth rear sprocket. I can tell you from experience, you are pretty much going to be stuck at 60-65 mph with a stock bike.. with mods and tunes and new carburetor you might be able to get another 10 mph. But stock 60-65 is top!! (With any gearing combination)

[@OddBallPerformance]

I can barely hit 75 with a smooth bore PE30 carb, a fully ported head, higher compression, exhaust, and a pod filter on a 13 front 33 rear 520 chain setup. Anybody claiming 75 with just a 40 tooth is either going off the stock speedo, or more likely full of crap. The best I have ever seen from a Hawk on sprockets and a jetted stock carb is 63 via gps.

[@jaredshelton4718]

@@OddBallPerformance What about the EFI model though

[@goodolboys713]

OddBallPerformance Cool to see you commenting! I watch allot of your videos! Thanks for the useful info, people need to know the truth lol

[@goodolboys713]

Jared Shelton that’s a good question for “motocheese” he has the FI dlx hawk..