The Surprising Truth About Those Cheap Amazon Dirt Bikes You Won't See Anywhere Else

We determined that we needed a cheap, simple Woods Bike to round out our motorcycle fleet.
After having a terrible previous experience with bargain basement Chinese motorcycles we had written off the idea of buying one of the current generation Amazon units, until one dropped into our lap at a price that was impossible to pass up
Here's what we found after going through the Hawk 250 Enduro and it's surprising relationship to one of Hondas current North American offerings.
#motorcycle #dirtbike #enduro
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[@rle1020]

Complains about Chinese parts all the time and gets a Chinese bike and praises it. 😂 then you wonder why the Chinese parts are flooding the market and can’t get quality.

[@rcnelson]

I'm a steady fan of this channel, but it's true. Many of the comments reflect the same thing: gripe whine bitch kvetch about crap Chinese parts and then the first thing the commenters do is run to Harbor Fright and get the cheapest garbage they can find. And hell, they say, if it breaks soon they can toddle back to Fright and get another piece of junk, cheap.

[@alertgasper]

well said. as Pogo warned, "We've met the enemy and its us".

[@Janzer_]

so you didn't watch the video, got it

[@TheStreethack]

Reminds me of mid-1970's XL250/350's, of which i owned a few in the 90's. Can't get them from Honda anymore.

[@MrDJ217]

Lolz​@@Janzer_

[@vincecolananni9158]

Skip the Chinese stuff! Look for a good used Yamaha IT 175/200, Kawasaki KDX 175/200/220, Suzuki PE175. Or a four stroke like your old XR200; or something like that from the other big Japanese manufacturers. You’ll be SO MUCH further ahead in the long run… Just a piece of advice from a guy that has been into dirt bikes since 1969.

[@Daniel-fd3wp]

You can say that again my first Dirt Bike not an enduro. Suzuki RM 125 2 stroke. Great bike this was in the late 90’s when I was a teenager.👍

[@lilmancc35]

Ive been looking and ive decided on a yamaha xt250. They are really cool dual sports.

[@nunya9555]

Not in my area. It won't happen unless one waits and shops for years! The trick is that old bike needs a top end, tires, chain and sprockets, cables, and is beat up looking. This old bike I could get for the same price as a new Hawk. For the $2000 I had to spend, I got the Hawk. Ov we 700 miles since December as a second bike. Good enough for what I wanted to tool around on in town and the woods. And I can get parts online just like I do for my Honda.

[@TerrenceLP]

I just don't understand if the Japanese perfected the motorcycle in the '80s and '90s or dirt bike riding how come the Chinese couldn't just copy it? Yet somehow all of the quality goes down😮 - And until you know there's nothing like late '90s Hondas

[@bobbyboombatz1489]

You right on the money ! IT 175 , RM 185 ❤

[@JD-ul2zj]

Those knockoff bikes are like having a pre worn out version of the real thing

[@grandmasmalibu]

My favorite is when the frame breaks (after you fix all the other problems that come pre-installed). Ask me how I know.

[@marshallgibson8872]

​@@grandmasmalibumust had a bad one, they normally hand select the cans they melt down for the frames😂

[@motov8-garage832]

They all turn into tweaker mobiles eventually😄. Especially the 50,s and 80 cc

[@dbdave92]

I had the forks come apart when I did a wheelie on one and did a few front flips. what a ride haha. Engine always ran tho

[@shmuck66]

@@dbdave92 they took the pocket bikes from the early 2000's and scaled them up. LOL same trash metal and workmanship.

[@junglebiker2363]

While it is true that these engines are clones of a Honda design, the one you have is not the clone of the OHC Honda, but of a pushrod Honda which is actually a later design (intended for use in thrid world markets where the OHC engines were suffering from cheap oil and bad maintenance). To the best of my knowledge the pushrod 125-230 engine was never sold in the US. For abusive users, the pushrod engine is arguably better as it will put up with bad oil for a lot longer than the OHC engine will and has a gear driven cam. I've worked on dozens of both versions for many years in a developing nation. The XR150L engine is different inside, the bottom end of your Hawk is much more like a pre 1980 Honda XL125--lots of parts will interchange, though the valve train and top end are different as they are the later Honda pushrod design. The XR150 is actually OHC but much more like the older XR100 than it is like any of the older XL125/185/200/XR185/200 OHC engine. A quick look at XR150/XR100 and pre 1980 XL125 cylinder heads on Partzilla will show you how different those engines are. PArtzilla has no diagrams of the pushrod engines, as they were never sold in the US. Honda took the OHC engine all the way to 230cc but had to drop the kickstarter when they went bigger than 200cc. (there may have been a true 250cc trials bike engine based on this engine--not sure on that). It's hard to say how far the chinese have taken the pushrod engine, though the vast majority of "250" labelled bikes with this engine are actually 230cc. The Zongshen clones of the pushrod engine are very good, I have had very few problems with them and most of those have been due to rider ignorance. I'd be happy to talk to you at length about this or to answer any question you may have as I realise that I am being a little disorganised in this comment.

[@jasonnelson6624]

Glad to see I'm not the only one scratching my head thinking wait used is as much as new. Why? 😂😂😂

[@seanfagan7384]

You bought a crackhawk

[@davidingling9791]

Forget that bike I like the dart!

[@williamstamper442]

Was thinking exactly the same

[@MarcusSandoval-kx2th]

It's cute ain't it 😂 and in a hardcore Chevy guy

[@outwiththem]

Had a 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 engine in 1977. Headers, tranny valve body to chirp tires on second gear, So much fun. Except gas mileag.

[@thegalli]

Uncle Tony knows what men want: The Hawk Tuah Fifty

[@yeehaw3792]

Please stop

[@indianaslim4971]

@@thegalli Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are...Larry the Cable Guy.

[@PavelZajec]

I wonder if it's from the same company that makes hawk shotguns.

[@Chopper650]

​@@yeehaw3792u need help

[@alertgasper]

@@PavelZajec they'll cycle any load

[@indianaslim4971]

The extra 2k you spend for the Honda equates to having repair facilities, parts availability and warranty, all of which is important for non mechanics.

[@davemiller262]

If you do your own wrenching, Amazon will deliver the parts

[@ty2010]

if you use a bike as a woods beater you need to be a mechanic, repair bills or replacements would eat you alive I bought chain 50 foot at a time because I stretched them that bad, and that was before I started overpacking clutches so they didn't go out as well

[@indianaslim4971]

@@ty2010 Don't know how your reply relates to my comment at all, but ok

[@indianaslim4971]

@@davemiller262 Don't know how your reply relates to my post but ok...

[@Merc399]

fix it yourself bro its fun! My dirtbike is a 701supermoto i got to order all my parts from germany, australia, austria, sweden. its not that bad fr :)

[@RYTHMICRIOT]

That thing looks like something you'd see in a Mad Max film

[@jimkalfakis9893]

For 2g’s, you can get a used Honda shadow and go anywhere you want

[@MarcusSandoval-kx2th]

For reals??

[@outwiththem]

Right. Friend has one. 2005. 1,300 dollars 2 years ago. Looks 5 y old only..

[@delbert9357]

You got a 600.00 sketchy trailer with a death trap on it.

[@EndOfTime.]

That's a turd.🤣

[@nealdaleyjr7625]

I've seen better turds.

[@animoetprudentia2865]

@ 12:00 you might want that air box. There's a reason woods bikes come with air boxes and not corny k&n filters hose clamped to the carburetor. Like you always say; "I'm not gonna try and outsmart the factory engineers". 😎

[@idahodiy]

The air box on these flat out don't work. They fill up with oil from the crankcase vent and choke the motor.

[@animoetprudentia2865]

@@idahodiy any air box can be modified. Step one: Vent the crankcase outside up high with a cheap fuel filter in the end of it.

[@idahodiy]

@@animoetprudentia2865 so you know better than the factory engineers?

[@animoetprudentia2865]

@@idahodiy factory engineers were required to vent the crankcase into the air box to meet emission standards/requirements, not because it made the engine more efficient. Everybody with half a working brain knows an engine isn't supposed to eat it's own excrement. C'mon man, you're smarter than that. Why pretend to be dumb?

[@grantlucas6678]

It's like buying a helmet, Depends on how much your head is worth,$15 dollar helmet for a $15 dollar head

[@motochris5459]

And a $500 helmet for a $500 head?

[@nunya9555]

You put a bike on your head?

[@KillrMillr7]

I bought a Hawk a few years ago, no problems so far just gotta use good gas, oil, NKG spark plug. I luv mine.

[@Mark-um7ey]

Bro, with the rake that thing has you will leave your nuts on the handlebar first pothole you hit when the front forks snap off 😂

[@briang4470]

The biggest issue with buying chinese bikes is that they have little to no resale value, so even if you buy one and take really good care if it, youll be lucky to get $300-500 for it even in nice shape, where as a genuine honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha will always hold its resale value especially if kept in good condition.

[@infesting]

Who cares about resale value You're buying something to use it The time you use it has value also when you buy something you should plan on using it until you get all of the value out of it so if you sell it for $0 you've already gotten all of the value out of it. A motorcycle is not something you should be buying with the intention of keeping its value. It's a tool to be used for transportation or fun when you're done using it it should be used up and finished

[@keshmo12]

So you find a used one if you want one. But yes resale is really difficult.

[@dcummings7253]

6oo for a bike and a trailer. Seems pretty good.

[@johndavid3598]

Sell it to me then

[@garybray3614]

I buy to wear out, not re-sell.

[@BillWilsonBG]

"According to the EPA’s data, the XR150L is powered by an 149cc OHC air-cooled carbureted Single, claiming an output of 12.5 hp at 7,750 rpm. The engine is produced by Sundiro Honda, a joint venture between Honda and Chinese company Sundiro, and produced in Mexico (where the Honda Navi minibike is also manufactured)." I would surmise they are bolted together in Mexico out of chinese parts to be able to put Mexico on the VIN as to not spook buyers by it saying China on a $4000 bike.

[@indianaslim4971]

Thanks for the info, I wonder if the frame is made in Mexico due to the statement of origin and the cost of shipping the bulkiest part of the bike.

[@BillWilsonBG]

@@indianaslim4971 Perhaps, I don't know how much of the actual manufacturing has to take place in the location where the VIN indicates the vehicle was "produced" in order to qualify as being made there. I would highly doubt that it's literally just a "knockoff" bike with Honda branding, or that Honda's joint venture partner making parts for those amazon bikes as they would have some sort of agreement to prevent that. I would imagine that Honda-Sundiro has contracts for their various manufacturers of parts to a higher standard, and the manufacturers double dip and also produce cheaper parts for those sorts of bikes, pretty common.

[@jamesgeorge4874]

​@@BillWilsonBG17 Digit VIN always have the first digit as country of origin. J through R is Asia, L is China. 3 is Mexico, 2 is Canada. 1 is US.

[@indianaslim4971]

@@BillWilsonBG as I understand it, if it's labeled as manufactured it has to have parts actually made in that country, otherwise the statement of origin would say assembled in Mexico from parts manufactured in China/Japan or wherever. What percentage is needed for labeling purposes is beyond me.

[@anthonyrowland9072]

It's also a way for Honda to still sell old reliable parts that won't pass emissions standards in many places and semi scrupulous importers will sell them wherever because who really knows how many of these they even sell here.

[@barrycuda3769]

One Xmas I bought my son a Chinese 110 cc bike , after assembling it I had the first ride on it , my first impression was that it was very unstable, so much so it was dangerous, I diagnosed that the problem was the very narrow handlebars, so I put some wide ones off an old IT 175 on it , problem solved, next thing was that the rear tire had no knobs left after about 10 minutes of riding, but was lucky enough to find a good quality front and rear at the dump , I also found that the exhaust was badly choked with a restrictor , so I removed that, some time later the electric starter stopped working, so I removed that and he just used the kick starter, it was an ok bike after all that. Later on he bought a Chinese 200cc , it was top heavy and just plain heavy, the spokes wouldn't stay tight and the rear wheel collapsed, so I put a Honda wheel on it , it always had a sooty spark plug , so I unrestricted the muffler and fitted a larger diameter header pipe , as well as a hotter plug ,and that really improved the power, later on the rear shock lost all its damping , he got sick of it and sold it. One thing about both bikes was that the motors ran really good , but there will be no more Chinese bikes for us.

[@tashatorrid]

I've had one of these for about 3 years. It's fun to ride, super reliable, and cheap to modify to your liking.

[@bradpnw1897]

Nice. Thinking about getting one or a really small ATV as I only have 3 acres so not very big, but enough room to have a little fun. Had a Honda 300 ATV with a solid axle in the back and it was fun as all get out and super super reliable. Unfortunately I had it stolen in front of my house in the middle of the night by five people in a big U-Haul Van and I was yelling from the window that I've got a gun and they still stole it. They were so quick that by the time I came down from the second floor they were already pushing the ramp back in and driving off. 60 seconds. And I had wedged it between my garage and the my car that night and they still took it that quick😅. I'm putting it in the garage every night no matter what next time. Did you get a brand new one or used one? Either way God bless you 🙏

[@ty2010]

leave the unused wiring in place so you have something to strap down important parts you break off

[@geraldscott4302]

The new Honda is an XR150L. Made in Mexico. Under $3,000 MSRP, but $5,000 OTD. Street legal but not highway legal. And by highway I don't mean freeways. Where I live I would have to ride around 35 miles on a 65 mph county highway to get to where I could ride off road. The speed limit is 65, but it is not enforced. Normal traffic speed is 75-80. That Honda 150 tops out at around 55 mph. As for Chinese bikes, I learned my lesson about those the hard way. I won't go near one. Way back around 2007-2008 I had a Lifan LF200GY-5 200cc Chinese street legal dirt bike. The engine blew up at 3500 miles, and left me stranded out in the middle of the AZ desert 50 miles from nowhere. Out of cell phone range. In my state, unless you are on private property, your bike has to be titled, registered, plated, and insured. Even if you are way out in the middle if the desert or forest, if it is government land, it has to have all of that. If it doesn't, the fines are huge.

[@JSki-kb8vf]

Is it just me...or is there a Lotta rake in those front forks...bent steering knuckle...?

[@NBSV1]

A lot of trail/dirt bikes have quite a bit of rake. The bodywork tends to hide it some. Helps the suspension work better since bumps push into the forks instead of just trying to bend them.

[@Possumliving]

I have one of these, also 5 years old. I bought mine new, registered it for street use and also use it offroad. Unbeatable for the money. The new Japanese bikes have a lot of added junk they don't need, AND almost none of them have kick start. There are a few more of these in my area too, and they are generally well liked. BTW, these use a pushrod engine with a gear-driven (no cam chain) cam with a single lobe for both valves. It was designed by Honda as a modified version of their overhead cam engine, specifically for places like Vietnam where a lot of owners didn't maintain their bikes. So Honda redesigned it to be as bombproof as possible. Research the Honda CG-125 for the story on that.

[@williamstamper442]

Tony of course a displaced New Yorker down in Tennessee would want to ride in the woods. Cant imagine too many places to ride on staten island.

[@alertgasper]

only at night :) seriously, cities get folks on offroad bikes going down the streets, blasting thru parks, and running from the cops. some cities end up fining any gas station caught fueling one up hoping to cut it out in the summertime.

[@br7188]

In south america these are used as daily driver bikes. The starter relays and the cheap spark plug are the biggest problems. The steel rusts faster than a japanese bike

[@gregorydeutsch3530]

I was in central America, Belize, Lifan is the most popular bike. To import any bike, there is a duty equal to the cost of the bike, hence the cheapest bikes are the most common

[@martinw9425]

Is it just me , at 1520, i see a bent front rim and spokes. Sorry Tony, i still prefer paying a bit much and know that i will get back home safe and not trying to find signals in the woods for someone to come and get me.I ve owned Honda s Kawasaki, and Suzuki, and i still think they are the best dirts for the money. They still have parts and books for them.A clone its very hazardous to fix , with what parts? Who makes them , and for how long?.You got a good deal, for trailer and bike, i would have bought it for sure, but not going too far in the trails with it. I just know how it feels to get stuck at 11pm at night walking back home , trying to find your way back in the dark. The hawk for for a first bike for a youngster that dont go far is more than perfect.....My two cents.

[@lilmancc35]

That thing is defdinetly bent. Somebody sent that rig a little to hard.

[@courier11sec]

Did you watch the video? Is about how that thing has been through the ringer and treated like something you wouldn't feel bad about just leaving in the woods but it hasn't skipped a beat.

[@nunya9555]

​@lilmancc35 . Tony did that most likely. He stated it was in much better shape when he got it

[@nunya9555]

Don't go into the woods at night and you definitely won't get stuck out there at night. Doesn't matter what you ride

[@dirtrider3526]

I have had my 125 for 5 years. I have not been kind to it either lol. Still does everything I ask of it every time. I don't think it will ever die at this point lol

[@jamesgeorge4874]

I put 8000 miles on a TBR7, second chain, 3rd set of tires. Broken throttle cable is the only issue I've had. It's no Japanese 250. But if you are just bopping around back roads, dirt roads, trails, two tracks, and staying off the highway, it's fine.

[@glennaltpeter8917]

I live vicariously through Uncle Tony. I did all the fun stuff back in the 70s, now I need back surgery. How he can do all he still does, is amazing at his age. He must be about 60!!

[@bbivens8263]

I`m 70. Already had the back surgery. At 60, I was Flyin`. Now my old 1966 FLH and 2009 Yamaha XT250 just sit there. I work on my trucks,.....

[@johnbrown-sc8in]

Looks like the front end is really raked

[@perry92964]

i couldnt stop seeing that, a dirt bike chopper but i think its the lens on the camera

[@bruceclark5627]

Because it is made from compacted Nestlé bar wrappers

[@vancemacd6315]

It was probably jumped and stretched out in impact. 😅😅

[@Merc399]

Dude great reivew!! I love your vibes man ima check out some more vids

[@sicsempertyrannis4104]

Uncle T needs more cheap dirtbike & dual sport content 🤘

[@karimali7602]

Adventure is what I would call the Ulysses. Also, hilariously, in wheelnerds, one of the hosts used to say "Any bike is a dirt bike if you don't like it"

[@lgude]

I had this Honda 250 single engine in a road bike frame in the 80s. Rode it for years. I still remember that engine fondly. I remember I finally got a crack in a valve seat and took it to a friend who had a head shop and he asked are you going to sell it or keep it. Sell it I said. So he picked up a ball peen hammer and closed up the crack and handed it back no charge. It went for years for the guy I sold it to!

[@mr.b2107]

Having that orange colored Dart in the background kept reminding me of actual very clean original Orange Dart GT that I had for a while. It had the black out treatment with chrome on the rockers and the GT emblems. Plus, buckets with console. It was a great example of a well taken care of original.

[@alertgasper]

i was at a car show in NJ for July 4th, guy comes in with a Brazilian Charger RT...which is built on a Dart body. I've seen the photos, first time i saw one in real life.

[@mr.b2107]

@@alertgasper that would be pretty neat to see also! I can see the day when more people will bring more muscle versions from different countries like even Australia to here. I watch a video real recently someone made of a car show and cruise night in some city in Australia. There was actually lots of American imported muscle cars there running around.

[@alertgasper]

@@mr.b2107 around here in New England, the 25 yr old cars are getting imported in since they sneak under emissions issues, rather than have to go thru the "grey market". Australia has a large car show known for its burnout contest, i missed an opportunity to go but we used to have the Worcester Summer Nationals so I assume its similar. Unfortunately the city nickeled and dimed the promoter of that show out of existence. The good news is with the internet sales sites, it's easier to find cars to import from your couch, you just need the $$. Knew one guy who nabbed an XA Falcon out of a Queensland AU junkyard. between american parts that fit and stuff sourced off evilbay, he made a Mad Max replica for $75,000.

[@TREEHUGGAH1]

hey what happened to the 1961 hd sportster?

[@michaelsullivan2361]

I’ve been riding a Rupp Black Widow in the woods for 20 years. Upgraded with modern suspension and bigger engine. Ultimate in simplicity and reliability!

[@popetate8998]

Thanks for the info!

[@user-bc9sz1dj1g]

Hey Tony, Tim here.......i just recently bought a Honda CRF100F, to upgrade from the 70cc China bike (it was a 4sp semi-auto like a Z-50).......i needed an upgrade as my Step-son is ready to learn a clutch......we went from mini-bike, to the 70, now the 100......i got it for $1000......its wonderful!!!......i know what ur sayin, but this "new" 100 serves my purposes perfectly, and the local big bike store is a Honda dealer, so parts are easy to obtain......it was like never used, (its a 2004) i didnt even need to wash it, it was so clean, i got a new plug, changed the oil, put new shoes on it......i'm in it for $1300.....and shud give a lifetime of use......ok, more than ur "woods" bike, but served my purposes......one kick, fires right up, has more power than i need for the yard, and my son can now learn how to shift with a clutch.......ok, guess i got no point here, just enjoying the whole thing......i bought what was a good deal, and useful for my scenario....PEACE my brother!!

[@TheOneTrueHeavy]

I have a 87 Honda XL250R that Ive had for the last 20 years more or less. It cracked the head on two engines, so I decided to explore my options with china motors. I ended up getting a zongshen 4 valve "250" from alibaba for around $500 shipped, a few months waiting and some homemade motor mounts later, I got a brand new powerplant in my beloved old dirtbike. Works great after a good hard breakin.

[@louisrauzi3872]

Building a woods bike. Took my ts90, stripped everything, Preston Petty fenders,fork brace, knobbies.. abused the hell out of it but always maintained it. 90cc? Hell I was about 130lbs

[@courier11sec]

About 15 years ago I had a 125 version. It was bomb proof and slow as molasses. Pretty sure I could have jumped it into a lake and it would have run after a quick dry off. I sold it to a friend when I moved out of state but I bet it's still going. If he contacted me out of the blue to ask if I wanted to buy it back I wouldn't hesitate.

[@dyackman]

In my office park, there's 3 different import companies that sell these things along with ATVs, etc. In the month or so leading up to Christmas, there are trucks lined up to cart off bunches of these. They're cheap! Well, the weak after Christmas, they're lined up again trying to return them because half of them are defective. The warehouse across from us is good for a few fights in the parking lot, banging on the doors trying to get somebody to answer, etc.

[@u.p.tinkering]

Junk... Chinese aluminum castings are brittle and weak as hell! Worked on and scrapped many of these turds.😂🤣

[@greenbassboosts8872]

I don't care. I bought a fully functional engine from eBay for $43 dollars. I modified it for v belt drive, so all of my drive train components exist at the hardware store now. Besides that, the engine is as reliable as just about any weed whacker chainsaw engine, whatever. I dropped the bike twice, once pretty hard, and the pull start, aluminum, hasn't broken and still works. Im sure it's not as good as something that costs more though.

[@u.p.tinkering]

I don't care either... lol Just stating facts of working on these since they started arriving in this country a long time ago. I repair small engines (motorcycles,ATV's, snowmobiles, outboards chainsaws, weedwhackers,etc) and deal with this garbage a lot.... 😂🤣

[@u.p.tinkering]

@@greenbassboosts8872 What kind of bike did you put a 43 dollar ebay engine on? I am assuming it must be a 49cc engine if you compare it to a weedwhacker or chainsaw. Is it a pedal bike conversion,mini chopper, minibike or pocket crotch rocket. Because 49cc engine wont move anything much bigger. I have a little China pocket quad for my grandson that runs those 49cc engines. It's pretty snappy but I have literally ripped the pull start case off it a couple of times. Original was plastic and the last two were the aluminum upgrades if you can call them that. It always runs but it does not suffer from as many problems as the bigger china bikes like mild steel bendable swing arms, crap CDI systems,stators and coils,weak frames, scary weak spokes and rims,kickstart shafts breaking off the aluminum shaft holder inside the case basically rendering the engine case half and engine scrap. If I was going to buy a cheap bike to bomb through the woods, the last thing I would be bombing around on is a cheap China bike. I like making it out of the woods in one piece and not having to walk out either. LOL Have a good day!🙂

[@u.p.tinkering]

@@greenbassboosts8872 Hey, can you post up a little video of your bike on your channel? I enjoy seeing other folks tinkering and ideas. 👍

[@greenbassboosts8872]

@@u.p.tinkering the channel is @robertjeffersonbased and there's a few motor bike videos on there. The most recent bike thing didn't work very well but I think you'll be entertained at least

[@1982HondaATC70]

Yes it's the perfect $100 dirt bike. Paying more than that is absurd. A janky home made trailer with no fenders, broken lights and a strap holding the gate up? Great deal man🤣

[@davidbrown4180]

You might need a headlight sometime

[@thetoymanator7723]

strap on an LED torch...

[@davidstuck2866]

I'm sorry Tony, I do NOT agree. from the outside, they do look similar. but that's where it ends. I'm not a Honda "fan boy", but I worked on them for about a dozen years, along with most other Japanese manufacturers totalling over 30 years. The QUALITY of the Honda brand, was always 1 step higher than the rest. even down to the alloy of the metals used. the amount of abuse the Honda's will take blew me away. And I do know about the Hawk brand somewhat. One of my neighbors owned one. I would NOT own one, unless I was just going to ride it around town, and not ride it hard. @ $300.00, you will likely get your money's worth out of it. but as a DIRECT comparison, it's no contest. Honda invests thousands of hours of R&D into every engine, every set of forks, even down to and including the wheel spokes for their bikes. Hawk, buys a Honda, tears it down, and copies it using materials that "should be good enough for its intended purpose". They DO NOT run their engine at 30% over max rev's for hours on end. Low on oil, over heated, etc. etc. I have owned several of their bikes ( I have owned over 20 bikes over the years, most from Japan, but europe was no stranger to my garage either. one of their bikes, which on occasion, would foul a spark plug. several times, I got so MAD, that I REALLY TRIED to blow it up. I would get it going as fast as it would go in 3rd gear (I wanted to blow it up, not die in the process), which was over 12,000 rpm, while holding the throttle wide open, i would cram it into 1st gear, and dump the clutch, on dry pavement. the noises that engine made, I really can not describe. a couple of those times i did this over 10 times in a row. when the bike, and my temper cooled off, I would stick a new spark plug in it, and off we would go for another 500 miles or so. try that with your hawk, and then write back telling me which foot they had to amputate because of red hot engine parts shredding you foot so bad, they could not save it. and I saw this type of thing happen with Hondas at least a half dozen times while working on them.

[@UncannySense]

Honda XR150L or a lifan kpx 250...same price, compare what you get for your hard earned $ and tell me what is the better buy considering Lifan makes engines for major brands...The CG250 engine in Tony's Hawk is based on the engineering and tooling Honda shared with developing world with the Honda CG125. China is just doing what Japan did to the USA and Britain during the 60s and 70s.

[@glennjames7107]

They may be, but the difference in a Honda motor, built by Honda, and a Honda motor built in China, is unimaginable. I've owned both, and I've deliberately tried to blow up Hondas, and couldn't. These Chinese bikes, if you can pick one up for a few hundred bucks in decent shape, they're worth it, for playing around your house. But don't buy one and strike out on a trip miles into the woods, because they aren't a Honda.

[@LawrenceLarson-ln8yy]

"Watching the Butterflies" i had No Doubt...

[@glennjames7107]

I've had two of them. I bought one when I was in St. Croix working a few years back. I left the Island during the first few months of the ordeal in 2020 during which I had left it in the care of a co-worker. Someone cut a hole in the fence at the resort he was staying at and stole it. When I got back I found another one and bought it, and about six months later it was stolen from a different resort that I was living at. But for a cheap mode of transportation, or for beating around the woods, or in town on, they were great for the price. You can't beat them !

[@methanial73]

The thing about Chinese products is there is a range of quality. Some Chinese made products are good and well made. The biggest problem is consistency. You may have a fairly good Chinese product, but the quality might be 8 out of 10 are good. You don't want to be one of those two. That being said the quality has gone up in a lot of products.

[@neilbrown3359]

That's getting left on the trail too !

[@cb3391]

Subbed cause, honest review.

[@minnesotatomcat]

I had a brand new 1997 xr200 Honda, nicely powered 4 stroke, never had a problem with it. Wish I’d have kept it instead of getting a cr250, twice the power with no longevity.

[@ohiofarmer5918]

I am thinking about just strapping a harbor freight six horsepower I have hanging around just with an extra rim and belt drive . Simple tension with a push bar. If it goes fifteen miles an hour that's enough for the farm. Pair it to a CB 750 frame and it's a maxi bike

[@williamstamper442]

I've got 3 slightly different modified HF 212s each making almost 20hp each. Porting, cam, carb, etc the usual stuff. On a minibike they all flat out fly. My drag bike runs 8.50s@72 in the 1/8th

[@ray_s281]

I always enjoy the motorcycle content.

[@Dafastso]

absolutely, these things are a steal. $2,000 brand new. first things you want to do to it is get an aftermarket carburetor because the stock one is very lean and get a bigger front sprocket because they gear it really low. other than that the front forks are thinner and the welds are uglier but its a dirt bike and its all there and definitely putting honda ect reputation for quality up for question when deciding which dirt bike to buy

[@nealdaleyjr7625]

You're easily impressed.

[@ZPDSurvival]

And it has a Kick start that most newer bikes don't have.

[@outwiththem]

Had a 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 engine in 1977. Headers, tranny valve body to chirp tires on second gear, So much fun. Except gas mileag.

[@Jim-ic2of]

Blame it on the ADD baby !😊

[@10000Mistakes]

This is great. I was very much considering a XR150L but was concerned about not enough power for street. Thanks for putting this out there, I see these on FB Marketplace all the time.

[@armslength2618]

That's a solid 200 dollar bike. New.

[@RL-RL]

Last year in the Spring I bought a Brozz 250 in Army green. The only inventory left was 3 Desert Tan ones and the last Green one. So I now have the last sold ever Army Green Brozz 250! I built it, tweaked it, and only put a set of Renthal Bars on it, and an EBC Clutch spring upgrade kit in it after changing the oil @50 miles. Now it's butter smooth, runs great, and will run forever. THEN Honda saw the demand for a trail bike and came out with a 2023 250 retro trails bike. The engine on the Brozz is the same thing from a Honda from back in the Eighties, and the new engine is exactly the same! I don't ride it much as I have WAY too many other things to do, and this past week I just hit over 100 miles on it in over a year! Yes the quality is there and I'm sure i could sell it and get more than I paid for it, but it's fun as hell but will only run 70mph tops. The low end and midrange is crazy and being a very light bike, it hauls butt through all gears until running out @70!

[@mossig]

You need a new front rim. That one must vibrate a lot!

[@idahodiy]

My chonda was fun until the gas tank ruptured and dumped a gallon of gas on my lap, the exhaust ripped its studs out of the head and fell off, the handlebars bent in half and snapped when I tried to bend it back 10 miles out on the trail. I would only use one of these as an around town bike. They can't take any kind of trail abuse

[@jonsingle1614]

China Honda clones.....zero parts avaliable

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Like harborfreightpredator motor

[@UncannySense]

parts are available and cheap.

[@muddywater6856]

Ebay will have most anything

[@jonsingle1614]

@@muddywater6856 your choice of bikes parted out....lol

[@jonyoung6405]

Front fender is nice to have after some rain .

[@NotedHalcyon]

I love my Brozz 250!!!!! Glad to see folk loving this’……

[@lucasmonks5767]

You have a prospective that Is totally different from myself that's what I like about your show

[@williebrother9518]

This topic and the comments took me back a long ways to my high school days. My first bike was a yamaha 55 cc street legal trail bike in 2 stroke flavor. At 15 yrs old I become self taught bike mechanic. This was a time when Harleys with sucide clutches were still on the road. I managed to upgrade to a honda 305 super hawk. A buddy of mine was impressed when I was able to run along side of his Harley at 90 mph. As Archie Bunker would say "man those were the days".

[@jittychitty]

Buy a CR500

[@dudewheresmycar908]

Or a KX500

[@robertjlaird1142]

Definitely I was thinking about one of those

[@chuckwayne7715]

I had Japanese bikes, a through my youth, and then just quit riding for years, but I did get back into riding a few years ago, and ended up with a Suzuki Boulevard, and a V Star, but just didn't enjoy them. I ended up buying a Brozz, which seemed great, but I only ended up putting a little over 2,000 miles on, till it got stolen from my garage up at my farm, when I was storing it for winter. I ended up buying very slightly used Hawk that had almost no miles on it, and still had every decal on it, and it's been a really good bike. As long as a person knows the limitations of the bikes, and can do basic mechanical work to one , you can really wake them up , compared to the way they come stock ( very restricted, for emissions standards). I have a brother who has 2 Suzuki's, both 4 stroke Enduro bikes (DR, or DRZ), and he's had timing chain issues on one, and had to replace the entire top end on the other, and he couldn't have a boat load of miles on either, because he does not ride much. The CG, pushrod motors in the cheap 250(230cc) dual sport bikes are reliable, and really they are limited more by the fact they have the box tubing swingarm, and not the strongest forks, but the Honda XR150L that Tony claims is the same bike ALSO has the same forks, and swingarm. I keep my spokes in check , and have never bent a rim, but I know the limitations of the bikes. I ride for leisure, and know the bikes are not for anything even resembling hard Enduro. That being said the Honda is an OHC motor, and the bike is assembled in Mexico, but is it worth the extra money? Not to me. The HP figure on both the Honda 150, and the Chinese 230cc Dual Sports are pretty close, but the 230 is pretty torquey, AND can be woken up quickly, and cheaply with head porting, and a long duration cam, without the sacrifice of low end torque. They are not for everyone, but they are very capable of filling the needs, and providing a long service life for many. The issue of not having resale value is ridiculous, unless you are talking about the resale value of a bike boughten used, and then sold again, but if you were to go spend $ 6,000 at a stealership for a nice Dual Sport, and sell it a couple of years later, you will loose at least a couple thousand on it, and you probably would have been spending on upgrades during the two years. I see 20 year old Japanese bikes for sale often with lower mileage than with of my Chinese bikes. I also have a KPX, which is a " nicer" Chinese dual sport, and it has beefy suspension, and good rims, and is more on par with a Japanese bike. Its not got the power of a water-cooled 250 4 stroke, but it has plenty for me, and that's all I need.

[@failranch9542]

These bikes have changed world travel. 20 years ago, if you wanted to overland around the world, you needed a diesel. It was the only way you could consistently get fuel. With the proliferation of Chinese motorbikes, all corners of the globe now have gasoline available. It might be in a milk jug, but somebody will have it.

[@MrGrand2000]

600 hundred dollars,,got ripped off 😅

[@smolville]

There are fairies and homeless people in the woods.

[@fajareraim6136]

btw, uncle tony i can say for a fact, i used to own a honda 100cc cub, and a chinese copy of that cub...tbh the "honda" (which made by Astra back then) are a bit below standard quality than the Chinese counterparts... i owned em for few years and everytime i work on em i just kept thinking how the copycat is way better(build) than the original? and it is proven if u come to Indonesia u should see those copy Chinese cub bike and they're still running strong compared to the honda one...

[@MikeRay1978]

Love a Ully. Glad to see you enjoying one. Every one is an adventure bike guy lol.

[@pinkyellowblue007]

Wow that XR 150L is nice, I hadn't seen one before.

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

HOWdy U-T-G, ... HILARIOUS Thanks COOP ...

[@stevenbean9706]

love the little dart

[@user-fv8zo4ee7p]

I really like the trailer. Nice trailer indeed.

[@dbdave92]

Make sure the fork bolts are lock tight. I had them come apart and did a few front flips

[@dbdave92]

Engine was solid tho ran great.

[@wayne5607]

The original Hawk Tuah bike for the Hawk Tuah girl!

[@keelangerken5154]

Dr650 is the ultimate 1 bike to do it all(or xr650 if you are taller than 5'11". Parts can be had anywhere in the world, it's air cooled, carbureted, it'll travel all day at 65-70mph, and grunt in the woods. You can't put enough gas in it to wear it out.

[@Rick6767rick]

Hi can you make a video of you blasin thru the woods bouncin off burms ? ,,, that id like to see

[@7272nighthawk]

I remember when those really got big in the early 2000s We had a 110 gy6 style four wheeler and we beat the crap out of it !!! I did have to fix a few issues when we first got it. The plug wire was made with a metal core that was rusted I fixed it with an old plug wire from a car It never had any issues after that .

[@Joeak74]

The Honda copy engines in these bikes are manufactured by Lifan, Zongshen, Loncin, Jailing, etc. They are very good quality. Another fun fact: Yamaha's licensed Chinese manufacture "Loncin" makes tons of side by side parts for Yamaha's side by sides and other manufactures of side by sides. Loncin is licensed under Yamaha. Another fun fact: The Harbor Freight "Predator" engines are manufactured my Loncin. That makes it a Yamaha product. The Harbor Freight 2000 watt inverter generators run clones of the ... You guessed it... Yamaha MZ80 generator engine (Loncin).

[@race8427]

My 2nd bike, a used 1974 Yamaha DT 400 Enduro (2 stroke). I beat the hell out of that bike, stripped many oil injector gears. It always started by the 4th kick and seemed to thrive on abuse. What’s noteworthy is this was in the era when Japanese products were perceived to be “nipshit”. I miss that bike, wished I had another. Purchased a Beta 500 RRS in the middle of the plandemic for just north of 13K. Guaranteed it will be awhile before I ride it as hard as the DT400.

[@stephanematis]

I had the same quest, and my silly inner-teenager convinced me to grab a CRF-250F, F for fun :D

[@uncle_moose]

Ut drivning around watching butterflies lol lol send me a photo of that.

[@ibraunchy20-vn5kd]

Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself you didn't get screwed LOL Ride that thang Tony

[@Gamefreak8112]

I know myself too well to allow myself anything with less than 4 wheels, but it does make me miss my old Yamaha 350 Warrior. I rolled than thing in all four directions, the scary one was forward when the pin for the castle nut broke that held my right a-arm together while jumping, that shift in weight rolled me backwards and to the right while it somersaulted. I landed on my knee and rolled then it landed beside me. Within a minute we found the nut and half the pin, slapped it back together and I went home to get ready to limp through a shift. 10/10 fun stay safe out there sir!

[@guyletourneau6167]

Last year I bought a vstrom for light trail riding. This year at 55 I decided to add a woods bike. Ended up finding a kdx200. Seem like those Chinese bikes might be a great alternative.

[@mikehunt3987]

Lifan makes a licensed copy of a couple Honda motors. Parts are interchangeable. Any of the horizontal motor stuff is actually pretty good. The nus, bolts, fastners, frame, etc.. is what they cheap out on. Swapping in Honda axels and motor mounts/bolts are usually the first recommend mods for these things.

[@bigjay6743]

These bikes are pretty good And honestly I bought cfmoto 4 Wheeler and I was amazed by the quality it's been a really good 4 Wheeler I've had it for 3 years now With very minor issues.

[@anomalouswoof2554]

Looks kinda like an '80s Honda 250 in a XR200 frame.

[@williamstamper442]

I really screwed up not buying a chinese dirt bike for $750 new +$125 delivery in 2019 pre-pandemic. Now they are almost triple that number. Should have bought a tao tao scooter at same time back then. A kid down the street bought one delivered to the door for just under $900. They didnt have a clue so i helped them uncrate it. Then i had to be the one to start it first with a broken knee. I did lay it over on that first start but was on the grass so it didnt hurt it. The knee gave out on second kick and over i went in slow motion...but it was running. We all picked it up but no way was i gonna steal the kids first ride. He rode the wheels off that thing that whole summer. The next year they moved, gone away and never seen it or the kid again.

[@delbert9357]

broken knee and a dirt bike?

[@williamstamper442]

LoL no worse (for embarrassment factor) I layed down my drag minibike. One night I took it out "testing". Just tweaked the wheelie bars and was doing some launches on fresh asphalt that resembled the track surface where I would be racing at soon. The first set of wheelie bars Iade were of the single wheel variety. It hooked hard but started leaning hard left. I slipped off the right peg and planted that foot which twisted my knee completely out of place. Had to pop it back in and limped for 2 weeks after. No not broken that was just poetic license.