Got a hawkeye for the wife. Aside from tradin up for a 450, what's the best way to give it more oomph? I know I can put a K&N on it and a slip-on muffler but are there any other mods I might think about? Don't want to go to smaller tires. Will the drive train handle more power? I'm really lookin for more torque off the bottom.

 

More torque? That's what the Hawkeye has lots of, at least it seems that way due to it's gearing and the way it automatically goes from low range to high. And I can't see putting smaller tires on it, they're already 22's. I'll be putting 24's on mine next year.

 

I haven't actually ridden the thing yet. I'm in Amarillo, Tx. doing flight testing and the quad is in Maryland. We just got em last weekend. I read an article in one of the online mag's that said the hawkeye didn't have enough power to pull itself thru thick mud so I thought I'd put some feelers out. How do you like yours sheepdog? It seemed perfect for my wife to learn how to ride on. We're planning a trip to the Hatfield/Mccoy Trails possibly in december (around xmas).

 

Hey Bob dont be fooled by what some of the Kids say ,,some of them want the hawkeye to be a race bike or a Mud runner or a jumping bike,,The Hawkeye does just fine with a Little tweeking done to it. I ride Mine most of the time when we go riding, I Have had the thing up to the tank in water and it can pull itself in a foot or so of mud but if you run into a Mud pit that is thick like gumbo and two feet deep it will probally not get out like most quads.
You can compare this atv to the Old honda fourtrax 300 and the Hawkeye will eat it alive all the way around Ive had this thing up 75 degree hills and runs all day on the sand as well and will carry 2 up while doing the above it just needed more air to engine I did dropped the Carb needle two clips and it runs great,,it wont run with the big boys when it comes to speed but it runs fine in its group and will go anywhere the big atvs go but it just dont do it as fast..I put 25 goodyear rawhides on my hawkeye it has almost 12 inches ground clearance, Its not tippy and it is a climber i have Videos and pictures if you want.. Email me at
rickeyparker1@***.net and ill send you some pictures of how we do it here in Oklahoma.

 

Not everyone agrees with the rather optimistic views about the Hawkeye's performance. I have 25's on mine and it IS tipsy, it's a little better after taking off the sway bar though, just rolls around more, but isn't as prone to tipping over now.

It's acceleration is mediocre at best. This is a 300cc engine after all and the spec quoted for hp is between 16 and 19hp i forget exactly what it was, that's not much, the transmission can only help out so much as it's a 550lb quad.

If it's true about the rumors of Polaris getting it to run 62mph i can't wait to see how they did it and hope it's something we can retrofit onto the older Hawks.

I ride with larger displacement quads all the time and it's extremely obvious i'm on a less powerful machine, even Honda's 4x4's with 350's or Yamaha's 4x4's with 400's ie Ranchers and Big Bears seem much more powerful than my Hawkeye.

 

Mine runs great, it never fails to start on the first try, it warms up quickly, it idles perfectly, it'll climb steep grades and rocky paths very slowly without burning a belt or spinning its tires, it'll go through tight spots that larger ATVs can't fit through, it'll get to 40 mph only a few bike lengths behind my Sportsman, although a little stiff in the rear it's a true pleasure to ride, the headlights are great, and most important of all....my wife loves it. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] BTW, she's 5'3" and 130 lbs and the Hawkeye fits her perfectly. And it hauls my 225 lb butt around just fine.

 

300cc is 300cc Ill line the Hawkeye up against a 4wheel auto drive Bruin,auto Fourtrax,auto Rancher and let them have 50cc more than the Hawkeye anyday drag racing or hill climbing or Mudding or rock climbing and the Polaris will clean its clock in an overall score, my hawkeye runs 51 mph flat out. i hate to be Optimistic about but call it what you Like.

 

Thanks for all the great feedback guys. Overall, everything you guys are saying is very positive. I know 300 cc's is not meant to be a monster and that's why I got it. I didn't want her dumb thumbing the throttle and hurting herself but at the same time I wanted the excitement to remain after she's had it for a year or two. I've got the 800 so I know I won't get bored and actually, after she got the 2 quads home and unloaded she hopped on mine and road it around the yard! Says she likes the sound of the exhaust (laughing)! She still hasn't rode the hawkeye (since saturday). Says it's raining and she doesn't want to get it dirty! Wait till I get her out to the Hatfield/McCoy Trails. As soon as I get that 800 in some mud with her behind me I'm lightin em up!!LOL BTW, my e-mail is Bobfly@netzero.net.
I'll swap some good pics of the V22 Osprey doin it's thing for some good muddin shots.

 

I don't know about you, but i ride with those other quads all the time, they clean my Hawks clock constantly, it does NOT have the power or speed of the 350's and 400's, i guess i could try to find HP ratings of those other quads to verify that, but i'm lazy lol

Mine runs 40 GPS verified, i sure wish i could get as much power out of mine as you do.

Not to mention it sputters in water (very common problem with them), it's extremely embarassing to be coming out of a water hole sputtering away while every one else just pulls right through them. I sure wish i knew where that problem was coming from. I've tried all the normal fixes but no luck yet, it however does it less frequently than when it was new.

 

Something isn't right with yours, mine runs good with 25" ACT's. It'll pull well over 40 on the speedo on a smooth flat and with the taller tires it's going faster than it reads. I think your sputter issue is due to steam, you'll have to redirect the air intake to remedy that.


Hey Rickey, have you drilled your carb slide yet?