Maiden Voyage

[cooksend]

Well Blazinbya and I are heading to the Yooper to do a shakedown run on my Hawk. Lots of new parts on the Project Hawk 600 (SW). Hopefully all is well and this thing rips! I will get back to you with a report and hopefully a few pics...

Later

[cooksend]

Well I made it through my first rip... I would have to say that something is wrong with my set up. It sure feels like the front end wants to dart, stand me upright and wash out in lots of different snow conditions. I did take a quick ditch ride last saturday as a 121" and did not experience this feeling. Now that its a 136" I am wondering if it made it handle that different or what to change in my set up? I really struggled in other sled tracks! Even a bit in the freshies in the trees or untouched forest roads. Other than that I would have to say that I had a blast until our ride lost it's spark. We had just come out into a great little spot to play on a hill in the trees and Blazin's fanner came to an abrupt halt. NO SPARK. I would have to say that pulling a Hawk out of the woods is no fun. Especially with an ill handling Hawk and a novice pilot!

Wish we could have got some more pics!!! Next time.

[RudeAwakening]

what spring is in the front of your skid? softer spring = more ski pressure = more predictableity! at least thats how i feel. i have a 90 lbs from spring in my 136 800ho. andthe ski dosent lift much when i get hard on the throttal

[cooksend]

It feels fine under hard accelleration and the front end seems to sit a bit lower than Blazin's fanner. I know that the vertical shocks seem to be way to stiff as the ride is crazy stiff. I had the skid apart but do not know what springs are in the Hawk. Suspension wise I was thinking less limiter and revalve vertical shocks... I have not expereienced the plush ride everyone is talking about after the relocation brackets.

[SHawkster]

Did you upgrade the suspension with the relo. brackets ?

[BlazinBya]

We installed the relocation brackets in his 600....no change in travel...we pulled the skid to check for siezed shocks and found that someone had mixed up the shock and put the center shock in the rear and a rear in place of the center.We did our best to determine the softer of the 3 springs but trying to compress a 280 or 350 by hand isnt the easiest.I picked the softer of the three and put it on the shock that had the softest valving and installed it in the center shock. We can compress the center shock by compressing the long arm but once its installed back in the hawk it seems like it moves about 3 inches and then hits a wall.

I was watching his skid work in the nasty woops on the powerlines and its just not compressing more than 5 inches at any time. We are starting to think that the previous owner may have been jumper and this one was setup for the 60 and 80 foot doubles on a snowcross track and has been revalved beyond anything remotely trailable.


The odd part of this is....my 503 fanner sits quite abit higher in the frontend,I thought that the 600's were supposedly 4 inches taller?Could his front forks be too soft allowing the weight transfer to really affect his handling the way it was. I wasnt experiencing any trouble riding mine thru the same stuff that he seemed to struggle in.


Nice pic greg,Man do I look whooped and bummed in those picture...lol
Sux that mine chit the bed in such a prime area too....No spark and a puking carb...at least we made it out on our own,was really glad you brought the rope or we might not have been outta there before dark.

[cooksend]

That was a smokin area to play. I hated leaving it untracked. Next time I guess! Lots of other stuff in that area as well. This shop time is getting crazy.

Any good places to have Hawk shocks revalved? Anyone with some experience with custom valving on this beast? How about what springs to get? I work at a Ski Doo, Yamaha and Polaris dealer so if stuff can cross over I have access to these easy!

[RudeAwakening]

yaa those 350s are one part of your problem. how hevey are you? i use the 350s but im well over 300lbs

[cooksend]

Full gear on tops at 200. My published dry weight is 178...

[RudeAwakening]

see if you can get a set of 280 springs from some one who has upgradede to the zx2 or custom skid