Upgrading the Shifter on the Hawk 250
Here is a quick and easy upgrade in my series of modifications for the Hawk 250 Enduro bike. The stock shifter that comes with the bike works fine, but has one problem if you ever intend to take the bike off-road. And lets face it, why would you buy and Enduro instead of a street bike if you are never going to take it off road?!? The problem is, the stock shifter is solid and doesn’t include a breakaway hinge in case you run into something like a branch or rock on the ground.
This could cause a whole litany of problems ranging from breaking the shifter to knocking the rider off the bike, so why not spend $20 to remedy the situation?
I got a replacement from Amazon listed as “MSR Folding Shift Lever Steel Honda XR CR80 CRF 150 230” for $22.50, Prime. The part fit the bike with no real issue, though there is one thing to consider. There is a 10mm bolt that holds the shift lever on the bike, and on the stock lever the bolt is located on the bottom, making it easy to get to and ensuring there is plenty of room for movement. However, the MSR lever has the bolt on the top.
It’s a less than ideal placement, but you can get it on nonetheless. The hardest part for me was removing the old lever which required removing the bolt completely and using a flathead screwdriver to pry the clamping mechanism apart a bit on the end.
Before you put the new shift lever on, check the angle because there is a very small window in which you can shift up and down, and also get the bolt on top to clear the space.
Comparatively, the two shifters are similar enough that its not worth the upgrade for any reason other than to have the folding action on the MSR. But its a cheap enough upgrade. So why not?
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Looks like your Hawk is no Hawk anymore
Yeah, by the time I’m done with it, it will be hardly recognizable. But that is one of the things I really like about this bike. You can hack and mod it all you want! :-)
John:
Thin the head of the bolt to get more clearance with the engine case. You might also try to use an allen bolt and even thin it too leaving enough depth to the allen wrench hole for good engagement of the wrench to the bolt. It is not good to let the shift lever bolt interference force a poor control positioning.
Good idea Lynn. Thanks for the tip. Luckily in this case the shifter is in exactly the right position for me. But I suppose if some people wore thick boots or needed it in another spot it might be best to look at a different shifter or something.