diff between hawk and RC?
 

Just got back from the first track day was great fun. Just wondering what the differences would be btween the two bikes. HP and steering? Is there that much difference? Have any of you owned both. Which do you prefer and lastly how much more aggresive is the RC in riding position?

difference stems from a production bike on which to base a superbike bike competitor (RC51) vs. a bike built around a real world, street oriented, lower budget sporty street bike (the superhawk). And in everyway you can compare them it comes down to that. Comfort (SH much better on real roads), HP (RC51 much stronger), handling (RC great for highspeed tracks but more work on streets), riding position (SH tolerable for sporting long distances, RC 51 not (to me at least, I am a wimp however about neck/wrist pain).

How do you plan to use the bike?

I was wondering about both,the track and the street. I did get left behind on the straits with some of the 600s out there. That suprised me. I love the twin sound so I could never get rid of that. I plan to def do some more track days. I was thinking if I only had one bike maybe the rc would be it. How much can you really change the handling of the hawk? Is it worth the price? Im sure It will be a long time before I grow out of what the hawk can do on the track, if ever. Just pondering. The rc also has that real race bike look. How much more flickable is the rc in the corners?

No real difference, one rides a Skate board and one rides a dirt bike, both have millions to blow......

Judging most opinions from RC owners who have posted on NON-RC forurms, it is not a great choice for "only one bike"'; too specialized.

DBERN, I have both but have only used the SH on the track. The RC will blow the SH away with power. They are about the same weight. The RC is more agressive and I think flickable, at least on the street. The SH is just fun. My SH has many upgrades and the best bang for the buck is the gear change to 15t front and 43t rear. I had noticed I was having trouble coming off corners with enough power to make good time at one track so I changed the gears for $80.00 and now it goes to red line off the corners with no hesitation.

Try dropping the forks 5 to 10 mm. This will help quite a bit with turning.
Good luck

I dropped my forks an inch soon after I got. It is very flickable now but I seem to reach a point where I cannot get any lower in turns. I rode Reapers SH the other day which is stock with a stabilizer and brace and I was doing turns at decent speeds one handed. His bike feels like I'm entering the turn on a Freightliner though. So I think I'm gonna raise mine up to a half inch and see how that does. I am also waiting for my Superbrace.

So are they up 1" from the top triple clamp or from the top of the clip-ons? I have mine pulled up 10mm from the top ofthe clip-ons and it works well there. If I go to 15mm the header hits in right hand turns.

Hi Lef 102, wow you got 15-43 must love to ride on the rear wheel alot. I used 15-41 and shifted gear 1st-2nd while turning S-hawk ran side way all the time sometimes it scares me, please dont try it and fall down then blame me. I never rode RC before but i would love to swap ride w/anyone who live around my area if there is chance for ride together either 999 or S-hawk.

8541, I had the same problem. Turned in super at 15mm but hit the header hard enough to almost make me go off track. 10mm I've not had any problems at all. IMO, 1" is WAY too much.

Oh, BTW, I've owned both the VTR and RC51 ('02). The RC is a crappy street bike. Don't commute on it if you buy one. Great at the track and backroads though.

Ok thanks, what are your reasons for the none street bike mindset? worse milleage? ride position? etc... How much did they change the bike after 03 I have heard that if buying one to go 03 and newer, any input on that front? Also I live in WV which means even the 4lanes are curvey.
I know that the hawk is the better street bike but Im looking at the track and curvey streets, it can't be that much more uncomfortable? can it?

You want '02 or newer. They have different forks and swingarm. Also about 8 more hp.

The RC is geared TALL. Even dropping one tooth in front it was still pretty bad in traffic. The bike runs hot because they designed the fans poorly. There are two. They each blow inward. So when you're tooling along in summer traffic at 15mph the bike just gets hotter and hotter because there is dead air at the radiator. It might have been just my bike, but I also had a wierd spot between 2000-2500 rpm that caused the bike to lurch. It did it since new and couldn't tune it out with a PCII. It was very reproducible on the dyno. The seating position isn't terrible, but I bought a Sargent seat a week after buying the bike. The stock seat's a plank. The bike isn't very light. It's heavier than a Superhawk by a few pounds at least. Not a whole lot of mass centralization either. The weight feels high, especially with a full tank. It responds very well to body steering though. 600 miles after I got it I went to BeaveRun track in PA. On my second session with stock 208ZR tires, a cold damp track, and barely any miles on the bike I was draggin' knee. Super stable at the track once turned in but it takes a little oomph to get it turned in. A common upgrade is lighter wheels to aid in that. Nice hit on the top end like a 750. Great sound. Expensive to upgrade because all the good parts are pricey. You can make about 134hp with bolt on mods only. After I rode an '04 1000RR and did a few 5th gear side-by-side roll ons I was sold. Bought one, washed the RC, and never rode it again. Sold about 2 months later.

I know I've written this all before and I probably should have said :search: but I'm a post whore and a nice guy. FWIW, there are probably a hundred threads on this forum about the exact same topic.

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...ad.php?p=90151

PS That search took 4 minutes!

Ok my input on this topic.... I owned a Super Hawk for 6 years and now have a 2004 RC51 for the past 4 months... I just sold the Hawk because I just never rode it much after getting the RC... Now compairing the two.. the RC will run away and hide from the the Hawk in power,braking,handling and gas mileage..yes gas mileage... I hated the stock seat on the RC so I changed to a Sargent and the bike already had Heli bars so I have no input on the stock bars also the RC had a PCIII,LeoVince exhaust,rev mod,flapper mod,gearing changed, rear shock shimmed 5mil and a steering damper... Also my Hawk had all the normal mods and suspension work (springs valving etc) so don't think I'm compairing it to a stock Hawk.

I have heard the horror stories about the RC's overheating and surging at slow speeds in traffic but its not the case with my 04 RC, the mapping in my PCIII is dam near perfect... So to sum it up my Super Hawk was a GREAT bike... I'm 47 years old and I feel I'm a accomplished rider and have owned many bikes over the years and the Hawk ranks high on the chart... As`for the RC would I ride this bike back and forth to work everyday even though it's comfortable for me... Hell no thats not what it's for... but put it in the twisties and say goodbye.

99 Hawk and 04 RC

Yeah, I echo Don's comments (except for surging). It's not a bad bike by any means. It's just not a great all-arounder like the Superhawk.

thanks
 

wow 4 minutes that is way to long...

Really though thanks alot for the info.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sup...bf752a506c.jpg

:wheelie: