Kazairl

A guy I work with had this Hawk that his son had road rashed pretty good. So I bought it from him. It's a 2003 with(we think) 4500 miles on it. It's been sitting for close to a year(with fuel in the tank!) so that's why the chain is rusty and I'm sure the carbs will have to be taken apart for a good cleaning. Clean title and he only wanted $1000 for it. I think I got a pretty good deal.

The only picture I took before I started taking stuff apart. Please disregard the old beaters in the background



What it looks like right now.



Left clip on is pretty trashed


So is the muffler


And the fairing



Bent the smaller fairing stays on the left side and bent in the large one at the front hard enough that it broke the windshield.


The left mirror was rashed but the right one was broken. Go figure.



Are the turn signals aftermarket? They were both hanging by one screw and had crimp on connectors.

This is the right fairing with holes drilled around the turn signals. Why I don't know.


Also both of the inner fairings had dremeled holes in them. Anyone know why?



I don't think the left clip on is supposed to come this close to the tank. But hopefully it is just because of the messed up clip on. Otherwise I may have more serious issues.


The tank, tail and right fairings all have some light scratches in them that I think will buff out alright. And the right fork seal is leaking a little. I'm going to try the feeler gauge trick before I rebuild the forks.

So far I have ordered A right mirror, Left fairing, Left clip on with all the stuff on it, a left foot peg (it was broken off) some of which came from the classified section here (thanks!) Still need to get a left muffler and possibly a right clip on since the one I ordered is from a 98(there seems to be a lot of 98s here) and I've heard they are different than the later ones. Figured I would wait for the other one to get here and then worry about it. And I'm still waiting for the PO to find the key so I can start taking the carbs off. Probably have to replace the battery as well.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Or for looking at the pictures whichever is easier for you.

And A gratuitous shot of my other bike just because. Not sure if this is blasphemy or not.

lazn

Nice, are you going to plastic weld the fairing back together? It is certainly repairable. (just use a low wattage soldering iron and ABS plastic as filler material)

98's are the most common year, more were made that year than any other. There isn't much difference between the years though. bigger cams in 98, then the next change was in 2001 with new gauges and a fuel gauge added.

inderocker

First, nice Concourse... as I'm sure you know, they are tons of fun to ride. Second, go down to you local motorcycle dealer and pick up some S100 Engine Brightener. Spray that on everything that is black, let it sit for half an hour then wipe it off. It makes dingy sun rotted black parts almost new again. Good luck with the rebuild and welcome to the forum!

Kazairl

I considered it. I found a red one on ebay that was in pretty good shape so I bought that one. I may repair this one in my spare time. Either way I would have to get it repainted. Don't want no red parts slowing me down.

Thanks for the tip.

Wicky

Drilled holes in fairing are done to stop cracks spreading. The dremmeling on the inner panels were possibly done to aid fitting of the new aftermarket indicators or the old stalk indicators punched through.

A good worthwhile project that if you can get the parts cheaply and with your TLC will enable the VTR to live again.

Kazairl

So I got my new Clip on yesterday and put it on today(thanks to noredlights). The clearance is still the same. With my hands around the grip there is barely enough room between the tank and the grip for my thumb. If fits and doesn't pinch but there isn't much extra. On the right side I have lots of room. Any suggestions? I'm wondering if the top Triple clamp is bent.

inderocker

Check to see if the steering stops are damaged.

Hawkrider

Check to make sure the forks aren't bent. It will require their removal to do this effectively. Put the lowers in a vice and rotate the upper (male) tube. Any deflection at the top will indicate a bend. If there's no bends, and you put it all back together and things still seem crooked then there's a chance your triple clamp is bent.

Kazairl

For whatever reason I never even thought of the steering stops. The one on the frame has a barely felt indentation that could possibly be part of the problem. I'm going to pull the forks to double check any ways.

Kazairl

Ok One More Question. The PO cannot find the key! I work with the guy and know him pretty well so when I went to pick it up and he told me he couldn't find it I just brushed it off. Figured he would find it sooner or later. It's been almost 2 weeks and I am really wanting to get the seat off so I can pull the carbs and most likely the battery too. Is there any way I can get another key from the dealer by giving them the Vin number? Is there a key code on the bike somewhere that I can use?

inderocker

A qualified locksmith can make you a key using the code stamped on the ignition. I get them done all the time, usually cost's about $35



The forks could also be twisted in the clamps. Sit on the bike and point the front wheel straight ahead. If the forks are twisted then the triple will be turned to one side or the other. This is remedied by placing the front end in the air, then loosen the triple clamp bolts, put the front wheel between your knees then twist the bars. Re-torque the triple clamp bolts and recheck for straightness. If you can't get them straight that way then they are most likely bent... but judging by the damage to the bike I kind of doubt that.

Kazairl

If all else fails use the search!

Looks like I have to take the front triple loose anyways. Might as well take it completely off and find a Locksmith on Monday.

8541Hawk

While your waiting, this thread shows how to get the seat off without the key : https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...71/#post310308

which should give you something to do.....

8541Hawk

Kazairl

Thank you very much guys.

Kazairl

FYI this method doesn't work worth a crap on my 2003. The latch is designed different.