mr2lickit

Hey guys I wanted to make some more power on the hawk. I was wondering what are some good solid mods ( I don't want any sort FI or nitrous).

I currently have it jetted,and slip on D&D exhaust (sounds so mean haha ) as far as engine mods go.

It was dyno'd at 100hp to the wheel.

I was thinking of getting a full exhaust and maybe some sort of engine managment system? any recomendations?

Oh and would any rc51 parts work on the hawk?

I wanted to keep the engine rather stock, unless someone can suggest a good power gainer.

thanks

EngineNoO9

we have carbs, there's no engine management, just jets. rc51 parts don't work.

SillyHawk

what about dropping a tooth on the countershaft sprocket...wont be actual Hp but it will feel like a few extra ponies!! plus its one of the easier less expensive mods

superhawk22

They do make that Flo-commander thing but I don't know if it really adds any hp. Really the only thing you can do is get it tuned by a pro on a dyno or get into the engine, to "feel" the power more you can do gearing changes.

mr2lickit

Ok feel dumb about the engine management thing, and the flow-commander seems interesting. I just read the tread on it, and it seems like a decent mod for the $$$$. I didn't realize this bike is so hard and pricey to gain a few hp. I luv it either way, to much fun to let go. I guess I'll be doing more cosmetics, and possibly the full exhaust.

Hawkrider

Unfortunately (and fortunately in a strange sense) Honda did a good job designing the thing. Although a full system can gain you a few more HP over slip-ons, slip-ons and some time with a Dremel to the inside of the right header exit will help some too. A K&N filter and jet kit with some dyno time is probably less than buying a Power Commander. Factory Pro makes a +4° ignition advancer that will gain you another hp and better throttle response. A good carb sync and TPS adjustment might gain you another hp. Overall, without internal engine mods you can pick up about 10hp. Some high comp pistons, cams, and valve springs will probably cost you upwards of $1500, NOT including installation and after-tuning. All in all, it's cheaper to buy a fast bike than to make a slow bike fast. The VTR is relatively inexpensive, reliable, has character, and is fast enough for the street to wheelie at will and get you tickets (or worse). What more can you ask for?

bluesman

Or you can try these guys

No replacement for displacement - 1120 cc with 136 rw hp and 119 Nm torque. RSV-R owners nerviously smoking in far corner....

http://www.thiel-motoren.de/tuning.html

But I guess it is not cheap.

RCVTR

This will be cheaper than doing it yourself and way cheaper than having it done.

I haven't had any bites on my engine, mostly because I haven't done much marketing, but I have been thinking about selling the kit parts for somebody's engine project.

Here's what I have:

Ported heads with oversize valves and a good valve job, decked .010".

Moriwaki Stage 1 cams (to go with the heads, but I might sell them separately).

JE Pistons. ~12:1 compression ratio with decked heads.

Lightened flywheel.

A full exhaust system will also help. It made a very dramatic improvement over slip-ons with a stage 1 engine. But I also had an HRC ignition to get the advance right with the high-compression, high-flow engine. sorry, those parts are already gone.

I'm getting ready to put all of this stuff up, so stay tuned.

killer5280

Now you put all this stuff up here. Right when I'm in the middle of my piston/ported head swap. I must have missed it before.
How much power did you get with the various mods?

bob_brown

Dibs on RCTVR's "for sale" parts! Check your pm's RCTVR!

superhawk22

I don't know Bob, I've been asking about them for months now.

RCVTR

Lots of people asking. Not many buying.
I still have your steering damper and brackets. Well, they're not really yours, because all you've done is ask about them...

superhawk22

Never said they were mine ......but you never gave me a price on the engine mods either. As I told Bob just been straped for cash trying to sell bits and pieces to get stuff. I did end up getting the fairing through cnidawg though...nice.

RCVTR

No problem.
I've got all this stuff in my garage. somebody needs to pick it up and make it go again.

I can tell you that $1200 for the complete engine is the best way to go. Anything else is going to cost more money. It is by far the cheapest HP/$ possible.

bob_brown

$1200's not too bad of a deal for what I'm looking to do. Check your pm's again RCVTR.

superhawk22

Too rich for my blood right now Bob,(unless I sell my house tomorrow ) so if you got the scratch go for it! Should be a blast to ride.

Hawk 996

Not new to the hawk, Ive had my 2000 Hawk for a little over a year now, and cant get enough of it, but im also looking for more power...who isn't? Ive done my research and i know the VTR 1000 SP1 is a 996 engine making 136hp.

So, im betting with the right engine mods i could get the same out of a superhawk. My question is where are you guys getting these high compression pistons, cams, and such? Im figuring the ported heads just go to a good head shop, but what about the rest of the items? Is there some place i havent found yet?

Any info would be great

Thanks

JamieDaugherty

Contact Wiesco or Arias for high compression pistons. That's the first thing anyone should consider in an engine build-up. The VTR especially needs more compression, I think 11:1 is not out of the question for a street engine. Ported heads are also a great idea. A set of cams to top it off would make a nice package!

bloney

Hi guys - nothing very constructive to add, I'm afraid, but I thought the SP1 engine was quite different with gear driven cams and stuff.

Also (and this is a genuine clever - not trying to be a smart ****!) if you want 130+bhp, why not just get an SP1 and have the better suspension etc too, for probably less money?

PS - I have a Firestorm (uk version of superhawk) and love it - not knowcking it at all, but it struck me that if I was to want much more power (the thought has crossed my mind!) I'd be better off getting an SP1. Wouldn't be as practical for the commute, I guess.

Bloney

Hawk 996

Im of the theory that you play with what you got

Im not sure how different the engine of the SP1 & hawk are, but im betting with the right mods i could match 130hp.

Thanks for the info on the pistons, and idea on where to get a good set of cams?

woozer996

Right now in the SF Bay Area, Superhawks are going for $4000-5000 and comparable RC51s are going for $7500-8000 or so. You could so very easily spend the $3K difference on parts and labor to do suspension and brakes and motor mods to a Hawk, so if big horsepower is what you're after, why not just sell your Hawk and buy an RC51?

Hawk 996

Always a thought...but thats the easy and less fun route, i personally like the idea of a reasonably high horsepower hawk, its something different...

bluesman

Theres is a company in UK called Revolution Racing. Roger - man there - is Superhawk "god", he was is and probably will be best known tuner for Superhawks. Revolution Racing race-prepped VTRs and their Anniversary Edition road VTRs easily make 130 bhp without sacrifices in reliability or durability or streetworthiness.
Roger's top versions of VTR making 150 rear-wheel bhp in normal road-going bike.

So - yes, it is possible. But centrifugal supercharger will cost you less I think.

bluesman

You SO right!

This is why I bought myself a turbo from small car and playing with planning to either make it turbocharged (easier) or supercharged (preferred but harder). Practical info is that Australian supercharged Storm easily beats R1 all way up to 200 kmph, after 200 R1 gets away, but who cares

Hawkrider

Anything over 125hp on this motor and you will require special frame modifications to take the stress off the engine mounts. Back when they developed this motor for a race bike, they had some stress cracking at the rear swingarm mount I believe because of the increased internal stresses put on the engine cases.

Oh, and I had an RC51. With Sato pipes (the best) and special ram air intake, airbox, and soft rev limiter mod you would see 136 hp. Generally they made about 118 stock but responded VERY well to mods. This bike had to. It's the way Honda designed it, because it was a race bike. The VTR was never built to be a race bike. It's a street bike. Hell, most insurance companies now consider it a sport tourer! It doesn't respond as well to mods, and also is not fuel injected, which is a huge setback in the performance department. Larger carbs are an option but I've never seen or heard of a VTR with aftermarket carbs.

If you wanna racebike, get a racebike. You have a streetbike. It's going to be a LOT of work to get it to the next level. That's why I have a 1000RR and still have the S'Hawk. They have different personalities and different qualities. I actually take the 'Hawk down to the Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts and use the RR for more spirited rides. Though if I'm going for a long spirited ride then I take the 'Hawk.

I don't want to talk you out of trying to make your bike better, but you have to face reality and see the bike for what it really is. I've probably logged over 1000 track miles on the VTR (from beginner all the way to Advanced class). I know how and where it reaches its limit. It's about on par with a CBR600F3, honestly, with a frame that isn't quite as rigid, and it MIGHT keep up with the best of the SV650 race bikes out there.

Good luck with your efforts. Keep us posted on results. I recommend you get a baseline dyno done and have the bike weighed. Then start adding power and losing weight. Remember, ever 5 lbs = 1 hp.

Oh, and don't forget the suspension is just as important as power, as are brakes, and rider ability, and .........

Hawk 996

I may not agree with all of your points but i most deffinitley respect the way you present your point of view.
Id like a quick retort, i dont have a racebike, nor do i particularly want a race bike, i have a street bike, id just like a little more go when i twist the throttle.

The idea of me modding my bike is just something ive been throwing around for a while (currently its bone stock) I know there are many bikes that are going to hand me my *** but im not too worried about that, I know in the long run it would prolly be cheaper and id get better performance out of an RC51, but i dont have the cash to plop down on an RC51 (or i probablly would) and im trying to stay out of debt for a while.

I could go by a CBR 929RR For about 4 grand right now, but its not what i have, nor what i want right now.
So im sticking to tinkering with my hawk, thanks for all the warning, and all the advice, i will keep everyone updated on the progress, but it might be a while before we have any significant changes...

RCVTR

I had a heavily modified engine and here's what I learned.

I tore the engine down after my crash as I mentioned earlier. I was taking the rings off the pistons for cleaning and reassembly. One of the rings was pinched in the ring groove. Upon closer inspection, the engine had detonated. The pressure on the top ring casued it to bend the ring land downward and pinche the second compression ring to the point where it can't be removed. I then looked at the bore and the trapped ring had scored the bore. You can barely feel it but it's enough that the block will have to be bored to be used.

I live in the mountains and had done most of my riding at high altitude. I took a couple trips at sea level and got good gas and everything was fine.

My last tank of gas was aparently crappy. I never heard any detonation, but grenaded my motor nonetheless.

The VTR and other big twins make their power at relatively low RPM, so they run fairly mild cam timing compared to a high-rpm i4 engine. Therefore the cylinder pressures get very high. So you have to be careful with how much compression to run. I was at 12-12.5:1 with JE pistons and decked heads. I knew and had been told that I was running at the edge for cylinder pressures. I ran race gas at the track because I'd had some detonation running in the sweet spot an the cams and maximum ignition advance. I though I had it taken care of when I tore down over the winter and filed off some sharp corners on the piston valve pockets. But as I found out, it wasn't enough when I got a tank of bad fuel.

You'll get more out of improving head flow with porting and cams, than you will with increased compression. Don't go overboard on compression with a street engine.

My experienced .02

RC

RCVTR

Oh, and Hawk 996, I rode a 929RR on the street and couldn't wait to get off of it. My friend didn't want to give my bike back.

Hawk 996

Thanks for that tip! I actually wasnt thinking much over 11-11.5:1

But i think i will deffinitley try cams and head porting first.

What was it about the 929 you didnt like? I find them rather comfortable, in comparison to the hawk, lots of *****, (a bit of a wheelie monster) Although my rides on 929's have been rather short.

killer5280

Same here. A buddy of mine had one a few years back and I was not impressed. I found it uncomfortable and gutless down low compared to the Super Hawk, but, of course, faster up top. I didn't spend enough time on it to see if I liked the handling, but my first impression was underwhelming.