Center stand cross member...should it stay or should it go?

[TJStoner]

Just wondering if this was a neccessary crossmember o nthe ole hawk....can it be cut out without turning the hawk into a noodle?

[jaysun0ne]

coming from me this is complete speculation but i would say the tabs for the center stand could go but the cross member needs to be there. if you did cut it, i guess that you would be taking stress load and moving to the engine. if its some thing your willing to try i dont think it would last very long. never have come across the subject before on the net but the thought has crossed my mind before. what if? has im thinking about it if you look at the inside of the frame there is alot of webing. i got my frame bare right now i will take some pics tomarrow and show you. if you have never seen its hard to see with swing arm in the way

[TJStoner]

yeah, i had mine to the bare frame for powder coating...i was wondering because i could free up a whole heckuva lot of space for my undertail exhaust if that thing was not there, i could just cut it out and CNC a new crossmember that was kind of an arc rolling up to give me more clearance down low.....hmmm? not a hard venture at all....

What would the Hord say?

[Crash]

I know of a hawk frame that was raced (very successfully) with the lower portion of the frame (cradle) removed. It had been cut off right where the side plates angle under. I always thought that it looked iffy (especially when you look at how much aluminum Honda used in making the lower cradle) without it seemed to be fine. The owner who's opinion I respect claimed that it did not effect the overall ride or feel of the bike (and it was making pretty bike power at least in the 70's). The real upside is that the chain no longer has anything to rub on. I may have some pictures of it. As a matter of fact I think I have the frame around here somewhere since it could not be put back on the street for lack of title and no kickstand provisions.

[a13x]

Crash you are from New England huh?

Erik Madsen has told me he cut this off his old RaceHawk back in the day. Also told me the Hawk weight 298lbs and made 90'ish HP and would pull even with I4 600's (mid 90's) tit for tat down the straights.

Apparently the cut out cross member allowed the frame to flex a bit more and would provide more/better traction on the rear wheel.

I do know Madsen beat Jerry Wood (on his sick Supermono) on his uberHawk.. and that's nothing to sneeze at.


All that said, my crossmember is staying put, thank you very much.

[Crash]

Yup I'm from New Engalnd, just like my bio states. My cross member is staying where it is also. As a matter of fact I hope all my members stay intact.

As a matter of fact Erik won the an AMA Grand National Championship on that Hawk. Then he went on the finish 2nd in the country last year in SCCA E Production Runoffs at MidOhio in his Porsche 914/6. He is pretty talented.

[jaysun0ne]

heres the picture i promised
has anyone ever seen it done (sounds like a myth everyone knows someone that knows someone...)
hum how far from the main pivot was the cuts???



well thats pretty small
ok better

[Doc]

Yup I'm from New Engalnd, just like my bio states. My cross member is staying where it is also. As a matter of fact I hope all my members stay intact.

As a matter of fact Erik won the an AMA Grand National Championship on that Hawk. Then he went on the finish 2nd in the country last year in SCCA E Production Runoffs at MidOhio in his Porsche 914/6. He is pretty talented.

Where in New England Crash? Have I asked you about this before? Are we going to see you at NHIS?

[a13x]

As a matter of fact Erik won the an AMA Grand National Championship on that Hawk. Then he went on the finish 2nd in the country last year in SCCA E Production Runoffs at MidOhio in his Porsche 914/6. He is pretty talented.

Yup. I saw that race on TV (the SCCA Runoffs) the fistpumping was funny.

Madsen did the suspension work on my raceHawk. Real character that guy

[Crash]

Hey Jaysunone:

It is not a myth (as you say "knows someone who knows someone").

It was done and raced successfully. And as stated before I have the frame to prove it (although I never personally raced it). It was cut off just below where the rearsets mount. I seriously doubt that it improves handling but apparently it doesn't hurt handling and again it eliminates chain rub/slap.

[boxer]

looking at how many other points the frame is bolted to the engine i don't think being without this crossmember will hurt handling or the structural safety of the bike..
who knows it may have been placed just for the purpose of having a centerstand

[a13x]

My M4 exhaust is mounted to mine.. so another reason it's staying.

[Thors Hammer]

dETAILS

Details:

Okay, I cut the lower cradle off for two reasons, I wanted to lighten the hawk as much as possible. I did not want the chain the rub any longer (never was a fan of the roller). What I found: The rear grip did indeed improve for my set up with this mod. I dod save 2 lbs, 2lbs 5 oz if memory serves.

As for the 1997 AMA sports race, I did beat Jerry Woods Ducati Supermonofor the win. Most of my friends still bust my balls for it, although I am not sure why???? The bike did indeed weigh 298 on the scales at NHIS. I never had the 90 hp engine when I raced in 1997. I had a 76-78 hp motor, but it had a pretty broad torque curve.

I have since parted the racebike out and moved on to cars. I was surprised to have finished 2nd at the SCCA Runoffs in 2005, but VERY VERY happy to have it work that way.

I still do some Hawk work for my friends, but haven't built any serious stuff in a long while. It is possible to build a 90 hp Hawk Motor that will live. The typical mods won't get you there. Thats about it for now. Hope to be a contributor more often.

Erik Madsen

Post Script: Crash is probably Charles C, since his "your motorcycle is BORING" tag is apparent. This comes from a decal that came in my performance bikes mag that said :Your car is boring", which was on the chassis I gave him years ago, and it does have the cradle cut out of it.