Hawg Ty

[HawgTyBubba]

Hello Everyone. Just bought a Hawg Ty for my son for Christmas. It runs and drives great, but just needs cosmetic work. I figured we could work on it together and teach him some things and to paint and clean it up.. The VIN says it's a 2004 with a 5.5hp engine. I noticed that there are not many around anymore. Were these pretty decent bikes back in the day? I was just wondering why there are so few out there now. Do you mind send pics of your Hawg Ty bikes for ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

[Charles S]

Hello and welcome!

Hawg Tys do seem to be rather scarce. Browse @Rapidrob 's posts, he gives his Hawg Ty some serious workouts.

https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/index.php?search/245045/&q=hawg+ty&c[title_only]=1&o=date

 

[PatrickCraik]

Chinese? Throw away stuff. There's a reason so many "Oldminibikes" (hence the site name) are still around. The basic components were well made. I've read about how great the Predator engines are, but lets face it,if they cost the same as an old flat head Tech.or Briggs, nobody would have ever heard of them,they are just cheap and I doubt many made today will be around @ the end of the decade. The engines and clutches on the chinese minis are junk, more often than not. I know of 3 in my neighborhood that didn't last a week,one didnt last a day. The little guy and Dad came out for a Christmas day ride and the clutch bound up,stalling the engine. Brand new! Took the fun out of that surprise under the tree. No secret why you cant find any info on yours,they're probably all scrap by now. Buy a vintage American Made mini and make it a father an son project worthwhile. Plenty out there for sale. BTW,I dont care if I've offended somebody here,this is a site for oldminibikes and not chinese junk.

 

[pomfish]

First off, Welcome HawgTyBubba to OldMiniBikes!

A friend of mine had one of these bikes and it preformed very well, please ignore the haters.
They cost a lot more than the standard Baja's back in the day and did not have wide distribution so not as many were sold.
OldMiniBikes has a Baja section that may be helpful as those bikes share some features so be sure to check that out.

Hopefully Rapidrob will post some pics and suggestions soon.
Thanks,
Keith

 

[Rapidrob]

I have posted many photos here of My Hawg Ty and really enjoy my bike. I have never had a part brake or fail me in the "sticks". All factory welds are as strong as the day the bike was made.
I have modified my bike to carry my 200 pounds up steep Mule Deer trails as well as maintained dirt and paved roads.
I have many "Old" minis dating back to 1948 and up to 2009. While I enjoy riding them as well, I have no qualms about riding a 500 dollar Hawg Ty really hard in my mountains.
Riding a 2,000 dollar mini with no parts available as hard as I ride my bikes prevents me from spending more time on them than I'd like to.


I have added for the type of riding I do ( at least 25 miles a week in the mountains) the following:
Engine alternator
Inverter / Regulator AC to DC and battery charger)
Battery pack ( ten amp hour)
Battery switch
LED Head Light
Flashing ( when brake on ) Red brake lights
Brake light switch
Converted from chain primary drive to TAV belt drive to the main chain drive. This adds a lot more speed and better "gear ratio" to climb steep grades.
Heavy Duty kick stand ( while the original looks "cool" it was far too short allowing the bike to fall over in the slightest wind.
Front and rear racks to carry emergency stuff and drinking water.
I keep trip logs of my rides ( many photos here) and mileage to keep track of times to change oil and service the bike. I have 800 miles on the bike in the last two years. I got the bike new in 2009 I think and rode it for a few miles and put it into the garage for many years as I was really into early Trail scooters/minis and had no extra time due to work.
I run my Flat-proofed Kenda tires at 4 PSI. The ride is really nice and I have never had a flat or a tire spin on the rim.
I'm sure you will have hours of fun on your bike. If you need another for your family the Colman CT200 woks well and it too can be really updated for your needs.
If you have questions or help with repairs / upgrades please feel free to contact me.
Rob.

 

[Tom S.]

Welcome. @HawgTyBubba, this is a great site.

 

[Charles S]

Chinese? Throw away stuff. There's a reason so many "Oldminibikes" (hence the site name) are still around. The basic components were well made. I've read about how great the Predator engines are, but lets face it,if they cost the same as an old flat head Tech.or Briggs, nobody would have ever heard of them,they are just cheap and I doubt many made today will be around @ the end of the decade. The engines and clutches on the chinese minis are junk, more often than not. I know of 3 in my neighborhood that didn't last a week,one didnt last a day. The little guy and Dad came out for a Christmas day ride and the clutch bound up,stalling the engine. Brand new! Took the fun out of that surprise under the tree. No secret why you cant find any info on yours,they're probably all scrap by now. Buy a vintage American Made mini and make it a father an son project worthwhile. Plenty out there for sale. BTW,I dont care if I've offended somebody here,this is a site for oldminibikes and not chinese junk.

"And if minibikes.com was available? Yeah, I'd have bought that instead. This is what I got. And fortunately, a domain name does not determine ALL content on a website." - Hent ( @Hent )
https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/oldminibikes.12948/page-5#post-85252

Yeah, get rid of all your Chinese junk. Start with your electronics: phones, computers, tablets, modems, routers, TVs, audio equipment, etc. Rip the electronic parts out of your cars, trucks, motorcycles (If you have a Harley-Davidson, scrap the frame, H-D has used Chinese steel for many years). Get rid of your appliances, tools, shoes, clothing...

Baby steps... just toss your phones, computers and tablets for now, you know, anything that provides you with internet access.

FYI: Vintage minibikes are not plentiful everywhere, they're pretty much nonexistent in my area (SE VA, search the Norfolk CL and you'll see). I've checked the Norfolk CL every day for about 3 years (searching minibike and mini bike in all categories) and probably haven't seen a dozen that were within 100 miles; 3 Rupps: $2k (a big wheel model, which I don't like), $3k (a total rust-bucket), $5.8k (nicely restored Roadster), 1 Sears Roper for $850 (I considered it), 1 Fox Campus for $500 (decent deal but didn't interest me), a pair of CAPCO Jeep Cycles (package deal, don't remember price), 1 Heald SB VT-8 for $1k, that's all I remember. There's eBay, but if you find a vintage bike at a reasonable price, the seller either won't ship it or wants a fortune to ship (I've seen $600 shipping recently!). Any decent pick up deals I've seen on eBay have been at least several hundred miles away. I recently lucked out and got a great BIN deal on a nice Rupp Roadster frame with swingarm on eBay with very reasonable shipping from SD. I bought my first minibike in March of 2017, at the age of 63. After a lot of searching eBay and CL, I ordered a new Coleman CT100U from Walmart for $299 w/ free shipping. Not knowing how committed I would be, I didn't want to pay a lot of money for a vintage bike then spend hundreds more fixing it up for my first minibike. I bought a second CT100U last year because I wanted a highly modified one (stretched, etc.) and a simpler one. Now, I also have the Rupp frame for a project. I imagine a lot of members who are heavily into vintage minibikes have had a Baja DB (the gateway drug to minibike addiction, from what I've seen), or other Chinese bike, at one time; gotta start somewhere. Comments like yours have ran off new members before they spent enough time on here to find out most members are good, friendly folks.

$3,000 Rupp
https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/rupp.153455/

$5,800 Rupp
https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/rupp-roadster-in-richmond-va.166001/

Would you pay such prices?

 

[DaddyJohn]

I have to wholeheartedly agree with Charles S on all points.

Vintage minibikes and Chinese minibikes don't have to be exclusive of each other, and each can appeal to people in different ways.

In fact, I'd say Chinese minibikes now embody the spirit that vintage minibikes possessed in their day. Cheap and fun amusement devices that can be modified, experimented on, learned with, and generally ridden around with reckless abandon. Not happening on what's now $1000+ collectibles...

Vintage minis, on the other hand, seem to have their ownership and valuation driven by nostalgia. Most younger folks in the hobby can't have true nostalgia for experiences they never had, so may not value old minis in the same way. That's not to say they couldn't appreciate them, but not on the same emotional level... As a matter in fact, and I may be wrong, but I'd guess fervent interest in vintage minis will probably decline over time as nostalgic Boomers "leave the scene".

That all brings me back to a conundrum I've experienced on the vintage motorcycle scene; at which point does a bike become vintage? Is it 25 years old, etc? Is it driven by the presence or absence of certain technological elements? I guess Chinese minibikes will always be Chinese, but they will certainly become old. Will that make them vintage at some point? Some will survive in greater or lesser numbers, or in greater or lesser levels of originality... How will they then be valued by the generation currently enjoying them?

Interesting questions.

 

[O.J.Didit]

Pretty sure that something that is current production cannot be considered old or for that matter vintage.

O.J.

 

[DaddyJohn]

That's like saying something vintage can't be considered current production.

 

[Charles S]

What is currently in production? Just Coleman, Trailmaster and Taco (a boutique brand) are all I can think of...

 

[O.J.Didit]

Clones...currently in production and nothing old or vintage about em.

O.J.

 

[DaddyJohn]

But imagine, if you will... Things growing old through the passage of time. The year is 2055, and a 50-something year old man grows nostalgic about the DB30 he had when he was a kid. Also, gas is $30/gal and we’re probably dead, lol...

 

[bigkid]

Vintage and Chinese bikes each have their place.

Hey RapidRob how's that seat work out for ya? Is it comfortable? I'm thinking of using something similar on my mini.

 

[Rapidrob]

It is very comfortable. I found out the coil springs are a common size and you can swap them out for even a heavier duty set if need be.

 

[HawgTyBubba]

I have posted many photos here of My Hawg Ty and really enjoy my bike. I have never had a part brake or fail me in the "sticks". All factory welds are as strong as the day the bike was made.
I have modified my bike to carry my 200 pounds up steep Mule Deer trails as well as maintained dirt and paved roads.
I have many "Old" minis dating back to 1948 and up to 2009. While I enjoy riding them as well, I have no qualms about riding a 500 dollar Hawg Ty really hard in my mountains.
Riding a 2,000 dollar mini with no parts available as hard as I ride my bikes prevents me from spending more time on them than I'd like to.
View attachment 254968

I have added for the type of riding I do ( at least 25 miles a week in the mountains) the following:
Engine alternator
Inverter / Regulator AC to DC and battery charger)
Battery pack ( ten amp hour)
Battery switch
LED Head Light
Flashing ( when brake on ) Red brake lights
Brake light switch
Converted from chain primary drive to TAV belt drive to the main chain drive. This adds a lot more speed and better "gear ratio" to climb steep grades.
Heavy Duty kick stand ( while the original looks "cool" it was far too short allowing the bike to fall over in the slightest wind.
Front and rear racks to carry emergency stuff and drinking water.
I keep trip logs of my rides ( many photos here) and mileage to keep track of times to change oil and service the bike. I have 800 miles on the bike in the last two years. I got the bike new in 2009 I think and rode it for a few miles and put it into the garage for many years as I was really into early Trail scooters/minis and had no extra time due to work.
I run my Flat-proofed Kenda tires at 4 PSI. The ride is really nice and I have never had a flat or a tire spin on the rim.
I'm sure you will have hours of fun on your bike. If you need another for your family the Colman CT200 woks well and it too can be really updated for your needs.
If you have questions or help with repairs / upgrades please feel free to contact me.
Rob.

beautiful bike

 

[SCooke123]

Have you and your son made any progress yet on your bike?

 

[old shed finds]

Chinese? Throw away stuff. There's a reason so many "Oldminibikes" (hence the site name) are still around. The basic components were well made. I've read about how great the Predator engines are, but lets face it,if they cost the same as an old flat head Tech.or Briggs, nobody would have ever heard of them,they are just cheap and I doubt many made today will be around @ the end of the decade. The engines and clutches on the chinese minis are junk, more often than not. I know of 3 in my neighborhood that didn't last a week,one didnt last a day. The little guy and Dad came out for a Christmas day ride and the clutch bound up,stalling the engine. Brand new! Took the fun out of that surprise under the tree. No secret why you cant find any info on yours,they're probably all scrap by now. Buy a vintage American Made mini and make it a father an son project worthwhile. Plenty out there for sale. BTW,I dont care if I've offended somebody here,this is a site for oldminibikes and not chinese junk.

Hey ... What's wrong about a bike that's a piece of shit brand new and falls apart???? Oh nevermind we already know with our Coleman CT2000...

 

[Baja blast]

Chinese? Throw away stuff. There's a reason so many "Oldminibikes" (hence the site name) are still around. The basic components were well made. I've read about how great the Predator engines are, but lets face it,if they cost the same as an old flat head Tech.or Briggs, nobody would have ever heard of them,they are just cheap and I doubt many made today will be around @ the end of the decade. The engines and clutches on the chinese minis are junk, more often than not. I know of 3 in my neighborhood that didn't last a week,one didnt last a day. The little guy and Dad came out for a Christmas day ride and the clutch bound up,stalling the engine. Brand new! Took the fun out of that surprise under the tree. No secret why you cant find any info on yours,they're probably all scrap by now. Buy a vintage American Made mini and make it a father a son project worthwhile. Plenty out there for sale. BTW,I dont care if I've offended

Chinese? Throw away stuff. There's a reason so many "Oldminibikes" (hence the site name) are still around. The basic components were well made. I've read about how great the Predator engines are, but lets face it,if they cost the same as an old flat head Tech.or Briggs, nobody would have ever heard of them,they are just cheap and I doubt many made today will be around @ the end of the decade. The engines and clutches on the chinese minis are junk, more often than not. I know of 3 in my neighborhood that didn't last a week,one didnt last a day. The little guy and Dad came out for a Christmas day ride and the clutch bound up,stalling the engine. Brand new! Took the fun out of that surprise under the tree. No secret why you cant find any info on yours,they're probably all scrap by now. Buy a vintage American Made mini and make it a father an son project worthwhile. Plenty out there for sale. BTW,I dont care if I've offended somebody here,this is a site for oldminibikes and not chinese junk.

the Chinese mini bikes are fine they are just as well made as the American ones. it’s the engine you put in em the frames are fine and in the end they use the same engines plus there are tons of American bikes that have parts that come from China. a old mini bike is an old mini bike if this website was just for American ones it would be in the title.