Why do some Hawk engines have red letters on the case and some don't?
I have 2 of them that were purchased at the same time at the same dealer. One has the name Hawk on the case in red and the other is all black.
sometimes dealers do that
I've worked at a few MC dealerships.
Sometimes the dealership with work with a contract painter who would do things like add accents to the gas tank or paint a caliper on a bike to differentiate it. This was pretty common.
Occasionally they would do a custom pain job for the whole bike and of course sell it for a bit more.
This is possibility in your case. I can't think of another scenario. I can't see them doing this and having two colors during the manufacturing process. Honda doesn't work that way. It's same, same as much as possible and cost reductions during manufacturing rather than cost additions. Especially post financial collapse from 2008 and on.