Hey guys,

As I promised, I finally was able to take a long hard ride on the SH this weekend and gather enough of an impression to be able to give a comparison with the TL-S I had a few years back. This may not be the best comparison in the world, as its been a few years since I've thrown a leg over the TL, but hey, we want the SHawk to look better anyway right?

So, It was a beautiful day yesterday, and I finaggled a day of free time from house duties and decided to set out on an extended test ride. I went with my good buddy on his Turbo'd DRZ400SM. We did the freeway slog down I-5 from Seattle, through Tacoma and onto highway 16 over to Bremerton...then Highway 3 up to Belfair. The Superhawk seems quite happy at freeway speeds, humming along at around 75 or so. I changed the gearing to 15/43 the other day, so its a bit more "awake" at those speeds, but I didn't feel like it was frenzied at all, so it works. As some have said on this board, thats the gearing the bike should have come with at the factory. Probably the liability lawyers got ahold of it, and wanted to keep people from looping it in first gear. Or more likely, to get it to pass sound tests. In any case, as compared to the TL-S the gearing (stock) is similar. If anything, first gear felt even taller on the TL-S and required a fair amount of slippage to get away from the line smartly. As near as I can figure, I got somewhere around 37-38mpg, while doing some heavy floggin on the SHawk, and some freeway work, and then a spirited ride up around Hood Canal up Highway 101. I don't recall what kind of mileage the TL got, but I don't remember it being stellar either. Not a strong suit on either bike really, though with stock gearing, I would think the hawk can get into the low 40's at a reasonable freeway clip. Of course who wants to ride it like that?

Once we got into Belfair, Ryan and I took some back roads winding up through the woods and around a couple of small lakes. Awesome roads...very twisty and lots of decent elevation change. Only real concerns is that some of it is chip-cote and with gravel shoulders, a lot of the corners required mid corner line changes due to gravel being scattered across the pavement. Not fair to compare the SH to the DRZ-SM, as that thing steers so quick and requires so much less steering input from the rider, that he can flat out disappear from me if he is really trying. Not a shock though, and I was trying to learn to cope with the crazy engine braking the SuperHawk has, combined with very good throttle response. Keeping a smooth throttle hand was the order of the day, to keep from feeling like I was on a rocking horse. From what I recall, this is similar to the TL, but it had taller gearing. What was worse about the TL, was that the fuel injection, was an early iteration, and had pretty abrupt low speed manners, that weren't always consistant. It could be a jerky ride.
The SHawk does that too, but its a lot easier to modulate. The throttle on the TL was an on/off switch really at low speed. This, coupled with the low clip ons and the higher seat height, conspired to make it a lot more cumbersome in the tight stuff. Not as confidence inspiring.

The brakes on the TL were pretty stout, and I really didn't have a complaint there. I have heard a lot of mention of the brakes on the SHawk not being the greatest, but I have to say, with the green EBC pads and the Brembo iron rotors that the P.O. had put on there, they seem pretty darn good to me. Especially after the brembos get a little heat into them. Goes to show how important the rotor/ pad combo is in the whole equation. Decent power and excellent control.

The TL has a split function rear suspension, with the spring and Damper separate; the damper being a rotary vane in a fluid style damper. I always thought that it worked pretty well, but the magazines and racers panned it for getting overheated on the track. I never took it to the track so I can't really comment on that. The fork was good as I recall, but again, I never felt totally confident on that bike, and due to comfort issues with my hip, didn't ride it as much as I should have. The redone forks on my SHawk are great, and with the Ohlins rear shock, the suspension just plain works. I am sure it could be more plush, as I know the P.O. was FAST on this bike, and didn't have it setup for street comfort. So I may back some preload out. I might not though...its setup pretty well.

And now...onto the Power. I think in the grunt department, they are both pretty darn close. With the revised 15/43 gearing, the upper hand goes to the SHawk. The midrange and top end rip of that Suzuki was hard to match though, and I don't think the Honda quite does. Its not off by much though, and with the grunt down low, I just keep grabbing gears.

Comfort-wise, its not even close. The Honda wins hands down. Even with Heli-bars and a corbin, I still found the TL to be a torture rack for my knees and wrists. My right wrist bothered me a little bit and I could feel a little achey-ness in my right hip by the end of the day, but that was after about 350 miles. Any bike starts to hurt me by then, including my more neutral positioned Bandit.

Looks wise...well...
Thats subjective. The TL looks meaner in my book and I really liked the Forest Green with the gold wheels and the USD fork. It was a sharp bike. The SHawk looks awesome in that Blue-based Honda red. I love the exhaust that the P.O. put on it, and the bling factor on the bike is pretty nice. It just looks a touch more bland I guess. Mostly in the front end. Oh well. My first gen bandit isn't going to win any beauty contests either.

In the end, the SHawk ends up being the user friendly machine that the Suzuki should have been. If I had modded the Zuk a little more extensively, it could have been more liveable, but I truly feel like I am able to get on the Honda and go fast in much higher confidence right off the bat, where as the TL made me nervous more often. It just felt more high strung and less forgiving. Not good daily rider qualities. I want that engine character in a accessible usable package, and the Superhawk brings it nicely. And the sound.... So nice!

So needless to say, I am pretty pleased. I ran the Harris tank on it yesterday too, after repairing a stripped petcock bolt hole. Nice to have the extra range.

Kudos to honda for making such a nice bike. I love it!

-R