I recently bought a 98 super hawk. I drove it around and ran it through the gears before purchasing. the bike would shut off after it would idle for a minute or two but I believe it is do to needing carb adjustment. I decided to drive the bike home and after 10 minutes I went put it in 1st gear and slowly let out the clutch and nothing happened. I revved up to 7k rpms and the clutch grabbed hard. I did an oil change but no luck. do you think its the clutch? what parts do I need to replace? this is my first sport bike.

 

Yes the clutch. Sounds like the plates are worn out of friction material and/or the springs are sacked. You can open the engine cover with the oil still in if you tip the bike a bit. You can remove the plates to inspect them.

It also may be getting hung up on the clutch basket and not sliding well.

 

If and when you remove the clutch slave, zip tie your clutch lever tight to the grip.

How does the fluid appear in the clutch reservoir?

 

I am not confident in my ability to work on a motorcycle. I have wooed on cars for 10 years but never touched a bike.

 

Well, the clutch is not a hard repair if you have general mechanical abilities. Take note of disassembly order and replace the fiber discs, reassemble in the exact order. It is also possible if you share your location, one of this forums members may be able to help for a small token of appreciation of course.

How many miles are on the bike?

 

Virginia beach VA Indian river rd and providence Rd. Bike has 16k miles on it.

 

If you haven't yet, download the pdf Service Manual in the link below:
superhawk996.net
Once you see what's under the engine cover and also what you need to do, it isn't that hard.

Also, take a look at the Knowledge Base here to learn A LOT about your VTR.

Concerning the bike shutting off, you will want to sync your carbs. Do a search for the "two bottle" method. For me, it seems to be not only the easiest, but just about the cheapest as well.