Possible New SuperHawk Owner?
 

Hello everyone, I'm obviously new to the forum & this is my maiden post. I work with a guy that has a 2000 SuperHawk that he wants to get rid of just because he doesn't ride it much. I know him well and have ridden with him some as well. I know he's treated the bike well and doesn't ride it real hard or crazy. I have a couple bikes already and am not in the market at all but he said he'd sell it to me real cheap, about $1,500-$2,500 less then they are going for, so it got me thinking that I'm kinda stupid not to hop on this great deal. I've done some research and have found that people have nothing but good things to say about this bike. There's reviews from like 2010 and 2011 saying this is one of the best used bikes to buy. I guess what I'm looking for is input from owners. Do you like the bike? What are some common mods with it? Whatever else you want to add? I'm looking at probably streetfightering it out since I already have 2 full sportbikes so having a naked sporty would be something different. Thanks for any and all advice/comments! Below is a pic of the bike.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...54_resized.jpg[/IMG]

Welcome..
Do I like it?
I've owned, ridden all manner of bike...it's what I do for a living...
I bought a 1998 SH in 2005, spent 10 years riding it and building it to what i wanted (the SH is a great canvas to build from ) Jan 7 2016 I had my 1st street crash since 1986, and totaled the SH.
4 days after leaving the hospital ER with 4 broken ribs..... I was carted off to a distant town to buy another... Where the process to build NewHawk into Current Hawk begins again. Though hopefully not a 10 year process this time.
So yes I like the VTR1000F platform ... Its not better than anything, but it's perfect for me. Plus she doesn't mind when I cheat on her..:rolleyes: with other bikes.... which I get to do all the time on OPB (Other People's Bikes)


On the Street fighter build; To each his own. Personally, the majority of the SH Street fighter builds I see scream at me "I wrecked my bike and can't afford to fix it right" There are very few I see I think look finished, well done, flowing in build design and , well..... look like anything more than a wrecked bike cobbled back together for road use.
So build what works for you.. I just know to make a Street Fighter based on a SH that I would be not embarrassed to say I built it, it would be a custom build with a lot of work.. at a cost in materials and labor it would never be worth, no one would want to pay to have built. So it would need to be a labor of love...where your time is not an expense... and the cost is just considered what you pay for personal entertainment.

Hard to really tell from the photo, but the bike looks very clean and unmolested. For that price I would not hesitate.
I would not, however, do a street fighter build on it. Why? (my opinion) First: these bikes, especially in near showroom condition, are getting scarce. I think it would be a mistake to sacrifice one. Second: doing a street fighter build, a build that is worth permanently and irreversibly altering a near perfect bike, seems unwise. I realize that beauty and satisfaction is in the eye of the person doing the work, but these bikes require a lot of work and skill to pull off even a half decent street fighter build.
Keep the bike as is and enjoy it for what it is. If you get tired of it, after a respectful amount of time, turn it for a profit and find something more suitable for a build. Or just find a bike that is from the factory a street fighter.
Oh yeah, welcome to the forum.

Well, I guess when I say "streetfighter" I'm really just talking about taking the front fairings off, mounting a headlight & turn signals, & repainting the frame & swingarm. I don't have the supplies, tools, nor the skills to do much other than that. I won't do anything that can't fairly easily be put back to stock. Having said all that, it's my bike & I'll do what I want with it! :lol:

Do some searching and look for SH that have had that level of MOD... If you like the look, go for it.

You may decide after seeing a few dozen examples.. the SH is not a great candidate for the "Street Fighter" naked look without a lot of MOD's

I've done some research and the only thing I really don't like is the radiators that stick right out there. I've seen some where they paint it to match and it doesn't look too bad.

Welcome JT. Can you tell us what your other two sportys are? This bike, compared to something more modern, may leave some people scratching their head after a nice spirited ride. One of my best friends used to own an RC51 and we'd swap bikes regularly, because he knew how much I loved that bike. He really did not like my VTR, and hated how much flex the chassis had. When compared back to back, the SuperHawk felt like a wet noodle when pushed to the limits. This bike was designed and engineered to have a specific amount of flex. Some of the mods we do significantly reduce it, for instance the swingarm brace from a 929 grafted on.
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I'r recommend you ask if you can spend some time on it before you buy. And I also second the notion to not streetfighter it. As stated, it's not easy to make a Hawk look good neekid.

My current bikes are 2007 Suzuki GSXR1000, 14 KTM RC8R, & Honda CRF250L. I know what you're thinking. Haha! The thing is though, I would not be buying this bike to be like my other 2 sportbikes. If I want to go out and "drag a knee" (I don't really drag a knee) I'd jump on one of those bikes. This bike would be something different, something to just screw around on from time to time. Maybe even something a little more upright so my wife wouldn't be so uncomfortable when she rides with me....like once a year. lol I wouldn't have the expectation of this thing to blow me out of the water as far as speed & power go. If this thing was like my current bikes, I wouldn't be interested in it. Now if I was going to get rid of either of my bikes for this, then yes, I'd be in for a world of disappointment!! I did say something to him about grabbing the bike for a day or two to see what I think. He knows me well and knows I take care of my shit so he would have no problem with that at all. Good suggestion though!

$1500 to $2500 less than market value means it should be free.


sorry, couldn't resist. Most used superhawks around here that I see sell in the $2000 to $3000 range.


Got mine with 10,000 miles on it, TBR mufflers for $2,900 and think I over-paid a little.


Enjoy it - fun bike. Change the fork springs and, if you have the $$$, have the forks re-valved and go tear up the knee scratchers in the mountain twisties.

I did a nationwide cycletrader search and only came up with about 25 for sale on there. Most of them were 98's and were going from $2,500-$4,000. I did see some closer to the $2,000 range but they had issues and didn't look too good. He said he'd sell it to me for $1,600 which seems like a really good deal to me. Especially since I know they guy and know the full history on it. It's also already piped and jetted which is a huge bonus. I hate messing w jetting carbs!!

SuperHawks are junk. And yellow ones are the worst. I wouldn't be caught dead riding a SuperHawk. Do yourself a favor and steer clear.

BTW, if you don't buy it and your friend is willing to let it go to anybody else for anything like $1600, I might be interested. Or, if you do buy it and decide to street fighter it, I could be interested in the body work.

Ha! That's what I'm saying. I wasn't interested at all but when he gave me that price & I did my research I was like, damn I'm stupid not to do it!!!

Well, if you do street fighter it, you might want to check out these threads:

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...-his-vtr-7221/

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...rebuild-23868/