jschmidt

Not for fifteen years.

W-O-T

RC51 isnt there either.... hmmm

HotStreetVTR

Somehow, I'm not surpised at American Honda's phasing-out of the VTR, as they did the same for the Nighthawk 750 (changed it very little for nearly ten years, then dropped it in the US). The changing-it-very-little part makes sense (why screw with something that works and is well-designed to begin with?) But, regarding the dropping it part, I suspect that the all-in-one ("Big Four") dealerships figure-in somehow in the equation: These dealerships rarely carry SuperHawks in the showrooms, and these dealerships tend to push the SV1000S as if it were God's-own V-twin sport bike. (Not that I hate SV's--actually love the 97-02 SV650S--; it's just that greed and self-interest are rarely too far at a distance when something bad happens in a particular market-share.)

On the bright side, at least now we ride a motorcycle that is not only mondo-cool, it will also become increasingly difficult to find--like a nicely-maintained '69 Camaro Z-28 (still a damn-fine automobile, says Barrett-Jackson).

I think I'll buy another. :wink:

cheers,
--HotStreetVTR

HotStreetVTR

For automobiles, I believe that, , some time back, they changed the requirement from fifteen to ten years' mandated OEM parts-supply, but I'm not sure how that impacts the motocycle industry. Guess I'll have to call my friendly local motorcycle parts dealer who also happens to own a SuperHawk. I'd bet that he'll know.

cheers,
--HotStreetVTR

HotStreetVTR

If the VTR (Storm) will still be available in Europe and Australia, our Cosmopolitan colleagues are truly our friends, as there [em]will[/em] be "SuperHawk" OEM parts available, though we US Hawkers might have to buy the OEM parts from European or Austrailian suppliers.

cheers,
--HotStreetVTR

divingindaytona

I dont know what you all are bitching about. The superhawk has been the same sense it first came out. Honda keeps issuing it with the same exact parts.

No a digital dash and colour change dont count as a "new design"

I have been amazed that honda didnt do away with the shawks sooner. Almost all of the bikes around here are 600-750's. You cant find a dealer down here that has a shawk in stock..... The few that have them have leftover 2003's that they couldnt sell.

I searched for 6 months before I found the one that had less than 15K on the clock (that was in my pricerange) They are a rare bike....compared to cbr's.......that should help reasale.

As for me, I will keep my shawk until I finaly get sick of her, not happining anytime soon. Personaly this bike has changed me. A inline four feels soulless and gutless.

NOTE TO HONDA
I want a fuel injected v-twin that has the torque that the shawk has. With a larger gas tank and a more comfortable seat. 140hp at the rear wheel wouldnt hurt.

rhu5

It's a sad day, indeed. I was hoping for a reworked version: something along the lines of a SHawk\ RC51 hybrid.

Maybe Honda will see the light, take a year off and go through the stacks of angry letters and e-mails, do a redesign ( i.e. Speed Triple, Tuono, SV1000S :wink: ) and bring it back in '07. Hey, it doesn't hurt to dream.

If Honda does not bring back the Superhawk, I don't think parts availability will be a problem for a while. Though I bet those leftover SHawks on showroom floors will start disappearing.

rhu5

P.S. Also, since the days of the RC51 probably being numbered it makes since to keep a V-twin sportbike platform in the line-up. No, it won't to be a huge seller, aka CBR's, but it could satisfy the V-TSB niche.

thegreep

Don't shed a tear for it yet. . .
I see them puting something back into the works that will eat the sv1000. As the sv1000 is basically new and should be around for a while I can't see Honda sitting on the sidelies very long while those bikes are flying out of dealerships.
I did quite a bit of research before buying my superhawk, and at the time it was between the TL1000s or the Hawk. There were of course pros and cons to each one. What the decision finally came down to was which bike will outlast the other? The hawk won.

bluesman

I must say that I don't perceive SV as something as cool of a bike as it expected to be...
SV650 was brilliant. MHO SV1000 is very average with suprisingly slow steering for so compact bike. And to uncomfortable for it's class. One reason I went for SHawk - IMHO value-per-money of second hand Shawk is better than new or second hand SV.

I hope Honda will use something rather like simplified RC as landmark to step over and not SV.
BTW - SV flopped on sales in Europe. No completely, but quite bad.

Still, if Honda will do 1000-1200 cc V4/V5 - I'll give up and will sel Shawk.

Utah996

It was bound to happen at some point. Just think now you have a rarer bike if they are going to make them anymore...haha! SH's are awesome. Oh and W-O-T the RC51 is still there for 2006. BUt I agree that its days are numbers are well. Love the V-twins

vitter

sure it is.

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID7093

W-O-T

thanks... time to get the eyeballs checked... lol... my bust...

HotStreetVTR

rhu5's point is well-taken: With the advent of "Big Four", all-in-wonder dealerships, American Honda would do well to offer a new street-savvy V-Twin that would kick SV1000S ***, in a practical, Honda way. For example, a few years back, when I inquired about possibly seeing the '03 Candy Blue VTR--a beautiful motorcycle--at some time gracing the showroom floor of our local all-in-wonder dealership, one of the salesmen smugly replied, "Who would want a SuperHawk when the SV1000S has so much more horsepower?" I then replied, "Horsepower ain't everything: the VTR is a much, much nicer all-around motorcycle than the SV, which is not a 'sport-touring' motorcycle, by any means." Sadly, the same macho bullshit that drives the popular motorcycle magazine reviews that so heavily favor the SV1000S (written primarily by retired racers who naturally prefer faster bikes with more horsepower and better braking--'toys' for track days at 'the Streets of Willows'--often leaks its way back to the showroom floor and to the hyperbole that the saleperson spins. Thus, it wouldn't hurt Honda to consider the original "Best All-Around V-Twin Sport Bike" claim and then re-design the VTR from there. (Honda is the King of bikes that are both fast and well thought-out, ala the CBR 1000RR: Why not apply the same kingly design ability to a re-vamped VTR?) The bike is and has been popular in both European and Austrailian markets and obviously has a niche` to fill in the American market, were it approached properly and with marketing savvy--to counteract the local dealerships that sell both Honda and Suzuki and currently tend to favor the SV, arguably, in part, because they can sell more SV's since it is not a "limited production run" motorcycle, as the VTR1000F was for its entire life in the US.

...Just a little "rant" to mourn the passing of a "damn-fine motorcycle."

cheers,
HotStreetVTR

tony.wilde1

i suppose in a few more years we'll have a chance to buy a "hoysung"or "jailing"vtr1000!!!

vtromey

it is sad, but it's all good with me. i'm glad that i'm usually the only one with a VTR when i'm with big groups (amidst all the dime a dozen whiny four bangers), i'm glad that it's bulletproof, i'm glad that it was the first successful honda TWIN sport bike to come out before the SV's. stopping production just makes our bikes that much rarer and valued (for those who know what the fuss is all about).

i love the fact that some people shun this bike, not knowing what a wicked machine it is. i'm not worried about parts there'll be lot's for the next little while. i'm sure japans got plenty in their warehouses. know what it is? it's an underrated sleeper sport bike!

value exists in the mind. the majority of n. americans are inline fourbangers. we don't conform. i'm proud of the cult nitch that i belong. i will never get an inline four. if anything it'll be another firestorm/superhawk or RC51 (there's a brand new 02/03 at the dealer, blue, beautifull, underrated, been sitting there for a while waitin for the next unique person to glance at it).

Rollingalong

As a whole , V-Twin sport bikes are not big sellers then take into account Honda's bean counters would probably just like to make and sell Cruisers , Goldwings and CBR's and ditch the other street bikes it's a small wonder they even continued the outdated RC-51 .

C'Mon , we all like the SH's but it was time for it to go in both a new buyer's point of view and the company who made it . A new one was rather pricey in terms of MSRP for what you got in 2005 . They needed suspension work front and rear and Honda seemed to not be able to parts bin needed upgrades and Honda was probably looking at coming CARB 2008 standards along with EuroIII smog standards

Like some have said . Maybe Honda will re-tool and build a better SH soon . A clean sheet bike maybe .

You know a slimmed down VFR w/o the V-Tech junk and in 1000cc displacement would not be all that bad a deal

Can anyone see Superhawk Cup racing in the future ? They do it with the SV650 and Beemers , so why not ?

HotStreetVTR

I can see sound logic in both of the above points: Concerning the first point, Honda is not likely to let Suzuki have a locked-in share of the US V-twin sport bike market for too long, and the RC-51 is starting to show her age a bit, aesthetically speaking--never was very pretty, what with the gawky-looking headlights and the limited silver/red color scheme which is very prone to fading in sunlight....Perhaps a hybrid of the VTR and RVT might yield something to take Suzuki by surprise--street-savvy, plenty of suspension, topped with 120 hp+ of hutzpah and torque, all wrapped in a pretty, well-thought-out package. :smile:

Concerning the second point, the VTR is a much better choice from the standpoint of the person buying a used V-twin sport bike: Aside from the cam chain tensioner issue, which can-and-should be resolved by a quick trip to a knowledgable mechanic, the VTR is a dream to maintain. Many Honda-loyal, maintenance-conscious customers would still prefer a used VTR to a newer used SV1000S. (The TL was a pain in the butt on the maintenance side--very expensive valve-check/valve-adjustment every 15K--, and the SV is still too new to the market to have proven its longevity.)

cheers,
HotStreetVTR