Is superhawk reliable weekender?
 

I'm new to the Superhawk forums and would like to ask overall are these bikes realiable? Do the take constant tinkering with the carbs and other such stuff? Are all the stock carbs CV and is this an issue if they are?

I ask because I'm trying to sell off my current ride ('06 Ninja 650R) to take the next step. I've ridden other larger sport twins and im in love with the power delivery. Top end not so important but more so the torque.

Is the Superhawk a true Honda in terms of reliability? What do you look for and stay away from? Any help or redirection would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

They are as reliable as any bike. Things to watch for are the Voltage Regulators going bad (about a $75 replacement with a R6 or R1 unit. Do a search) and cam chain tensioners failing. No one knows when they may go, but most of us have been switching to manual cct's. I have 19k on mine and am about to order a set from Truckinduc. Those are the only 2 common things to go wrong.

Pretty much a "set it and forget it" type of bike.

Its a bike with real spirit. Doesnt have that cookie-cutter feel like a kawasaki.
Very reliable and very honda in quality.
Ive put over 50,000 miles on mine and only broke the stock charging system.
It will feel like its roughly 6 times more powerful than your current ride, although its only twice the power. lol
If the valves are adjusted correctly, and the bike has more than 15,000 miles on it, valve adjustments arent very often.
Like a haircut from a barber, every mechanic has a certain style or method to adjustment.
I adjust mine at the loose end, some set them on tight side. Theres benefits to both.
Watch for cam chain tensioner wear after 25,000... but I shit you not, mine are stock units with 55,000 miles on them and they are still within spec !

Run Good synthetic ( Amsoil 20w50 V-twin ) and be happy.

As said, replace the R/R (Voltage regulator - charging system) and make a decision about the CCT (I'd replace it for $85 and peace of mind) an the bike should outlast you.

don't believe the hype- it won't feel 6 times as powerful...

but do believe that its a great touring bike. Thats really what its made for, IMO. All other things equal- you wont be winning any races against a modern race replica (600 or 1000), but they are quick and unique and pretty fun.

+1

uhm, we are talking about a honda vtr 1000 superhawk right?

Yeah, a little seat time oughta cure that!

it will pull off easy enough 400 mile days for me. Doesn't that qualify as touring?

It's sort of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Reliability wise, there's a few weaknesses that were already mentioned, but no mystery to it, the fixes are well known. Once you take care of those points, it 's just standard maintenance.

I've logged about 3,000 miles so far in April. Bike has 33,000 on it now.

The Dude- get a z1000.... they're dirt cheap. I'm guessing they put out more torque than a hawk and I know they put out more HP. Cant be too much worse in the twisties...just a thought in case you want to stick with team green...

on the downside they are a lot ugglier than a hawk. a honda 919 would be a good buy.

delivery and character account for as much as numbers, if not more, IMNSHO...

Ok LineArrayNut hit it right on the head, BANG! It's the V-twin sound, power, and all the other character that goes along with it. I assume that is why so many of you own them. Vermontzx6r suggested a z1000, a fine bike I'm very sure, but the inline four just doesn't do it for me...

Cookie cutters are boring to ride. A problem within a problem.

no bike that has a max range of 100 miles per tank should be considered a touring bike. and its not the most comfortable either. I mean, I read about that guy with the rc51 doing 220 miles. and thats fine. you can ride all day on a wooden plank, but it doesn't make it a touring bike. frankly I'm glad. I am not a fan of "touring bikes" (ie. goldwing, fj, st,) now I love my hawk. but I'm not gonna call apples oranges. she's a short range street focused sportbike. as opposed to track focused repliracers. you can make her into a decent tourer, but they don't start out as one.

This BS about the superhawk being a short range bike is grossly exaggerated. I've never gotten less than 150 miles out of a tank and have gotten up to 180 when just cruising. But I need to stretch my legs after 2 hours regardless.

That is exactly correct. I've proven I can get 200+ miles per fill up if I want to.

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...200+miles+tank

In any kind of normal 75+ mph highway riding with frequent roll-ons over 100 mph, 150 per tank is no problem.

If you can't do it, something is wrong with your bike.

Lots of folks enjoy complaining about shit. Since there is so little to complain about the VTR, they bitch about the mileage/range.

Sport touring, gentleman's express. Build a bigger tank or carry camp stove bottles, Sargent sadlle and Helibars or tube bar conversion and your good to go 500 mile days no sweat.

BTW Swordy, when we going to ride together, we've been talking about it for years. The ball has been in your court...

with no stopping and starting just straight super slab at 70mph I also get about 140 miles when the light comes on, I can only get 3.2 gallons in if I fill right when the light comes on though so I could probably get another 30 miles on reserve. I also don't understand why the bad rap with mpg's when cruising I get 40 to 43 mpgs. Its only in town I get really bad numbers.

I'm pretty sure Honda had Ducati sporty bikes as a target when they came out with the VTR1000F.

I'm not the fastest rider, but I've never felt like I couldn't run with other riders on this bike for any other reason than that they were simply a bit better than me. (See, I'm humble, too.)

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufactur...hawk-1454.html

"Our first impression was that the VTR seemed easier to ride fast than a 916, but soon realized this was not a race replica. Indeed, Honda claims the Super Hawk was never intended as a racing platform. Rather, they deemed it more of a real-world, all-around sporting motorcycle like Honda's own VFR750, but with the robust power delivery only a large displacement V-twin can provide."

wasn't complaining. I'm fine with the vtr being mostly short range. its not like there's lots of places for me to go anyway. and all my riding is around town so my mileage is never that great. but anyway, I was going off of what I assumed was accepted concensus that the hawk's range left something to be desired, and for that reason, was not an ideal tourer. but if I had it wrong, and if 150, even 200miles per tank doesn't suck ass compared to any other sporttourer, then I take it back. the hawk is a great sport tourer.

skokievtr, I know, I suck. gimme a little more time. I just got the bike out of storage on sunday. I haven't even gotten to ride to work yet.

swordfish;

You are probably right that it's the accepted consensus, but I don't buy it.


I like to stay hydrated when riding. In my case that means lots of coffee. Whether I'm piloting a VTR, a Gold Wing or a Lincoln Town car, that means stopping every 1.5 to 2 hrs. to drink more liquid and relieve myself of the liquid I drank 1.5 or 2 hrs ago. 99% of the time that's no problem with my VTR and its range. For the other 1% I do like Skokie says, I pack some extra fuel on the back of the seat.

Its a great next step for someone ready to move up to a full size bike. Perfect spread of power, very comfy yet still agile, and with the help of this forum can be modded as far as your mechanical imagination can take you. Its easy to work on (minimal fairing removal for engine access), and while they are great stock, simple mods can transform it into a monster making it capable of eating all those cookie cutter replicas. Great bike to improve your riding skills as well. Can't forget the very nice used prices as well. $4k will get you a very good condition low mileage bike. Hard to beat. Definitely my favorite.

DUDE, test ride one and you'll be hooked. Get a set of pipes to open up the exhaust level and just wallow in the V-twin euphoria:cool:.

How long have you been on the 650? That bike has probably served you well as a first bike (if it was your 1st). The Super should be a very reliable follow-up, provided the 2 main issues are addressed. I too just put a set of manual cam chain tensioners on mine. Just because you buy a VTR doesn't mean you must go get them replaced immediatly. But be aware they are an issue and if they fail, most likely your engine will be worth poo.
Carbs probably won't need messed with. I've got slip on pipes and haven't had a need to adjust them at all. She runs like a bat out of hell! I did a dyno last year which provided me with figure of 108hp. Why the concern with them?

FWIW, my first bike was a Suzuki GS500 that made a whopping 25 hp or so. I could only squeeze 120-130 miles out of a tank on it.

You know, they have these things called "gas stations" where you can actually refill your tank and then keep on going. ;)

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Agreed on the above. I've done around 900 (DC to West Michigan in 1 day taking a few scenic routes) and though I wouldn't want to do more than one day in a row, I think that definately qualifies it as a 400-500 mile-per-day bike.

How to stir up a hornets nest of comments? Ask a bunch of enthusiasts to explain why they like the thing that is the focus of their enthusiasm. I keep thinking of selling the 'Hawk in order to try something else out for a while, but everytime I go for a ride I talk myself out of it. :cool: