Hawkrider

WRT to the clearance, fork springs and shock set up for proper sag will give you more than you'll ever need. After removing the hero blobs (peg feelers) I have never scraped a peg. I dragged the front header once but that was with the forks raised 15mm in the tubes. Needless to say they're back at 10mm.

EngineNoO9

I did forks early and the raised rear with the fox shock probably prevented me from every coming close since there were never feelers on there

mikstr

Getting back to the GSX-R situation, much as I enjoy my VTR, there are times when I miss the "take-no-prisoners" rush of an I-4 coming on the cam. I had a 1985 FZ750 (which I know is nothing compared to what's out there now) but I used to love the way the engine came on as the tach hit 6500 rpm. It was reminiscent of a two-stroke coming on the pipe in the way the engine came alive. Yep, miss those days at times......

frogpirate

This might be my first post here. I am a current Goldwing rider looking to add a second bike this fall or next winter. I test rode a Buell XB12Ss a couple weekends ago and was fairly impressed with the bike, but not the dealer or price. I think the Buell would be a good bike priced at $8K; at the $11K+ the stealer wants, it's way overpriced.

I like v-twins. I have had a couple smaller ones (Honda GL-500, Suzuki DL-650 V-Strom) and love the grunt and the sound of a V-Twin that will rev. Suprisingly the GL-500 red-lined at 10K+ RPM and liked to be up there. The Suzuki came alive above 7 grand. My new bike can be more focused, as I'll be keeping the 'wing for long rides. The new bike will be for weekend/day rides and commuting.

So, I'm looking at SV's and of course the SH. I *think* a RC-51 is too agressive (I'm 47 and like to ride fast, but also like some comfort!), Duc's cost too much for up-keep as I ride lots of miles, Aprilia's are nice, but parts are hard to come by according to my buddy who has a Falco. On the other hand he loves the Falco.

No point here really, I'm just rambling. cliby's comment is why I' drawn to the Superhawk - wel, that and a friend used to have one that I always drooled over. The only drawback I can see is the 'short' range, but I can always add an aux tank. :-)

Now if I can just find a blue one when I get serious about buying. I like the blue ones.

PJay

A word of advice, since I went through the same SV/VTR internal debate (my son has an SV650, which is a great machine in every way).

Find some honest motorcycle dealers and put them on the spot about warranty issues with the one compared with the other (forgetting the well-known chassis problems with the TL1000s). That tipped it in the VTR direction for me.

Personally (ducking for cover....), I think the SV looks better than the VTR, but then I also like the VTR's understatedness, too.

J.J.

Yeah, as much as I love the grunt of the v, I, too miss that top end rush that the I-4's have. I have a suzuki rf 900 streetfighter (read: piece of junk) and still love getting on it and thrashing the crap out of it. Sometimes the SH power delivery is a little, well, boring compared to the insane rush to redline that I-4s give once the tach needle swings past a certain number. I have a buddy with a gix 750, and with a +3 gearing change in the back, it is absolutely the fastest thing I have ever ridden on two wheels. Or one. I want one. This thread is not helping.

PJay

Yeah, the tuned TZ750 (I4 two stroke, for those who may not have seen one) I used to race was a big rush like that: it jumped from 55rwhp at 8,000 rpm to 125 at 9,400 to 148 at 10,400.

Never yet ridden a road bike like it for suddenness; I used to think that there was no such thing as too much power, but this in a 300lb bike was a bit much.

swordfish

I think that the sv's are good bikes. they are about the only suzuki street bike that I do like. but the superhawk does everything just a little bit better than the sv. except mileage. its a little faster, a little more comfortable, a little more agile, a little better sounding, a little cheaper, and a little more reliable. (honda) shrug

frogpirate

I liked my DL-650 V-Strom, but it did have a few things that 'felt' cheep. Like the mirrors. And the _very_ soft paint. The SV-650 derived motor was a joy though, particularly if you kept it around 7K. I really _want_ (note I did not say "need") a liter bike though, and I agree that the SV-1000S has less comfortable ergo's to me.

In the end, I like Honda's. They work, and they work for a long time. Seldom the fastest, seldom the best looking (damn those Italians!) but always the best all-around. IMHO, of course!

rnb

i really enjoy riding my hawk i'm 42 and the hawk is much more comfortable than my sons cbr900. also his bike is not much faster than mine. if you're looking for a good 2nd bike you cant go wrong with a superhawk

bluevtr

Frog- I also ride an 1800 wing. It was my only bike for 5 years, then decided to get a 2nd bike. It was between a Buell CityX or a Truimph Bonneville. I know that seems odd, but my criteria was something fun with personallity, and I didn't really care about practical/comfortable since I have the Wing. In the end, the Buell bothered me a bit after reading BadWeb comments regarding reliability issues.

So what happened? Found too good of a deal to pass up. Got my '03 Hawk last year brand new still in the crate for $6000 OTD. I agree the blue ones are the best, -fastest and best handling : )

Oh, as far as the range goes, I thought it would bother me only being able to cover 100 miles on a tank also, but let me tell you, if you don't buy an aftermarket seat, you really won't want to do any more than that...

mikstr

"I agree the blue ones are the best, -fastest and best handling : )" I have to agree that with that statement. However, if you think the light/sky blue ones are fast, you should try the dark/midnight blue ones... he he (too bad those VTR's never made it into the US, fortunately we did get them up here in Canada)

jbaxx

The blue ones are indeed the best. I have no problems being in the seat for a few hours at a time.

mikstr

This "blue solidarity" is causing me to get a lump in my throat...lol

cliby

just to break up the party, I want to be clear that yellow are the best ones, and certainly fastest. It is by far still the best compromise. Of course I would like to ride the new KTM Vtwins - they sound awesome all around - but again, the price differential is impressive.

mikstr

The new Moto Morini twins are nothing to sneeze at either, especially the 140 hp 1200 cc version

J.J.

Oh c'mon. "Ride Red"

Theres only one choice for best color.

swordfish

+1 its a well known fact that cops pull over red bikes more often than any other color. and for good reason. they know that the red ones are the biggest threat.

mikstr

While I love the red and yellow ones, the attention it gets from the "donut boys" is precisely the reason I steered clear of them when I bought mine

Hawkrider

Oh, for cryin' out loud! Do we HAVE to go through the "which color is fastest" EVERY MONTH????!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Give it up already.











White ones are the fastest. I'll show you guys it's a fact at the Rally.

mikstr

Is it June yet? lol

J.J.

Clearly, there needs to be at least ONE thread per month on the following topics:

Which color is fastest.
What gearing is best.
What do failing CCT's sound like.
What kind of oil is best.

SO whose starting the oil thread?!?

GeMs

Well I remember reading somewhere that yellow is indeed the fastest. Especially if it is a 98' also. Ill try to link the page later.. Muahaha

mikstr

I'll take the gearing if someone else want to take the oil thread....

Scooberhawk

I still haven't figured out which exhaust is best. Speaking of exhaust, which brand of tires is everyone using?

bluevtr

Tires? I thought this was a thread on oil brands. Or was it color?

Wait, what color oil do I use on my sprockets? I only use high-mount 190 series dual compound CCT's, by the way.

superbling

I painted my 14/67 sprockets yellow and lube them with NON-SYN ONLY! Doing this, I get 14k miles out of my track tires.

jbaxx

What's the best windscreen?

mikstr

I object! Windscreens are not one of the pre-approved monthly topics!

jbaxx

Good thing Superhawks don't have V-tec.