superhawk vs. smaller cc bike
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Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 758
superhawk vs. smaller cc bike
what is the advantage of having a bike like ours opposed to a 750 or a similarly sized bike? im not talking about gas mileage or efficiency or weight or anything like that. does a superhawk have that much more power, or is it just mainly torque where the superhawk exceeds?
OUCH... MY A$$ HURTS!!!
SuperSport
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 707
From: Elba, Ny
well lots of that depends on the particular bike...
a 600cc Inline 4 is now making as much/more HP than our bikes, however the torque curve is WAY different... Most Inline 4's, you have to keep the bike upwards of 9-10K rpm to keep the good power, as with ours, your peak is in the 5K's.. this means less shifting to stay revved up, which for the twisty roads is great...
however after riding a SV650, which is also a v-twin, but smaller, I realized how underpowered it really felt.. while it rides great, feels nice, it just doesn't have enough kick...
I think the Hawk is a great all around bike because its a lot narrower than the I4's because of the way the engine sits in the frame, which makes it feel better when trowing it into corners in my opinion. Because of the ability to get power at low rpm's, you can shoot out of corners much faster, or with less effort you don't find yourself downshifting coming into and out of every turn.
On the track, the I4's aren't bad i guess... your all or nothing all the time, so staying in high rpm's isn't bad.. but for everyday street riding, having power at low rpm's when you want it is worth its weight in gold...
a 600cc Inline 4 is now making as much/more HP than our bikes, however the torque curve is WAY different... Most Inline 4's, you have to keep the bike upwards of 9-10K rpm to keep the good power, as with ours, your peak is in the 5K's.. this means less shifting to stay revved up, which for the twisty roads is great...
however after riding a SV650, which is also a v-twin, but smaller, I realized how underpowered it really felt.. while it rides great, feels nice, it just doesn't have enough kick...
I think the Hawk is a great all around bike because its a lot narrower than the I4's because of the way the engine sits in the frame, which makes it feel better when trowing it into corners in my opinion. Because of the ability to get power at low rpm's, you can shoot out of corners much faster, or with less effort you don't find yourself downshifting coming into and out of every turn.
On the track, the I4's aren't bad i guess... your all or nothing all the time, so staying in high rpm's isn't bad.. but for everyday street riding, having power at low rpm's when you want it is worth its weight in gold...
Senior Member
MotoGP
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,547
From: Way Out West
In olden times, a 750 really was a "bigger" bike than a 500 (longer, wider, heavier) and a 1000 was bigger than a 750. Now the difference between say, the GSX-R600-750-1000 is pretty much engine displacement and powerband, and a VFR800 with ABS weighs more than a 1400cc Ninja.
I could ride in
SuperBike
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,729
From: Dayton, TN
my '90 zx-7 handled better than my birdy. but it was heavy, had to rev the crap out of it and needed mods to be as quick as i wanted. the shawk is better in the motor feel, torque is where it's at as far as i'm concerned. ymmv.
Last edited by LineArrayNut; May 5, 2008 at 10:12 PM.
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 287
From: Brooklyn, CT
It all comes down to what you like. Like the previous posts said, the shawk has a ton of torque. It can't match the hp of the big inline 4's, but if you like torqe this is the bike for you. I like the bike because it is different from most of the bikes out there in appearence and sound. Got to love the THUNDER!
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MotoGP
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,553
From: South Texas
Duc Hawk
SuperSport
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 691
From: Malibu's canyons
Wait for the KTM Venom. It will be an RC8 with less plastic and hopefully cheaper. Both will be sold here in the near future. you know its a 1190cc bike right? Way north of 750cc.
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Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 758
i definitely know that its 1190cc's. it also has 155 horsepower making it the most powerful v-twin on the market. i think it would fun as hell to ride. i havent heard of the venom though. do you know when it will be released?
Duc Hawk
SuperSport
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 691
From: Malibu's canyons
Venom should be released the end of this year. Here is a link to some info...
http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclen..._rc8/2149.html
And how it might look in black...
http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclen..._rc8/2149.html
And how it might look in black...
Last edited by Moto Man; May 6, 2008 at 12:51 PM.
I could ride in
SuperBike
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,729
From: Dayton, TN
Venom should be released the end of this year. Here is a link to some info...
http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclen..._rc8/2149.html
And how it might look in black...
http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclen..._rc8/2149.html
And how it might look in black...
...nope, definately, not a fan...
http://photos.motorcycle-usa.com/2008_KTM_RC8_9.jpg
Senior Member
Back Marker
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 137
From: Anniston, Alabama
That RC8 is pretty cool, I like the Aprilia milles though.....Probably my next bike.
Well, I have an 1984 700sc nighthawk and it always seems like I have to keep it revved up pretty high to get usable power out of it. It is quick, just you have to rev it. I like how the VTR has power pretty much everywhere.
Almost any sportish motorcycle is going to be quick.....how fast do you want to go? Just find the one that works for you and keep on riding.
Well, I have an 1984 700sc nighthawk and it always seems like I have to keep it revved up pretty high to get usable power out of it. It is quick, just you have to rev it. I like how the VTR has power pretty much everywhere.
Almost any sportish motorcycle is going to be quick.....how fast do you want to go? Just find the one that works for you and keep on riding.
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