Thinking about buying a Superhawk
 

So I've never ridden a superhawk but used to sell motorcycles about a year ago for a local dealership and have ridden everything from 250 Rebels to the new ZX-14. I was wondering how the riding style and speed on this bike is compared to newer sportbikes (ie. will it keep up with a new R6)? Is this a carbed or FI bike and is there any throttle lag? The one I am looking at is a 98' and the guy is asking $2500. I e-mailed him already to see how many miles it has. He said it was dropped once in the driveway and has slight scratches on the fairing and a broken shift lever. Those should both be pretty easy fixes. Do you guys think this is a fair deal? What are some questions I should ask to make sure I am not getting a lemon?

Sorry for the noob questions but I am a noob when it comes to these bikes so any help is appreciated. Look forward to your responses and hopefully becoming a superhawk owner in the near future.

Gotta love that ole standard "dropped in the driveway" LMAO...you would think people would come up with something a little more original than that! I may need to work on a list to post here, LOL...

Are the scratches vertical, or horizontal?

Buy one, you'll love it. Every does after they have ridden it for a while.

I don't know whether the scratches are vertical or horizontal because he conveniently only poted a pic of the side of the bike that didn't hit the ground which indicates to me that the fall was either while stopped or at a very slow speed. I have seen enough dropped bikes that when I see it in person I will know immediately the extent of the accident. For instance, when I was working at the motorcycle dealership someone was trying to trade their R6 for an R1 and he tried to feed me the it droped in the driveway line. When I asked him how both sides of the bike got scratched if it just fell over he decided to come clean and told me he had a high side fall and the bike flipped several times during the crash. I couldn't help but laugh.

Anyways, as far as performance and riding goes, what newer bikes would you compare it to? Also, do you think he is asking a fair price?

To answer your questions: It is carburated (all years).
No real throttle lag in fact a very flat torque curve.

As for keeping up with an R6 etc.. Well that's a depends :D Off the line the SH is still one of the quickest bikes available. (2.5 second 0-60) But from a roll on, or top end, or even in the real twisty stuff.. Once a newer I4 gets into it's power band, they will be faster, they have more top end, and if the rider is good enough are faster in the twisty bits.

However the SH is easier to drive faster, that is unless you are riding with a real pro, you are likely to be faster on the SH because of it's stable chassis, abundant torque, and relative nimbleness.

i did the shopping around thing this past summer. I was looking at I4s and have to say, picking up a superhawk was the best decision i could have made. This bike does everything i ask it to and its much more comfy that one of the newer 4s. One of teh best parts is that the price is right on these things now. There's a huge cult following on these for a reason. Pick that rig up and you won't regret your decision.

the superhawk is a sport / touring bike !

the hawk is slow by todays standard ( 100hp ). nible ? no, it really isn't. it's heavy and the suspension was focused on ? i guess parts that were left over.

but, it's a real fun, comfy bike & with a few improvement is a good canyon carver ( being a twin ) but it will NEVER handle like an r6 or any supersport bike. in proper hands ( mine :D ) can even run in the A group at your local track !

it shines because it's such a great all around bike but never really caught on & with all the real twin focus put into the rc51 the 'hawk was stuck in the back seat.

'98 for $2500 ? not a bad deal if everything checks out.


tim

Thus the qualified "relative" lol.. if you compare it to other large displacement bikes, say a VFR or Blawkhawk, I'd take the narrow VTR in the twisties any day.

i wasn't pissing on your statement ( why i dropped the 'relative' ) but he vs. an r6 ' a supersport bike ' so i was trying to compare the handling to that.

i only get left behind in the tight sections ( 20-25 mph ) because i just can't flick it from full lean to full lean very fast without getting the chassis all out of wack. maybe with my new forks it will improve ? but we are also talking about a pretty spirited pace :)

now at the track it's a different story ! the straights are painful as everybody is going by.

tim

well you came to the right place to have unbiased approval for the superhawk:D, haha.

If you don't care about having to always be the fastest... mostly on the straights, then its the right bike. If you want a little more comfort, and more of a streetable engine then it is the right bike, but if you need sheer performance it might be better to look elsewhere. The superhawk does everything on the street very well. Track not as well, but still decently fast with the right pilot. And you can't beat the price.

As others have stated before, 'this bike has a soul!' ride on and find out!

Yeah coming here I was a little concerned that I might get only approval but I appreciate the honesty that most of you have given as well. It sounds like a great bike for me. I don't need nor can I afford a "supersport" bike like a new R6 or CBR 600. In fact my friend has a ninja 250 which I ride occasionally and always enjoy but would appreciate some more power. If the guy who posted the ad would call me back he would most likely have a sale. Oh well, hopefully it isn't already gone and thanks again for the input.

good luck Dog ! once you understand what it is and are comfortable with it you will NOT be disappointed.

tim

Dog, where are you located? I saw that the steelership up here in MN has one for sale for a pretty good price. Its an 03

It is a user-friendly bike for real world riders. If you want to be a racer then R1's, GSXR's and CBR's are for you. If you just want to ride and have good power and comfort in a sport bike chassis then it's the bike for you. Now you do have to customize it and set it up for your riding style. But once you address the front suspension(change the forks[plenty of write-ups on here] or springs[economy solution]), handlebar position and slap slip-ons of your choice on it.... your good to go. Then you'll ask yourself why you never looked at this bike until now.

seriously what other bike could you buy that would even come close for $2.5k a ninja 250.

s. hawks are the best kept secret in under rated re-sale ever.

Gotta love the torque. And you won't see another one every time you turn a corner.

I'm in Central Florida. MN would be one hell of a ride from here. As well as a cold one at this time of year. For the other posts, I am incredibly anxious and am ready to lay down the cash if the guy would respond. You guys talked me in to it. I hope he hasn't sold it but I'll keep you updated.

Don't let us talk you in to it, just do what the little voices in your head tell you. LOL

dog,

i'm going to be ovbjective. most of my riding has been on i4 supersports. i've come from a credo of latest and greatest. i've had a string of mostly gixxers.
82 cb750!
96 zx11
97 750
98 750
00 750
01 1000
05 1000(still have)

summer 08 bought 00 hawk. I LOVE IT!!! i rarely ride my gixxer anymore. i don't think i've had this much fun since my first bike, the 82 cb750!!

the hawk will not keep up to any 600 supersport. on the rare occation when i ride my gixxer1k i am always shocked by it's power. that being said, a rider can ride the piss of of a hawk and there is a video posted on this site showing that. riding a hawk isn't really about that though. it's a different feeling. you can ride hard ENOUGH if you choose but it's not really about feeling adrenaline.

what i like about the hawk, in order of favourites:
1. great, reaxed, enjoyable ride. lots of fun without the macho attitude.
2. the sound with slip ons is simply amazing. my riding buddys like me riding it because they all love the sound too! they tell me that they only hear, and only want to hear, me when on the gas! does the bike you're looking at have pipes?
3. great balance between comfort and aggressiveness.
4. cheap enough that i can have two bikes!
5. honda reliability.
6. good looks.
7. so cheap i don't worry about cosmetics as much.

i would consider another hawk as a third bike.