98 superhawk
 

This is my first bike. I was looking for a clapped out, ex-stunta rat bike with extra stickers, honest. Was in love with the superhawk though. Looking all winter for an old cbr, finally came across this 98 superhawk with 22k miles...

Not the bike I was looking for, but it is the bike I wanted.

Took it for its first ride today - to the gas station, then around the block a few times. Oh gosh, I'm in love. Only issue is I'm 195 pounds and the front suspension might be bottoming in corners.

I'm the third owner, second owner didn't know anything about the mods.

Anyone using vance&hines carbon ss2r exhaust cans? Do these require the carbs to be re-jetted? What jet sizes?

The front left fairing has a small crack near the mounting bolt. Any way to repair this? JB Weld?

Pictures at:

http://zakthor.dyndns.org/web/vtr1000f/index.htm

Re: 98 superhawk
 

I bet your boys are in love with that ride already.

Very nice looking bike. I'm sure you'll fall in love with it right away. Just try to keep your wits about you as this being your first bike and the temptations are great.

Welcome to the site.

Welcome aboard!

I, too, felt the front suspension was too soft. I weigh 240, and the stock springs are just not up to the job. After fitting Race Tech front springs (1.0kg/mm), the front end feels much more stiff and stable.

Saw your pics zakthor. You & your buddy look really psyched about the new bike!

Seriously, congrats on the ride. As far as crashing, it's definitely to be avoided.

Not to preach, but there's a ton to learn about riding if you're new to the sport. You've got a helluva bike there & if you survive the 1st year it'll be by using some common sense, paying attention to everything going on around you, and letting your buddies go if they are riding over your head.
End of sermon, have a BLAST!

Re: 98 superhawk
 

Thanks all. Definately a lot of bike for me. Keep hounding me to be safe. I appreciate it and can always use a reminder.

My next rides will be back to the local msf-course parking lot to practice my exercises. No real rides until I feel like the basics are second nature.

Oh, and I'll be needing some mirror extensions. What was honda thinking - that long mirrors are ugly?

Eric

I have mirror extenders on my S'Hawk (there are pictures in a post I made). They don't seem to help that much more than the stock ones, but it's a bit better.

Re: 98 superhawk
 

The same thing happened to me when I was shopping for a bike. I was actually looking for a Suzuki TL1000R.


PS: If you ever power wheelie in 2nd, post what you did to the bike to get it to be able to do it.

Maybe a 44 tooth rear sprocket?

PSS: that is a rare lower fairing you have on it. Anyone know what it is?

welcome aboard. I also want to emphasise on what others have mentioned here... superhawk is way too much bike for a first bike, so please please please take it easy for the first 6 months to a year of your riding. This bike can write checks that your skills won't be able to cash.

safe riding, and enjoy.

Too much Top Gun for this guy. ;)

Re: 98 superhawk
 

yo mar-i have been trying to figure out why that comment sounded so friggin familiar all nite....thanx for the post and letting me know...."i dont like you mavervick, your dangerous!"

Re: 98 superhawk
 

I feel the need...the need...for speed!!

Sorry, I'm such a post-whore.

Zakthor, do you still need a user's manual? I have a hardcopy if you want to borrow it...

Re: 98 superhawk
 

Marmalade boy was right on. I installed RaceTech valves and springs, and it made a HUGE difference. I go about 215 lbs, and it used to feel like I had a flat front tire on sharp-edged bumps, and dive way too much under braking. After the fork work, all that went away. Not cheap, but well worth it. As the others have said, keep using your safety gear, and learn a little every day. Good luck!

Re: 98 superhawk
 

Always assume that you are invisible to everyone....and...go into corners slow and come out fast.

Most crashes occur when people turn left in front of you at intersections...or change lanes into you.

If your riding with other bikers and feel like your pushing to keep up, let them go.

My buddy worked in a very busy bike shop (he was the service manager) and they would bet on who and how soon a new customer's bike would come back wrecked. Usually it was the 600 class where a guy would buy a bike to run with his buds who were more experienced. They would go rat'ing around and the new guy, trying to keep up, would go too hot into a corner, panic, hit the brakes and run off the road.

Re: 98 superhawk
 

Owners Manual:
Thanks for offering an owners-manual. I'm pretty happy with the service manual for now. Why doesn't honda make the owners manual available on the internet? Doesn't seem like it'd cost them much, and it seems like it'd help with customer satisfaction. Why doesn't someone scan the owners manual and put it on the web? If I get one, thats what I'll do.

Fork:
Well, I've got 2-2hour sessions of msf exercise under my belt. Bike is really comfortable at low speeds but I'm not dragging the footpegs yet. I think that will take a while.

I'm concerned about the fork, it sorta-kinda feels like it wants to wash out. It really does feel like the front tire is under-inflated. If this was a bicycle, I'd say I had too much weight over the front in the low-speed corners. I tried moving back off the seat but it doesn't seem to help.

My 150# friend said it felt fine, so it is maybe my extra weight driving the suspension too far down. The previous owner weighed 215 and had cranked the pre-load to maximum to compensate for the weak springs. I followed the service manual instructions for checking the preload. Can this behavior be due to fork-oil level? Anyway, I'm taking it to a friend of a friend "super machanic", we'll see.

Oh, and proper motorbike boots are way more comfortable than my big hiking boots. The thin soles/toes make for easier shifting and braking.

Safety:
Thanks for the top-gun advice, and also about the perils of riding with others. The bike clearly has more power than I know what to do with, actually more than I can imagine wanting. Although the bike is nice and light, and very comfortable, I did expect the handling to be better. We'll see how it is after the mechanic looks at it.

Eric

Don't do this:

http://www.pashnittours.com/video/Mo...ashnit-com.mpg

Re: 98 superhawk
 

Funny you should say that the front tire felt under inflated to you. That jogged my memory to when I first got mine, I thought the same thing, kept stopping and feeling the tire. I dont feel that anymore though. weird.

Re: 98 superhawk
 

nice vid...that is one very lucky to be alive rider!

Re: 98 superhawk
 

I dont get what happened there. He's accelerating hard, had to be concentrating, yet fails to notice the hard right coming up. Weird.

Re: 98 superhawk
 

I can't say for sure, but it looks to be the classic inexperienced rider mistake, often referred to as "target lock". He accelerates to pass, sees the corner coming up fast and panics. Rather than brake hard and enter the corner, his brain tells him he's not going to make it. Thsi causes his upper body to go stiff, which stands the motorcycle upright. You can't control a motorcycle with a stiff upper body. You have to remain calm in all situations. That's what is also referred to as "riding over your head". He had plenty of time to get set up for the corner if he hadn't paniced.

Riding a motorcycle is like riding a blind horse. It has lots of power and enthusiasm, but can only do exactly what the rider tells it to do. Relax, stay calm and ride within your means.

If you can, get some track experience. I can't say enough about how much that has helped my riding. When your brake rotors turn black and your tires are rolling gumballs off the edges, you are learning more than you could ever safely learn on the street.

It's a new season. Be safe everyone!

Re: 98 superhawk
 

Found out why the exhaust is so noisy. The cans slip over the exhaust pipes, and theres quite a bit of exhaust escaping forward from the right joint, the connection isn't sealed properly. I wrapped the connection with a towel and the exhaust is much quieter, and also sounds great.

What do I use to seal that connection? Make a metal shim? Locktite 596?

Re: 98 superhawk
 

had the same problem with my old cbr... i used exhaust pipe wrap. you can get a roll on ebay of 50' for like 15$ . wrap it like 3 times or until desired thickness at the end of the connector pipe. that area gets hot, especially on a twin

Noisy exhaust fixed, was missing gasket.
 

Ok, problem found.

I first tried making a gasket from Ultra Copper RVT Silicone. Let it dry for 4 hours, then started it up. Horrible smell in 3 minutes. I guess that part of the exhaust gets hotter than 700 degrees.

The left side wasn't leaking, and I could see it had some kind of gasket. I checked the service manual, and page 2-6 there is a gasket, and a new one is supposed to be used each time the exhaust is removed. I went to the local honda dealer and bought myself a $9 gasket. Its made of thin metal tape. The right side still leaks, but only a very little.

Exhaust sounds much better now, tighter and more harmonic, less barking cacophony. Still pretty loud though.

I'm not an exhaust engineer, but while the right exhaust was off, I could see that the inside of the pipes don't look so great wrt airflow. The right hand exhaust is fed out the side of a pipe, and there is about a half inch of extra pipe that looks like its in the way. Strange to leave that in there, maybe has to do with tuning the flow? Maybe has to do with keeping costs down?