Enable Me: Sper on a Bike Edition

Sperlo, how many miles a year do you drive, and how many during bike season?

This thread got blowed up y0

That's because it's an awesome thread.

http://m.grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/honda-hawk-gt-nt650/61317/page1/

/thread

^^ Awesome first bike. It was my first, and I still have it, though it's far from stock now.

Won't last long at that price. The cult of the Hawk is still strong.

Here's mine: These pictures are...lord, about 8 years old now.

In reply to alex:

What year bike? Man that looks slik and modern. Any issues with that exhaust on the tire?

'88. Bone stock when I got it, not so much any more. And no, the pipe pointing at the tire has never caused an issue, and it's been like that for at least 10 years now.

In reply to J308:

You mention a 919 for $1800 and then tell us used bikes don't depreciate? The 919 is funny, it seemed like a great bike from a distance (never rode one, heavily considered them before getting my VFR), but there was never much enthusiasm for it from the general riding public that I could tell.

I'm also not sure if I'd take advice in a situation like this from a guy that's wrecked multiple motorcycles...

In reply to alex:

What are the pros and cons of that as opposed to a SV650?

A Street Triple is my object of lust but it is newer, mor expensive, higher performance, and I have not seen any good option to attach any kind of attractive and functional wind screen

pres589 wrote: In reply to J308: I'm also not sure if I'd take advice in a situation like this from a guy that's wrecked multiple motorcycles...

No E36 M3.

In reply to Beer Baron:

I'm going to jump in here and say that there isn't a single reason to pick a Hawk GT over an SV650. I'm also going to use eBay as a information source; there's a ton more parts out there to fix an SV650 than there is a Hawk, there's more upgrades and more guys selling pieces. There's more SV650's raced, there's more of them to pick from, and I seriously doubt a Hawk in good condition will be any cheaper, if not cost more.

Now there's a lot of opinion in this mess but I'd be curious if anyone could prove any of it wrong. If a Hawk GT is local and a guy is looking for a smaller-framed 90 degree V-Twin sporty bike, by all means go check it out, but I don't understand why anyone would be wet about one vs. the SV.

Street Triple seems like a great bike with a stupid headlight setup that makes finding a good aftermarket windscreen much harder than it should be. They might be great lamps as far as illumination and I know not everyone wants a bike that looks the same, but a single round large headlight from, oh I dunno, an SV650n would open up a lot of options.

No, there's not a pragmatic reason to pick a Hawk over an SV. I like SV's just fine, I've ridden plenty, and I have recommended and will continue to recommend them as very capable motorcycles for any skill level of riding. And I'll take their v-twin over an I-4 any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

But the Hawk has a certain je ns sais quois. It was one of the first twin spar aluminum frames on a production bike (some say the first), developed in conjunction with Elf for Honda's RC30 racing program; it had the first aluminum single-sided swingarm on a production bike. It was ahead of its time in certain ways, and simultaneously poorly-timed by Honda (big shock there) because it was seemingly underpowered next to its "race replica" CBR600 stablemate, and only a couple hundred dollars cheaper. So it languished in the showroom and was only sold for 4 years, but it developed a cult following. Granted, some of that mystique has faded over the years, but for plenty of folks, the Hawk will always be under our skin.

And the Street Triple R is probably the best sport streetbike available right now. I'll take mine with the proper dual round headlights, please.

In reply to alex:

It should be noted that I have a clear bias towards a big round headlight; I even spent some time trying to figure out how to take my RC46 to a naked state with a single round headlamp but gave up because of all the mess with the cooling system (never mind the pile of wiring that would need relocation work).

I'm a 7" headlight guy myself. I have dual 4.75"s on my TL streetfighter, and although I feel they match the bonkers character of the bike, I'm really tempted to go to a 7" single just for a more timeless look - and to attract less attention from cops and stunt-bros. (No, I don't want to race you (in a straight line on the highway), and no, I won't be pulling any sick wheelies because it starves the oil pickup and it'll lunch the motor, but thanks for asking, brah.)

But I think Speed and Street Triples should always have dual round headlights. The new squinty bug eyes are a travesty to me.

alex wrote: . And the Street Triple R is probably the best sport streetbike available right now. I'll take mine with the proper dual round headlights, please.

Exactly what Im thinking. Not too tough to find on CL for around $7k. I just want a decent option for wind deflection.Do flyscreens or sport style deflectors make a significant impact? I can find those easy.

Andor suck it up and deal with wind blast for the sake of such a perfect bike?

Can anyone help that bike land in my driveway? I don't want to have to ride a bike home.

Andy, you have a PM. This may be hard to make work, but I want that bike.

(edit: it opened in the mobile browser. I thought it wad yours. Thanks, but it'll be gone before i get the cash together. The plan is to get a bike within the year.)

pres589 wrote: In reply to J308: You mention a 919 for $1800 and then tell us used bikes don't depreciate? The 919 is funny, it seemed like a great bike from a distance (never rode one, heavily considered them before getting my VFR), but there was never much enthusiasm for it from the general riding public that I could tell. I'm also not sure if I'd take advice in a situation like this from a guy that's wrecked multiple motorcycles...

RealMiniDriver wrote: No E36 M3.

If I were concerned about crashing or getting crashed, I would take advice from someone who can basically do anything on a streetbike. Sure, lots of people can wheelie, and a few can stoppie, but a small, SMALL percentage can back-it-in or drift a bike. I would also listen if this person has been down a few times, some ADMITTEDLY to his own stupidity, trying to give you real world advice that it's not a matter of if, but when.

N Sperlo has two pages of GS500, EX250, EX500, Ninja 300, etc. Before coming back with his first streetbike choice of, wait for it... GSXR 750.

RE: 919 values, they haven't built that bike in 6 years. Check the used value of a one-generation old bike vs a new one then get back to me. Reference the GSXR750 that our subject wants, on ebay right now there are 2009's for $8-9k with less than 10k miles. Why the berkeley would anyone spend $9,000 on a four year old bike, out of warranty, when you can buy a brand berkeleying new one for $11,300? Again, check values. I've been bike shopping for probably 15 bikes in the past 17 years.

I have an uninterrupted decade of 10-12k mile years of pretty advanced riding. Too bad I haven't learned in that time to stay the berkeley out of "what first bike?" threads. So long suckers.

Good luck with your buy, Sperlo, looking forward to updates on the purchase.

N Sperlo wrote: Can anyone help that bike land in my driveway? I don't want to have to ride a bike home. Andy, you have a PM. This may be hard to make work, but I want that bike. (edit: it opened in the mobile browser. I thought it wad yours. Thanks, but it'll be gone before i get the cash together. The plan is to get a bike within the year.)

I'm a fan of both the 1) back a truck into a small ditch and use a small ramp to unload, and 2) industrial park or grocery store loading docks with variable height, methods.

But don't take advice from me, I don't know E36 M3 about bikes.

Edit: but do listen to Alex. That streetfighter Hawk is badass. Although you might not like riding without mirrors, it takes a bit of getting used to.

pres589 wrote: In reply to Beer Baron: I'm going to jump in here and say that there isn't a single reason to pick a Hawk GT over an SV650.

If we were speaking on rational terms I'd have to agree with you. The truth is though, that picking a motorcycle is an emotional choice for a lot of guys. Some guys like the look of a Harley, some like a Sportbike, some see themselves on a Dual-Sport. It all depends on what you want.

Personally, although I know the SV 650 is a great bike, I find them really ugly. (especially those vertical tail-lights) I also know the Hawk GT is a well loved bike---- and I find them damn good looking.

I know, it shouldn't matter, but it does. I feel the same way about the V-Strom--- great bike, but pretty hard to look at. Not everyone cares about how a bike looks, but unless we are kidding ourselves, most do.

^ This. That's why I mentioned new sytle Ninja 250 and 300. All of the flash of SS without the warp speed performance and a nice recoverable sub $5k buy-in.

Speaking of taking a fall on bike . . . Some riders go down once, scare themselves E36 M3less and never ride again. You have to keep that in mind as well, because you will drop it. Ham fisting the throttle to a fall and taking tumble are two different experiences. I'll take the tumble . . .

I think the main reason l'm suggesting lower powered bikes is so you can get your "sea-legs". The fastest bike they have at the MSF courses I've taken was a 250 . . . Most are 125s. You drop them, the repair costs are cheap. If you've never been over 40mph on a bike, a 600 SS sytle bike shouldn't be the first thing to throw a leg across. Your first years of riding a bike should help focus on the fundamentals, not worrying creating a white knuckle experience of inappropriate throttle application that will make you not want to ride.

Again . . IMHO.

I've a 125. Didn't hurt and came up laughing. My pants got stuck on the kick start, my eyes got big and I slowly went down. I take that back. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Anyway, if I Cam find one of these guys when I have the cash, I'll take it, but if I go GSX-r, I'm going with the 600. If I berkeley up the fairings, is time to customize. Maybe cage it.maybe I'll see about buying a new one caged, but that probably means much more $$$&$&&$$$$$&.

I would love a caged bike so I could go horse around worry free!.

In reply to Beer Baron:

Personally, windscreens bug me. I've never found one I liked being behind. The only ones that don't buffet me like crazy are the giant ones like a K1200LT, and then being inside a quiet pocket of air while doing 95mph is too much cognitive dissonance for me. I'll take the clean air of a naked bike any day.

That said, a small flyscreen can help push the air up off your chest and onto your shoulders.

It's a highly personal thing. But I'd personally advocate for sucking it up and finding more twisty roads to distract you.

In reply to alex:

I live on HWY1 several hours north of San Francisco. Its all twisty roads within at least 1.5 hours range. You have to hunt to find strait ones.

In reply to N Sperlo: I received the PM. Sorry, I don't think that I will be able to help you this time. SV 650s have a similar ride and are more numerous & easy to find. I wouldn't mind owning one of those either. TBH, my next V twin bike will probably be a Duc, KTM or possibly a Guzzi, but I have years in the saddle and the skills to perform most of the maintenance myself.

Good luck, and take a MSF class or two.