Preaching to the Choir . . .

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Guth, why on earth are you going to get rid of a Hawk GT? Those things were so seriously cool, and now there's nothing else like them.

I really loved those things.

Ulvetanna, yes, I suspect that the brake squealing will eventually go away. If it doesn't, I'll have the dealer remedy it under warranty. This is the first of my twenty-five or so bikes that has had any brake squeal. It doesn't really matter much, except that it's the lone fly in the ointment of what is otherwise a functionally perfect motorcycle to me. I just want that one imperfection gone, is all.

As for steel lines and HH pads, they aren't on my radar at the moment. I immediately slapped them onto the XSR, as the stock brakes felt a bit dull to me. Not so, with this '17 EX. Squeals aside, I have no complaints. Perhaps, as you say, they could be even better, but I certainly don't need them to be better.

I'm taking her on another two-day right up the coast next Tuesday and Wednesday, and I will again hit Skaggs Spring Rd, so we'll see. I'll pay particular attention to the brakes that entire ride.

I had one; my 2017 SV650 is the closest thing to that bike in terms of handling. VERY similar. But the Hawk GT handled better. SV is much faster though. I love the V-twin in a bike like that. Supreme.

If that bike is well-cared for it should be worth more than one might expect as it's a cult bike.

Very interesting that Guth found the Hawk GT and the CB1100 as "keepers" as the two bikes are diametrically opposed from a design perspective. The Hawk was cutting-edge for its time, aluminum frame, single-sided swingarm, etcetera. Great machine. I would buy another but for the carburetors, and the SV is so close in handling with double the power. 20 pounds heavier, too, but not noticeable.

Guth, why on earth are you going to get rid of a Hawk GT? Those things were so seriously cool, and now there's nothing else like them.

I really loved those things.

Ulvetanna, yes, I suspect that the brake squealing will eventually go away. If it doesn't, I'll have the dealer remedy it under warranty. This is the first of my twenty-five or so bikes that has had any brake squeal. It doesn't really matter much, except that it's the lone fly in the ointment of what is otherwise a functionally perfect motorcycle to me. I just want that one imperfection gone, is all.

As for steel lines and HH pads, they aren't on my radar at the moment. I immediately slapped them onto the XSR, as the stock brakes felt a bit dull to me. Not so, with this '17 EX. Squeals aside, I have no complaints. Perhaps, as you say, they could be even better, but I certainly don't need them to be better.

I'm taking her on another two-day right up the coast next Tuesday and Wednesday, and I will again hit Skaggs Spring Rd, so we'll see. I'll pay particular attention to the brakes that entire ride.

Oh no, I wasn't suggesting the bike needed that setup. Only reason I did it is because for some reason I was experiencing some knuckle and joint pain in both hands for a few months, and wanted to reduce lever effort to the bare minimum. I had also installed the CB500 bars (thank you, Mr. Beck) and needed to shorten the clutch/brake lines. The hand condition cleared up completely, thankfully, and I had a bike with fantastic brakes. The CB's brakes stock are excellent. I wouldn't touch them without a really good reason. Pads, feel, the whole thing is very well designed.

Guth, why on earth are you going to get rid of a Hawk GT? Those things were so seriously cool, and now there's nothing else like them.

I really loved those things.

Ulvetanna, yes, I suspect that the brake squealing will eventually go away. If it doesn't, I'll have the dealer remedy it under warranty. This is the first of my twenty-five or so bikes that has had any brake squeal. It doesn't really matter much, except that it's the lone fly in the ointment of what is otherwise a functionally perfect motorcycle to me. I just want that one imperfection gone, is all.

As for steel lines and HH pads, they aren't on my radar at the moment. I immediately slapped them onto the XSR, as the stock brakes felt a bit dull to me. Not so, with this '17 EX. Squeals aside, I have no complaints. Perhaps, as you say, they could be even better, but I certainly don't need them to be better.

I'm taking her on another two-day right up the coast next Tuesday and Wednesday, and I will again hit Skaggs Spring Rd, so we'll see. I'll pay particular attention to the brakes that entire ride.

If that isn't a test for the bike's suspension and handling, I don't know what is. I did that road two-up on my 2013. Try to take some pictures or video, won't you?

I will state that with a passenger, low bars, and Ikon shocks, the bike did surprisingly well. I really don't recall anything about the ride that was offputting. Overall the 2013 can hold its own admirably even in "sport" mode with less than $1000 of mods (handlebars, brake/clutch lines, Ikon shocks).

I guess the K&N air filter and holes drilled in the tailpipe don't amount to much but they did give the bike a little more "growl".