Preaching to the Choir . . .

[Guth_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 love these things too. Honestly, this was my "dream bike". I've noted many times here through the years that this was the very first street bike that I ever truly desired as a young adult (enough to go fill out all of the paperwork down at the dealer). But in the end the timing just wasn't right. Much later on when I got back into riding again eleven years ago (and out on the street for the first time ever), the Hawk was the only bike I wanted to get my hands on. The Monsters and the SV650's came along after the Hawk with a similar vibe, but I was never as crazy about them as I was about the Hawk GT. You guys know me well enough by now: while I could have picked up a SV650 for a song, and they were much easier to come by than the Hawks, regardless of the performance gains the SV's just weren't attractive enough for me, lol.

It's not so much that I want to get rid of the Hawk, but more a matter of me just having too many toys/hobbies as it is that take up a lot of my time — I have a very understanding wife. When we moved the S2000 into the garage last year I vowed that I would sell one of my bikes. I don't regret committing to do so, but I will be sad to see this bike go. I still like to do my own work on my vehicles as much as I can.(I've never taken my CB to the dealer). As a result, even though they are just mechanical objects, I tend to form a pretty deep bond with my vehicles. When I sell the Hawk on, the new owner is going to receive a very well sorted bike (all stock with the exception of a Penske rear shock, Race Tech springs and Gold Valve Emulators up front along with SS brake lines). Here's a photo of it last year after I brought it home with a new set of shoes. Like I said, this bike is very well sorted.





As much as I love the Hawk, the CB1100 is the bike that I ride more often. While I still refer to the Hawk as my dream bike, and it was the motorcycle that I most identified with as a younger man, I'm just not riding it all that much. Even as I continue to lose weight, the ergos are a bit cramped for me and I simply prefer to sit more upright when I ride. Maybe that's because I grew up riding dirt bikes, I don't know. Even though I was just a kid during the glory days of Honda's CB range of bikes, I also happen to love the CB1100. The CB1100 appeals to me not only as a motorcycle, but also as a chapter within Honda's own history. It holds far too strong a grip on me for me to consider moving it along to someone else. I truly hope that whoever ends up my the Hawk next will be able to appreciate it for what it is. I definitely appreciate my CB1100 for what it is and I'm confident that I'll continue to enjoy this bike for as long as I'm still riding motorcycles. I look at my situation as parting ways with one friend while getting to know another one even better.