Preaching to the Choir . . .

[Acrobat_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.

VLJ , there is an easy remedy for squealing brakes. Just a touch of a graphite grease at the points where brake pads makes contact with the calipers and pins. This stops the pads from oscillating and produce squealing.

[alprider]

I have a certain weakness for yellow, only bcos this i have now too a 17 modell...........ah no...my bodymass fit soooo well

the models are very similar of cours but i feel very clear the difference by susepnsion, i mean too the enginebreak works some differently (better) the the counterpart for this is : somehow you feel at any rpms the power differently bcos yes we know the air intake and exhaust has changed or the max torque is now 500rpms higher as before, ignition should be changed at 2 cylinders...... for me has logic that you can feel this (the different) and this feeling is supportet additionally from the sound smile ............

just i regret nothing i have not the same bikes...amen

[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".

[VLJ_imp]

Ulvetanna, the ride I'm taking next week will be identical to the one described in my "Magical Mystery Tour" thread. Same bike, same roads to get there, same destination (different hotel in Mendocino, though—the hotel I'd originally booked last time had to cancel on me at the last minute, so they offered me a free room for next time, which is why I'm heading right back to Mendocino again), same return route home via Hwy 128, the Wine Country, and Lake Berryessa. I doubt there will be any reason to take the same pictures again.

The only difference, besides the hotel and a slight chance of rain, will be that this time I'll be using a bungee net instead of the supplied straps to secure my tail bag. Hopefully there will no further surprises or adventures on that score.

Oh, and perhaps this time I will nut up a bit more and trust the front end enough to try stuffing it in harder through those fast downhill corners on Skaggs Springs Rd.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Ulvetanna, the ride I'm taking next week will be identical to the one described in my "Magical Mystery Tour" thread. Same bike, same roads to get there, same destination (different hotel in Mendocino, though—the hotel I'd originally booked last time had to cancel on me at the last minute, so they offered me a free room for next time, which is why I'm heading right back to Mendocino again), same return route home via Hwy 128, the Wine Country, and Lake Berryessa. I doubt there will be any reason to take the same pictures again.

The only difference, besides the hotel and a slight chance of rain, will be that this time I'll be using a bungee net instead of the supplied straps to secure my tail bag. Hopefully there will no further surprises or adventures on that score.

Oh, and perhaps this time I will nut up a bit more and trust the front end enough to try stuffing it in harder through those fast downhill corners on Skaggs Springs Rd.

Great roads up there, perfect bike for it. Did that tailbag come loose? I've known at least two riders who crashed because of a tailbag getting stuck in the rear wheel.

[VLJ_imp]

Make that three riders you've known who crashed when their tailbag worked its way down into the rear wheel. That's how I crashed my FJ1200 at 143 mph on Hwy 58 in the Mojave desert, back when I was a kid.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Uggghh.

[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.

[VLJ_imp]

Too pretty. Too sorted. Too rare. Too cool of a blue Honda companion for the red CB. Too much personal history with you. Too great of an option for when a buddy comes over.

Nope, you can't get rid of her. The Moto gods forbid it, and you never want to offend the Moto gods.

[pdedse]

That Hawk looks like a beauty pageant winner with her silver sash draped around her neck, falling to waist...which, btw, what is that? Is is structural or cosmetic? Aluminum? Not familiar with the bike, but pleasing to the eye.