its funny how when you get older, you forget things. i have forgotten about the honda hawk. why do i bring this up you might ask? well i saw a monster coming toward me on the enne king parkway , (dedham mass, for you no local types) and i realized when it passed me it was in fact a 1980,s something honda hawk. round headlight sort of trellis frame and if i remember correctly a single sided swingarm. could this moto bike that has been long since retired been some kind of inspiration of the monster? its funny it has somewhat of a cult following from what i hear and have read. and i was actually looking at one about 4 years ago. but when i would type in "hawk" on e-bay, i would get a few hawks of different years and lots of super hawks. so i went with the super and forgot about the somewhat original machine.
Was the hawk a v-twin? i don't remember that. and what size was it? i don't remember much. thats for sure. i wish i knew how to post pics i would find some and do a comparo. but maybe i could sub someone here on the site to do that for me.
the ron [evil]
The 1988 Honda NT650 was a V-twin - single sided swingarm too. I don't know if it was an inspiration for anything but I really like them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/1988HondaHawkGT-02.jpg
You're right... that does look like a monster... with the trellis frame replaced by a bar of aluminum. Nice looking bikes.
I would say that Galluzzi was aware of the Honda Hawk. In the wiki on the Hawk:
Quote
The Hawk GT was one of the first modern Naked bikes along with the Yamaha SRX, which were both released several years before the Ducati Monster and eventually the Suzuki SV650.
&
Quote
Part of the dismal sales for the Hawk was the lack of clarity in its design: was it a standard with a high-tech frame or a sportbike with a low-tech motor and no bodywork?
While it may have been an inspiration for naked bikes, it was more of a standard than a naked. The Hawk was not descended from a sport bike, and it suffered in comparison to the middle weight Honda sportbike of that time, the CBR600F.
interesting. maybe it came at the wrong time. i wonder what was the first single sided swingarm production motorcycle? anyone know?
the ron [evil]
Quote from: Bill in OKC on June 13, 2008, 02:53:48 PM
The 1988 Honda NT650 was a V-twin - single sided swingarm too. I don't know if it was an inspiration for anything but I really like them.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/1988HondaHawkGT-02.jpg
Mine:
(http://www.hawkgt.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/10132/DCP_1144_edited.jpg)
(http://www.hawkgt.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/10132/DCP_1138-i.jpg)
Looking to trade up to a Ducati.....
There were a few naked sporty Japanese bikes available in the US at that time. Insurance companies were doing their best not to insure faired sport bikes. I think Galluzi was probably more influenced by the naked Euro street fighters of the time, though I am quite sure he was aware of the Hawk.
Quote from: SSSA on June 13, 2008, 08:45:37 PM
Mine:
(http://www.hawkgt.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/10132/DCP_1144_edited.jpg)
(http://www.hawkgt.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/10132/DCP_1138-i.jpg)
Looking to trade up to a Ducati.....
wow, that is pretty cool. you have to hand it to honda. liquid cooling to boot. [thumbsup]
the ron [evil]
Quote from: SSSA on June 13, 2008, 08:45:37 PM
Mine:
(http://www.hawkgt.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/10132/DCP_1144_edited.jpg)
(http://www.hawkgt.com/photoalbum/albums/userpics/10132/DCP_1138-i.jpg)
Looking to trade up to a Ducati.....
Looks better than a stock Suzuki SV650. I like it especially from those camera angles.
When I was in HS I always wanted one of those or a Suzuki Bandit 400.
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l149/r_triatmono/Motorcycle/GSF400Bandit.jpg)
another style similar to the Monster.
Scary part is, The Ducati Monster almost never was, It was meant to be a Cagiva Monster!
Hawk was almost my first bike back in '96. There was one sitting in front of the Yamaha shop in Flagstaff. It was the clostest looking thing I knew of next to a Monster (the bike I REALLY wanted). Unfortunately, the bike was laid down a couple times. The DR350 ended up being my ride instead since Ducati was about 150 miles away.
Those are nice pics though!!
I just sold my beloved Hawk, I had it for ten years, put on 78,000 miles and sold it for what I paid for it. It was a great bike, it gave its all and asked for nothing. The maintenance schedule was tough...you had to replace the spark plugs every 50,000 miles.
While criticized at the time as being a high-tech frame with an off-the-shelf moto, it didn't take much to get them to breathe better, then guys went out and won races on them, they became a cult-bike
Mine too was that dark gray, only mods were Corbin, Supertrapp, stage 1 jetting and K&N filter.
I rode it fully loaded with camping gear up Hwy 1 to Nor Cal several times and once to Oregon. But mostly it was my everyday get-around, playing in traffic. It always looked like a modern bike.
Last week a watched it roll out the driveway. After three months with my Monster, I had de-bugged and gained enough confidence in the Monster to sell the Hawk. I didn't want to, the Hawk was so tractor-reliable, but I don't really have room for two bikes. It went to a good home, the guy bugged me for years that if I wanted to sell it to call him. He called me when he heard about my Monster.
i misread the thread topic as "The Honda Gawk"
Quote from: the ron on June 13, 2008, 02:25:47 PM
its funny how when you get older, you forget things. i have forgotten about the honda hawk. why do i bring this up you might ask? well i saw a monster coming toward me on the enne king parkway , (dedham mass, for you no local types) and i realized when it passed me it was in fact a 1980,s something honda hawk. round headlight sort of trellis frame and if i remember correctly a single sided swingarm. could this moto bike that has been long since retired been some kind of inspiration of the monster? its funny it has somewhat of a cult following from what i hear and have read. and i was actually looking at one about 4 years ago. but when i would type in "hawk" on e-bay, i would get a few hawks of different years and lots of super hawks. so i went with the super and forgot about the somewhat original machine.
Was the hawk a v-twin? i don't remember that. and what size was it? i don't remember much. thats for sure. i wish i knew how to post pics i would find some and do a comparo. but maybe i could sub someone here on the site to do that for me.
the ron [evil]
So.....when you say the 696 "looks Japanese"....don't you just mean it's returning to it's
true monster roots? [cheeky]
Quote from: someguy on June 14, 2008, 08:47:36 PM
So.....when you say the 696 "looks Japanese"....don't you just mean it's returning to it's true monster roots? [cheeky]
Good one [thumbsup]
I tried to buy one of those in 1994, for the whole year I'd run them down and find that they were selling for more than the original price, just a carzy idea to me at the time. A dealer finally filled me in, there were several guys in the country buying up every one they could get their hands on and shipping them in bulk to europe, where they had already attained cult status. Bothered me for years, until I saw a Monster.
I remember the little 400 Hawk that came out in the later half of the 80's. It was called the CB-1 and was available in 88-89. I'd say Honda was ahead of their time with the two Hawks, the 650 and the 400 both. I'm happy to say that I got to try both of them out and would love to find either one today as I would snap them up.
(http://www.cb-1.com/frames/cb1.jpg)
Quote from: someguy on June 14, 2008, 08:47:36 PM
So.....when you say the 696 "looks Japanese"....don't you just mean it's returning to it's true monster roots? [cheeky]
ha, ha [coffee]
the ron [evil]
Quote from: gearhead on June 15, 2008, 06:41:18 AM
I remember the little 400 Hawk that came out in the later half of the 80's. It was called the CB-1 and was available in 88-89. I'd say Honda was ahead of their time with the two Hawks, the 650 and the 400 both. I'm happy to say that I got to try both of them out and would love to find either one today as I would snap them up.
I remember seeing those, and the GB500, in the showroom next to a Hawk.
The CB-1 was more expensive, and looked 'cheap' next to the aluminum frame and SSS of the Hawk.
IIRC, the GB was more $ as well.
I *may* have seen a CB-1 on the road a long tome ago, and I saw a few GB's on the road, but neither sold very well.
I've never ridden a CB-1, but it seems it'd be good fun.
Quote from: gearhead on June 15, 2008, 06:41:18 AM
I remember the little 400 Hawk that came out in the later half of the 80's. It was called the CB-1 and was available in 88-89. I'd say Honda was ahead of their time with the two Hawks, the 650 and the 400 both. I'm happy to say that I got to try both of them out and would love to find either one today as I would snap them up.
(http://www.cb-1.com/frames/cb1.jpg)
The CB1 was not called a "hawk" just the CB1, it was an I4. Honda did have a 400 and a 450 parallel twin called the CB4*0 hawk from 1978-1982 and eventually it turned into the Nighthawk series.
Quote from: Dave R on June 15, 2008, 02:52:27 PM
The CB1 was not called a "hawk" just the CB1, it was an I4. Honda did have a 400 and a 450 parallel twin called the CB4*0 hawk from 1978-1982 and eventually it turned into the Nighthawk series.
explain something to me, was the sss only available on the 600 or was it a certain year or model that had it ???
the ron [evil]
The Hawk Gt NT650 had the SSSA.
Mines an 88.
This year it's 20 years old.
Quote from: the ron on June 15, 2008, 03:41:20 PM
explain something to me, was the sss only available on the 600 or was it a certain year or model that had it ???
the ron [evil]
On the NT650GT (649cc, w/c, 3 valve heads) often called the Hawk GT was Honda's first SSS production effort. It was discussed elsewhere, those early GT's had the word "ELF" on the frame at he swingarm pivot point referring to the partnership with ELF who I would say successfully first applied the SSS to modern day racing. The first 2 year models 88,89 in the US were blue or silver and then red only in 90. What hurt them back then was the price... MSRP in 88 was like $4099 I believe.. they sold great as 2 year old non current models and are highly sought after in the used market still. In Europe it was shaft drive and called a "Revere"
My favorite hawk GT. (From my local craigslist) The bike sold for only $2000
I wish i had bigger pictures.
(http://images.craigslist.org/01150001160301031220080530846fe8abbabaf1e4a900ba45.jpg)
(http://images.craigslist.org/0101060115060102002008053035a893397e4e154fbe0010ef.jpg)
Quote from: Dave R on June 16, 2008, 12:22:57 AM
On the NT650GT (649cc, w/c, 3 valve heads) often called the Hawk GT was Honda's first SSS production effort. It was discussed elsewhere, those early GT's had the word "ELF" on the frame at he swingarm pivot point referring to the partnership with ELF who I would say successfully first applied the SSS to modern day racing. The first 2 year models 88,89 in the US were blue or silver and then red only in 90. What hurt them back then was the price... MSRP in 88 was like $4099 I believe.. they sold great as 2 year old non current models and are highly sought after in the used market still. In Europe it was shaft drive and called a "Revere"
Here's a shot of the ELF sticker off my Hawk:
(http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/829/stickeraf5.jpg)
Pay no mind to the grimey nastiness. Once you start riding one, you never want to stop to wash it... [thumbsup]
And it wasn't really the price itself that hurt the sales, it was the fact that sitting on the other side of every showroom was a full-fairing, racier-looking CBR for not even $1K more. While the Hawk was cool looking, nobody could really pin down what it was for. The chassis was way more advanced than any other standard/naked bike of the day and pretty much ruling it out of that category, but the engine wasn't up to snuff with current full-fairing sportbikes so it wasn't considered a sportbike either. A lot of people just played it safe and got a CBR instead and never even test rode the Hawk. I think if a lot of them took one out for a good ride they may have swung the other way...
There actually was a proper 400 version of the Hawk (not a CB1) available in Japan, and a lot of them made their way over to Europe as well. Who knows, maybe a couple made it over here too. The Revere was specifically the shaft-driven version, with some other smaller differences as well, but in Europe the standard Hawk was also known as the Bros. Eventually it evolved into the current Deauville which, of course, we don't get in the States.
I remember the Hawk being such a huge thing in the Bay Area when they were in their heyday. I also remember laying down in the park grass one day and trying to pick out the Hawks and the Ducatis.
It's kinda funny when people get surprised about the bikes that Honda has put out over the years. If they would nut-up and sell half the things they prototype or play around with they'd be at the top of my list. Amazing engineers, almost always more efficient and faster, and will run forever. They do all that and still manage to keep a soul in their bikes.
I mean, that cb1100r they were thinking about making is just sexay...
(http://bp1.blogger.com/_hKkYZ9GWzKA/R0SrfSB6UdI/AAAAAAAAAR8/tdLqia0_7hc/s400/cbr1100r-4.jpg)
Quote from: FireInTheHole on June 16, 2008, 07:16:45 AM
It's kinda funny when people get surprised about the bikes that Honda has put out over the years. If they would nut-up and sell ha;f the things they prototype or play around with they'd be at the top of my list. Amazing engineers, almost always more efficient and faster, and will run forever. They do all that and still manage to keep a soul in their bikes.
I mean, that cb1100r they were thinking about making is just sexay...
(http://bp1.blogger.com/_hKkYZ9GWzKA/R0SrfSB6UdI/AAAAAAAAAR8/tdLqia0_7hc/s400/cbr1100r-4.jpg)
I'll take one of those, please. ;D
I rode a 1989 hawk gt all through college and lawschool. Loved it. Sold it in 2000 for what I paid.
Inspiration? who knows...but the transition from hawk gt to superhawk to rc51 to S4RS certainly was smooth and easy and never felt like I was going backwards.
Quote from: alan on June 16, 2008, 06:11:05 AM
My favorite hawk GT. (From my local craigslist) The bike sold for only $2000
I wish i had bigger pictures.
(http://images.craigslist.org/01150001160301031220080530846fe8abbabaf1e4a900ba45.jpg)
(http://images.craigslist.org/0101060115060102002008053035a893397e4e154fbe0010ef.jpg)
is that a 916 front end????
the ron [evil]
Funny, I almost bought that Hawk/Duc when he was asking $3K. I rode it, ran and handled well. By the time I had the money he didn't return calls, I wondered what happened to that thing. I also had funny feelings about it, while it looked good and appeared to be well executed, it still seemed a bit like those Fieros with the aftermarket Ferrari bodywork. In the long run it was better to get a Ducati but somebody got a nice Hawk for cheap.