Comments on: Honda Hawk GT http://www.tanshanomi.com/honda-hawk-gt Short, opinionated, unsubstantiated capsule ratings of street-legal motorcycles from 1970 to today. Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:00:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: rocketrodeo http://www.tanshanomi.com/honda-hawk-gt/comment-page-1#comment-364 rocketrodeo Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:11:44 +0000 http://www.tanshanomi.com/?p=2675#comment-364 Out of the box, agreed, the Hawk GT was not an incredibly remarkable bike -- but I (and many, many others) looked at the NT650 as a do-it-yourself sportbike kit. For its time, it was reasonably advanced; besides the early extruded aluminum spar frame, it also had that lovely ELF-derived single-sided swingarm, the first in the US and contemporaneous with the VFR750R elsewhere in the world. And it was very, very lightweight. Bolt-on improvements, widely available for peanuts, completely transform its character. Popular and cheap mods include a CBR600F2 front end, a CBR900RR rear shock, and a VFR750 rear wheel. And you're completely correct about the seat; much as I hate to do business with Corbin, it was an absolute necessity. Two Brothers Racing campaigned an "RC31" with appropriate bodywork circa 1990; I believe it's still available. And the Hawk GT's cult popularity on and off the track, I am certain, is what made the SV650 possible. Looking at it today, I marvel at how contemporary it has remained, down to the swingarm and stubby low-slung muffler. It's the one bike that I have sold that I truly miss. Out of the box, agreed, the Hawk GT was not an incredibly remarkable bike — but I (and many, many others) looked at the NT650 as a do-it-yourself sportbike kit. For its time, it was reasonably advanced; besides the early extruded aluminum spar frame, it also had that lovely ELF-derived single-sided swingarm, the first in the US and contemporaneous with the VFR750R elsewhere in the world.

And it was very, very lightweight. Bolt-on improvements, widely available for peanuts, completely transform its character. Popular and cheap mods include a CBR600F2 front end, a CBR900RR rear shock, and a VFR750 rear wheel. And you're completely correct about the seat; much as I hate to do business with Corbin, it was an absolute necessity. Two Brothers Racing campaigned an "RC31" with appropriate bodywork circa 1990; I believe it's still available. And the Hawk GT's cult popularity on and off the track, I am certain, is what made the SV650 possible. Looking at it today, I marvel at how contemporary it has remained, down to the swingarm and stubby low-slung muffler.

It's the one bike that I have sold that I truly miss.

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