Considering a 1990 NT650 19,000 miles for $2,800

[The_Chinadian]

Hello,

I am completely new to this forum and also new to motocycles. I'm thinking about purchasing a 1990 Hawk NT650 for $2,800 with 19,000 miles for my first bike.

Can anyone give me feedback on:
1. Whether this is a good deal?
2. Whether there is anything special I should know about the Hawk? I.e. are there any glitches in the design, the mechanics, the engine, etc?

Thanks for all the help,
Marcus

[Stevenjhow]

I bought mine for a $1,000....but, the guy selling it didn't really know what it was, also, it went down more than once leaving the tank, gauge cluster, handle bars, subframe, etc all messed up. But it ran great and rode straight( very supprised based on what it looked like). Needless to say, I think I got a great deal!

19,000 miles isn't too bad for a 19 year old bike, look at the general condition of the bike....does it look thrashed or abused? How does it run? Have you ridden it yet?

For a first bike the hawk is perfect, light weight, nimble, probably the easiest bike to ride, and when you get more comfortable with it, you will see that it WILL keep up with modern bikes in any twisty road. It is also a V-twin which makes it very forgiving if you are just learning to ride, plus it sounds badass. Hawks pretty much turn into favorites for people that get a chance to ride them, I mean alot of the guys in this forum have newer, bigger, faster bikes.....but absolutely love to ride their Hawk.

I have ridden many many bikes, but my Hawk is actually the first bike I sought after and searched for. It is the first and only bike that I bought up to this point, and I don't ever plan on selling it

[NT696]

+1
The mantra for EVERY former Hawk owner:
I never shoulda sold her, I never shoulda sold her, .....

-Perfect first bike. Just be careful, replacement plastic is getting harder to find now.

Even after almost 20 yrs the style is still good looking.

Read through the FAQ's and get familliar with the common mods. I doubt there is a bone stock, untouched in any way, Hawk in existence. $2,800 sounds about right for a rideable bike in decent shape. Dont forget money for leathers.
-Keep us posted

[LeftRightLeftThrottle]

My hawk came with race exhaust, jet kit and a K&N filter. 19k miles and I paid $1500 but thats a friend price. Just thought I'd throw this out for reference.

[jaysun0ne]

mine was an old track bike so it had all the typical mods
back in 2001 i paid 3000 but today 2500 would be the most i would ever go. there are so many good hawk deals, just need to know whare to look. IMO 2000 would be the perfect price to pay today, depending what shape its in. could get a running hawk for less than 1000 if you look hard enough.

[The_Chinadian]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Much appreciated.

I definitely think the Hawk is just a G O R G E O U S bike, and it seems like the right fit for me.

I also got the skinny on the shop. It turns out that they buy old track bikes (or bikes that have been wrecked) and make them street again. This may not have happened with the Hawk, but their reputation certainly worries me.

I will definitely keep everyone posted on what I come up with.

-Marcus

[motorcycleman]

Many hawks were and are raced. Some are returned to the street, like mine. Really there isn't much of a problem to this- they were designed with racing in mind. As far as first bike goes- they are great. They are also great for real world riding for experienced riders- most modern in-line four 600's bring far too much power to the street, which is a good way to get tickets, as well as to generally get yourself in trouble if you are a beginer and become addicted to speed. The hawkgt/bros is fast in the corners, less so on the straights. Which is perfect- the fun factor is high. (unless you live in a flat, curveless area )

I don't think $2800 is too much of the bike is perfect- clean, no body damage, excellent paint, mechanically perfect. Anything less should cost less. If/when you buy the bike get yourself a mechnics manual- there are a couple of things about the hawk which are not common on most other bikes- the single sided swing arm requires a special tool to adjust the chain- which should be in the tool kit. If not you will need one, and you will need to know what is proper adjustment (it should look slack when parked, unlike my bike at the moment). There are four spark plugs, one of which requires a special socket to remove.

Unlike many other bikes there is a special community that loves these bikes, and you have joined! So go get the bike!!!

[Hawk Jr]

I paid $2700 for mine. It had 10k on it and was in excellent condition. Stock with a custom paint job.



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[The_Chinadian]

Thanks for your perspective.

The bike I'm looking at is listed here:

http://grdcycle.com/

You may need to surf to the listings to find it. There's a picture.

Lemme know what you think. It does look super-clean, but then again, all their bikes look great...

[LeftRightLeftThrottle]

...most modern in-line four 600's bring far too much power to the street, which is a good way to get tickets...

I pulled into my building where I store the Hawk after a spirited commute home yesterday only to look around and see a sheriff sitting in front of my mailbox way down the driveway. I ducked into the house and he dissappeared, but it still got my attention. Even the Hawk can attract Johnny Law if you snake around enough slow (5 over?) cages

[motorcycleman]

Looks stock except for the exhaust, directionals and the little wind screen. Good looking bike- find out if its a repaint, look for hidden corrosion (greying switches, corrosion to the aluminum frame) which could indicated it was stored outdoors. Looks like a nice bike tho.

[The_Chinadian]

Looks stock except for the exhaust, directionals and the little wind screen. Good looking bike- find out if its a repaint, look for hidden corrosion (greying switches, corrosion to the aluminum frame) which could indicated it was stored outdoors. Looks like a nice bike tho.

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated.

Would it be possible to do a repaint and put new decals on it like that? Or is the Hawk emblem painted on? Regardless, I will ask about it and check for the corrosion that you mention.

[motorcycleman]

Factory looking repaint is possible- and I wouldn't call a repaint a deal breaker if it looks good to you. Only folks who want a collectable bike (as if they are going to put it into a museum) should be looking for original paint. You want to ride, right? If it looks good to you, everything works good and the tires are decent you should be happy with it at that price (and remember that cash talks- you may be able to get it for $2500)

[Doc]

I paid $2000 on ebay for what SMF called "the cleanest hawk" he had ever seen.
700 motor cams, VFR rear wheel...

I hate to say it but $2800 is getting high for a Hawk. I bet you can get one closer to $2000.

Oh and that bike that your looking at... Damn fine example. I would be VERY suprised if it was ever raced.

[MrDude_1]

Thanks for your perspective.

The bike I'm looking at is listed here:

http://grdcycle.com/

You may need to surf to the listings to find it. There's a picture.

Lemme know what you think. It does look super-clean, but then again, all their bikes look great...

thats the place that ended up screwing me on my RC51 stuff.