Hawk GT part II
I’m new here, this is my story. My favorite motorcycle of all time is the Hawk GT. I was finally lucky enough to own one around twenty years ago. Had it for a few years, got restless and sold it. Have regretted it ever since, especially since the girl I sold it to used to come in for parts to the Honda dealer I worked at. That bike was a grey 1988 (VIN 0184). Mods included Two Bros exhaust (not sure if it was jetted), Corbin seat, homemade rearset plates, F2 clipons, SS brake lines ( rear routed thru swingarm), larger rear sprocket with 520 chain conversion, small National Cycle windscreen, Metzeler Lazers.
Last week I finally found and pulled the trigger on another Hawk, another grey 1988 (VIN 0259), with about 22k miles. Bike is solid, not hacked up. Bike was a CA bike, originally owned by an older engineer, bought in 2003 by the last owner, also an engineer/roadracer ( Ive found engineers usually take care of their stuff). He moved it to CT in 2011, and put about 120 miles on it since. Tires on it are date code1402. Mods include Supertrapp exhaust, mild jetting (bigger mains I assume for the exhaust), Corbin seat. Came with a Lockhart fairing ( needs side brackets, where do I find those?), the hard to find (I think) side panel inserts (anybody know who made those?), and a new set of tires. Apparently it had one mild incident, as the speedo was replaced at 17k miles due to mild damage, as well as a scratched headlight bezel, front fender has a scuff, and front brake lever is tweaked. Rear cowl piece is solid, no cracks or breaks which Im happy about. Bike has some oxidation to fork tubes and engine cases, which last owner said happened since it moved to the great humid northeast US.
My plans are to do a mild resto mod. Clean it up. Refresh as many rubber bits as I can, SS brake lines and new pads, chain and sprockets, refresh forks (springs, oil, etc) and thinking of powdercoating the lower tubes to take care of the oxidation. May channel my inner twenty year old and powdercoat the wheels (black? Hi viz yellow?). New shock. New tires. The new tires it came with are date code from 2009 but feel ok, still are sticky to the touch. Tires are Battlax front is 120/70-17 and 160/60-17. Not sure I want to go with that front size. Contemplating pod filters and jetting to match. I am hoping my girlfriend likes the bike enough to ride it. If not I may go further with clipons and rearsets.
Anyway, thanks for reading if youve made it this far. Sorry to be so long worded.
The pics below are the new bike, some bits it came with (I already had the dog), and a pic of my old one on a ride with some friends from twenty years ago.
Last week I finally found and pulled the trigger on another Hawk, another grey 1988 (VIN 0259), with about 22k miles. Bike is solid, not hacked up. Bike was a CA bike, originally owned by an older engineer, bought in 2003 by the last owner, also an engineer/roadracer ( Ive found engineers usually take care of their stuff). He moved it to CT in 2011, and put about 120 miles on it since. Tires on it are date code1402. Mods include Supertrapp exhaust, mild jetting (bigger mains I assume for the exhaust), Corbin seat. Came with a Lockhart fairing ( needs side brackets, where do I find those?), the hard to find (I think) side panel inserts (anybody know who made those?), and a new set of tires. Apparently it had one mild incident, as the speedo was replaced at 17k miles due to mild damage, as well as a scratched headlight bezel, front fender has a scuff, and front brake lever is tweaked. Rear cowl piece is solid, no cracks or breaks which Im happy about. Bike has some oxidation to fork tubes and engine cases, which last owner said happened since it moved to the great humid northeast US.
My plans are to do a mild resto mod. Clean it up. Refresh as many rubber bits as I can, SS brake lines and new pads, chain and sprockets, refresh forks (springs, oil, etc) and thinking of powdercoating the lower tubes to take care of the oxidation. May channel my inner twenty year old and powdercoat the wheels (black? Hi viz yellow?). New shock. New tires. The new tires it came with are date code from 2009 but feel ok, still are sticky to the touch. Tires are Battlax front is 120/70-17 and 160/60-17. Not sure I want to go with that front size. Contemplating pod filters and jetting to match. I am hoping my girlfriend likes the bike enough to ride it. If not I may go further with clipons and rearsets.
Anyway, thanks for reading if youve made it this far. Sorry to be so long worded.
The pics below are the new bike, some bits it came with (I already had the dog), and a pic of my old one on a ride with some friends from twenty years ago.
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