Why ask for more?
Written: Nov 23 '99
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Cheap, versatile, reliable, good looking, and did I say cheap?
Cons: Low on the totem pole in terms of power
|
|
|
| Don_Carnage's Full Review: 2000 Honda Nighthawk 750 |
When I got my Nighthawk 750 new in 1994 ( a leftover 1993),I knew I was going to have it a while, and I knew I was going to do all kinds of riding. Five years and 45 thousand miles later, I haven't regretted buying this bike once. It does everything well, from thousand mile weekend road trips from San Jose to Los Angeles to cutting it up in the hills with my sportbike buddies to daily duty as a commuter and errand-runner. The guys (and girls) I ride with all spend lots of bucks on tires and suspension upgrades so they can do little more than slowly pull away from me on my Nighthawk with stock tires and suspension. The only changes I've made are the addition of a Corbin saddle and lower handlebars, both of which contribute to long term comfort as well as handling.
Bonuses: It's dirt cheap to insure (read: no plastic and no sportbike surcharge), I can do all my own maintenance except mounting tires with a relatively complete set of hand tools and a swingarm jack (self-adjusting valves!). Center stands are available from the dealer for about $80, but they drag when the bike is cornered hard. I routinely get between 40 and 50 mpg, depending on the kind of riding I do. The torquey motor doesn't require a downshift for highway passing, and makes usable power in the tight twisties from as low as 3000 RPM.
Is there a downside? There always is. Although it's peppy, the power is not the kind that flattens your eyeballs or dislocates your shoulders. A 12 second quarter mile is not too shabby in the real world, but it's a bit pokey by sportbike standards. The front end doesn't have the confidence inspiring feel of a sportbike, and can get spooky at the ragged rubber edge. And it lacks a fairing....not a huge deal to me, as I find it mighty comfortable for travelling leaning into the wind on my lowered bars, but to some it might be a consideration. Aftermarket fairings are available, but they're all train-take-a-dirt-road ugly, IMHO.
But hey, if you want a touring rig, Do it. If you want a sportbike, be my guest. But if you want it all, there's not a bike on the market that does so much for so little.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Don_Carnage
|
|
Location: San Jose, CA
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 11 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.