83 to 85 650 Nighthawk Do I want one????

I had another dream again last night that was so real that when I woke up I just knew I had one parked with the ST.

My first bike was a burgundy 83 650 Nighthawk bought new in early 84. Had it for 3 yrs put on 30k plus miles. Great bike loved it! Traded for new 85 V65 Sabre then onward till today.

Will I still get that great first bike feeling if I go get another Nighthawk and restore it? I wouldn't mind having a smaller bike to run around on. My KLX650 sees MUCH more street riding than dirt. If I do this the KLX will go.

Been looking on youtube at various Nighthawks some in GREAT shape. Giving me the itch.

Getting parts is already hard on the 93 KLX especially bodywork. How bad will an 83 be?

I don't want to have to majorly rip apart the engine but will work on up to that point.

Anyone else still in love with a 650 Nighthawk?

I loved the Nighthawk S, the 700. I, like you had a Nighthawk and then a V65 Sabre (two) and now an ST1300.

Do what makes you happy, you can find parts if needed. There are still a few in original condition if you hard enough. I use Craigslist and E-bay for finding them.

I once bought a V45 Sabre on E-bay in WI and drove my pickup from Seattle to WI in under 24 hours to get it. It matched my V65 with the factory fairing.

Nice Sabres!

I think Valkman is right too. The memories are better than reallity.........thirty years later.

Pete-
An itch that doesn't get scratched will always itch!


If you find a good one that doesn't need more than you're willing/able to put into it, why not???
An '81 Suzy GS650G was my first, if I didn't already have 3, yeah, if I found one.
Don't let others rain on your parade!

They are a nice ride. I loved my old Nighthawk 700S

Hi Pete,
I have an 85 650 Nighthawk in red with 16K miles I plan to sell. It is in VG+ condition, with new tires/ fork seals and fluid, battery. If you PM me an email address, I'll send you some pics.

Here is one in Texas were I bought my FJR. If I had more room in my garage I would very seriously think about it. But I don't so I won't.

http://www.ctpowersports.com/1984HondaCB700SC-inventory.htm?id=761506&used=1&vin=JH2RC2007EM000742

You know you want it! I had the chance to get an '85 for next to nothing but as a fool I passed. Kicking myself ever since. I got to ride it several times and what a great little bike.

Like Sade says it's never as good as the first time but it would still be great. You've owned the 650- it's light nimble responsive hydraulic valves and is a great looking bike. Never checked but I'm sure it gets good mileage too.

Like Nike says…

I had a 83 650 Nighthawk, bought it new and in four years, I had 74K on it! (commuting does things like that to bikes) I crashed it due to the fairing I had on it and then went to a 85 VF700 Sabre.

Whenever I see a Nighthawk S (except the one in my memory was red, not blue), it reminds me of the most spectacular crash event of my early touring years. Hard to describe without pictures, but the rider launched off a 10-20ft high berm around a graded corner in the Sierra, bounced off the level ground below a couple times, and hit a very large pine tree. The bike hit one side and bounced right, the rider hit the other side and bounced left, popping the face shield off his helmet in the process, which was never located by a search party of about 7. Got the bike back up to the pavement and continued on our way. The bike impact with the tree tweaked the rear subframe 30-45 degrees so when you were following him in the corners his tail-lights were level in some curves, and vertical in others, it was quite bizarre to look at.

Toddc! Look what has popped up in Jacksonville, Florida! http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/mcy/4927418664.html

Thanks Culomorena78,

Mine was much nicer. I had the lowers and no rash. Orig seat, rear 6 pack rack with backrest.

As nice as it was I still only got $2700 for it when it sold. About what I paid for it 4 years earlier.
Loved the low end torque on those bad boys. I had to have that bike...just like you guys. If you love a bike you should at least own one for a while.......till you find the next love.

ps don't tell my wife I said that.. ;-)

T

As nice as memories about bikes are sometimes they are better left as that . Most late model bikes are so much better in all ways ,but some of the older ones just need to be around for nostalgia. If you have room and the time to ride it I say go ahead they are always nice to see kept up.

Culomorena78 said:

Toddc! Look what has popped up in Jacksonville, Florida! http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/mcy/4927418664.html

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I had a 1982 V-45 Sabre for 13 years. Bought is new in 85. Took it to Hawaii for a couple of years then brought it back. Then in 93 I bought a new 1992 ST1100 and the Sabre only got ridden about once a week just to keep the carbs cleared out. Finaly got an offer I could not refuse and let her go. View attachment 162496 View attachment 162497 Loved both bikes.

gmtech94 said:

As nice as memories about bikes are sometimes they are better left as that . Most late model bikes are so much better in all ways ,but some of the older ones just need to be around for nostalgia. If you have room and the time to ride it I say go ahead they are always nice to see kept up.

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#1 on that.I tried replacing two bikes becouse I was trying to capture the nostalgia. It really never worked out. Could not get the same feeling back. It is not about the bike but all about the time of life we were going throught at the time of the bike ownership. Tried replacing my first motorcycle, A 1979 CB650 and then tried it again with a 1986 VT1100C Shadow. Enjoyed the bikes both times but it just never was the same the second time around.

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I used to race 250's and formula one bikes ,raced at Road America finished 3 rd on a tz 750 next year went back and rode 5 seconds quicker on a cbr 600 with street tires on it . I am sure I was just a better rider that time though.Always want to go back to those bikes for some reason .

As we get older, nostalgia becomes more appealing. But don't let it go too far in messing with your budget!
I had a ton of fun back in about 1975 with a '73 Honda XL 250, so when one became available a year ago, I became its somewhat foolish owner. The hope and dream now is to go riding dirty with my 8 yr old grandson. Although his Honda is just 50 cc, I may well have trouble keeping up!

I still love mine....Every time I think I should sell her, I can't pull the trigger.

Wow, I hadn't thought about my old Nighthawk 700S in a long time. Thanks for bringing it back.

The 700S was, in my opinion, one of best motorcycles ever built. The engine was powerful, had hydraulic valves that never needed adjusting, and revved freely to over 10,000RPM. There was a big power hit right before redline. Handling was excellent for the day on the 16" wheels, and comfort was good, too.

There are several bikes I wish I had held onto, but the Nighthawk tops the list. It was Honda at its best.

pete
BMW R1200RT (for sale)