Nice bike. Good job on the restore. Always good to see them back on the road.My early bikes were Suzuki 2 smokes. But I lusted for the Hondas of the early 80's while raising a family and not riding. So when a neighbor was selling an '81 CB650C for a few bills, I couldn't resist. A little elbow grease, a carb cleaning, and a head gasket and I present:
I had planned to put a sidecar on it, but that may not happen. It's nice to throw around a mid weight bike instead of "Large Marge" while running local errands.
Jim
I bought a 1985 Nighthawk S brand new in March of 1986. It was a closeout at San Jose Honda and the price was $2,500.00 (about $2,800 OTD). One of the most fantastic motorcycles ever made, I loved that bike for years. As I moved up it just got pushed back in the corner. My son had wanted that bike since he was a little tot so I sold it to him a couple years ago after he got some riding experience (he is 25 now) and he is taking great care of it.
One of the issues is finding new replacement parts for things like carburetors and petcocks. The petcocks wear out and there are no new ones anywhere and you have to drill out a couple of rivets to get to the damaged parts. There is one outfit in England that makes the replacement rubber parts but that is it.
I really, really wished that Honda would have seen the light and came out with a 1,000cc version and then a 1,200cc version. But honda can't be trusted with successful state of the art motorcycle designs, they just drop them off at the side of the road and head down their nutty cruiser/chopper road.
Here it is just before Steven took it home:
Wow, I had bought one in Hayward same year, just like it. Another great memory and bike. Kids came along, bike got a new home. Miss the bike love the kids..hmmm. The oldest has been pestering me to find her a retro bike.
What I would do, which has little impact, perhaps,... is to: "Sigh a big sigh"!... Sing/Hum the "Archie Bunker" "Theme Song":..." Those Were The Days"... and MOVE ON...A few years ago...I thought I sure would like to get a Nighthawk 700S...blue/red preference... saw one outside a small town independent car dealer shop as I rode by on ST1100...turned around & was given very liberal approval to "take it for a ride for awhile"...I immediately felt the "oldness" in its ride/performance...especially to my comparison with a 1991 VFR 750...to me... the upkeep/repairs was not worth the effort & politely thanked the owner for the chance to quell any further thoughts I had of owning one, though I still like their looks & would have liked to have had one...IN THEIR TIME!... However,... I share your yearning for RETRO... for me... it is old stereo/amps/turntables!One just popped up on Craigs list near me. https://lancaster.craigslist.org/mcy/5242524333.html
I'd prefer the burgundy or red one.
What's with the low mileage on all of them? The bike's 32 years old! They ALL have less than 30k miles on them. I also have been researching on them and found some with the #3 con rod big end bearing out.
In talking about oil here we never have an example of damage from the wrong oil or not enough oil changes. Here it is.
I don't want to have to do major engine work when bought, or later down the road. It's enough to keep the rest of the bike up.
What to do........?
Yep 700s was a solid deal and all the above....raising kids and things come up you make adjustment....I will find one one day and rebuild it for the memory, nastalgia and oh heck just ride it !!!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)