Official Nighthawk thread

Thanks guys!! Here is a better pic:

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Picked up this ole' girl last week, a completely different experience than my previously owned WR250R. It runs great and sounds just as good with the V&H pipe. Now there is some indication that my Hawk runs a bit too lean i.e.: Popping on deceleration, blueing of the headers. Any recommendations for a jet kit or should I leave it alone? Last fill-up I calculated 48 mpg and I'd be curious to see what a jet kit may do for my fuel economy(better or worse)
Regardless, I can't believe I almost overlooked this bike and I can't figure out why it was ever discontinued.

its beautiful!!!

how does one make such finds? when i browse listings for great OLDER bikes the pickings seem few and far between for good examples such as this. cosmetics, mechanicals, all in good order. these Nighthawks are AWESOME. but where are they? :huh

congrats on that bike! its a looker

CJ I concur with Dude looks like you have a nice one there. I like the setting for your photos too. I rode down the Maine coast from Arcadia just last week and enjoyed seeing all the bays and looking at the boats anchored in them.
As far as running lean you might back out the pilot screws a bit, maybe 1/3-1/2 turn and shim the needles up with a #6 washer. That should make it run noticeable better. I did that on mine when I had the carbs off. My bike had been sitting for a couple years when I bought it. I got it running and tried Techtron and Seafoam but it was still too lean with stock pipes. After removing the carbs and jets I could see why. The inside of the carbs looked like new but the jets were clogged, a couple were obstructed completely!

Took a 4 day trip with my brother, rode 1800km, mainly on 1 lane backroads. Some gravel, and a lot of bad tarmac, the pilot roads are definetely not suitable for gravel.

CJ,

Get the factory pro jet kit and up you pilot jet size to 38 too and get it tuned.
Also see if you have a K&N air filter too.

Beautiful Nighthawk!! Regarding the jetting question... just keep in mind that there's always a bit of deceleration popping on a well tuned Nighthawk 750... the 40 pound lawyer approved factory boat anchors are just very effective at hiding the sound. If you richin the mixture too much, to completely eliminate the popping sound, you're in fact de-tuning the motor. Secondly, the single wall chrome headers on the V&H are prone to bluing, even on a mildly lean condition, something else that is hidden on the double wall factory headers. I am not suggesting to ignore what MAY be a too-lean running condition, but don't expect to completely eliminate a mild burbling sound on deceleration, unless you want decreased performance and sooty plugs. Personally, I am thrilled with my Supertrapp full-system stainless exhaust... useable power down low (like stock) and a noticeable increase in power in the upper RPM ranges (not to mention great sound)... and there's still a wee bit of burbling on deceleration. Totally used to it.

Thanks to all for the feedback. Pulled the plugs just the other day and nothing seemed abnormal, a nice dark tan makes feel better knowing its not as lean as I thought. I did find a small crack in the left corner of the airbox where it looks like someone had patched it up before and the bondo-esk substance came undone. A dab of glue & polyurethane seems to fill the gap for now.

Another thing I've been wondering about, I see a mount for a center stand and would very much enjoy having one. However, with the Vance and Hines exhaust it looks like there may be some fitment issues. Anyone know if the two can co-exist or is it more of a one or the other type of deal?

Got a 91 750 here, and a question about EBC pads:

I've run FA196 organic on the front for the last two sets. Installed the third set this weekend and had nothing but trouble.

One pad (piston side) had casting burrs in the hole for the pad pin that I had to ream out for the pin to pass through. I should have taken the set back right there, but it was the weekend and since this is my only vehicle, I just wanted to git 'er done.

The other pad just wouldn't fit over the rotor. I had that caliper apart in the fall to unstick a piston, so I think it's in good order. Gave everything a good clean and tried again. Then the pad went in but was so tight it almost locked the wheel. Eventually I got cranky and ground about 1/16 of friction material off the pad - everything fit up alright and appears to be working normally.

Is this an issue with EBC pads? Is this an acceptable solution? Am I overlooking something obvious and dangerous? I await your chastisement - thanks.

Did you remove some brake fluid and use a clamp or something else to collapse the caliper before you put the new pads on? That's the only thing I can think of - how many miles have you gotten out of each set?

Yep, pistons were backed right into the caliper if that's what you mean. I'm getting 4500-5000 miles out of the pads - seems low to me but it's almost all city commuting for the last little while.

Edit: My best guess is that the caliper pins are frozen up and have restricted the motion of the pads. Going to split the caliper and work on that next.

Wow,you are hard on brakes!
I have 47K on the original set.

I put EBC's on my '99 3-4 years ago and had none of these issues. Only thing different I noticed from the OEM pads is that the EBC's 'sing' when applied. Sounds like you definitely have some kind of caliper/rotor issue rather than a pad issue. Also, I don't consider myself an especially conservative rider, but I've got 31K miles on the clock and still have pad left - and these are the first set since the OEM's! 4-5K miles on a set of pads? That just ain't right!

Ken, '99 CB-750, '88 GL-1500

Erp. Definitely time to tear into the caliper then. The rotor doesn't pulse, but at 5mm it's 1mm above the minimum thickness - time to put a new one on the shopping list, probably. Are you guys on organic or HH EBC's?


This bike was already kind of a franken-rat when I bought it - teaching moments lurk everywhere. I'm not complaining, I like the teaching moments. Thanks all.

FA196HH pads for me. Was going to use organic, but they were out when I went to get a set. Kid behind the counter told me he liked the HH's better anyway, so I went with them. (He was a sport bike rider.) Replaced the OEM's with the HH's at about 18K and just turned 32K with plenty of pad left. They are a bit noisier than the organics, but I understand that is normal for the HH's.

Ken, '99 CB-750, '88 GL-1500

nice shot. like the blue on that bike :)


hey guys was the Kawi Zephyr a competitor to the Nighthawk? is it as good a bike? hows this one look on ebay? good price for this example? "Buy It Now" is $4750. don't know what the reserve is?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991...9?pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item4ac8986b15#v4-41

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Both original keys are included with original Owners Manual, Brochure and Service Manual.

Upgrades:

- Had carburetors professionally cleaned and re-jetted with Dyno Jet
- Upgraded mufflers to Emgo Reverse Cone Shorty Megaphone Exhaust Mufflers, (Great Sound!)
- Upgraded front fork suspension with Progressive Suspension Kit
- Upgraded front and rear sprockets for better high end torque
- Upgraded chain to a performance DID chain
- Replaced the large front fender to a more sporty custom black fender
- Replaced front and rear turn signals with vinatge style Bullet Brushed Turn Signals
- Dropped in a K&N Air Filter
- Recently installed new front and rear Metzeler Performance Tires, (1,000 miles ago)
- Installed custom black bar risers
- Gold decal racing stripes down center of bike, (can easily be removed)
- Running Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Motor Oil

i don't think i like it nearly as much as the Nighthawk going on looks now that i've looked at it more

Check the link below and once there scroll way down for the picture. Seems like a plausible solution if you are gonna stick with the V&H. Mine has them and I am to decide to keep them or to go back to stock, but a center stand is a definite must and it's coming.

http://nighthawk-forums.com/your-honda-nighthawk/my-new-'95-nighthawk-750/50/

Update: now that I've cleaned up my front caliper and put it back together - properly this time - I realize what a ridiculous statement this was. What can I say - the 91's the first bike I've done the brakes on by myself. Not goin' to disclose all the details of what it took to split the caliper, suffice it to say it involved a rubber mallet and a lot of swearing , but now everything's gone back together with no issues. Gonna drop in a new set of HH pads this week and try that out, based on what you guys are saying. Thanks agin.