Good evening guys,

honda superhawk

Tomorrow I pick up a new-to-me 1998 honda superhawk. I have gathered some information already, but would like a few misc. questions to be discussed if I could.

The Regulator Rectifier is stock, so this is something I should swap out for a unit that dissipates heat better. The cam chain tensioners appear to be factory, so this is also something I will change. Are their any weak points or other areas that should be inspected or changed/upgraded? The motorcycle has 13,XXX miles and looks clean and well taken care of (or he spent a lot of time cleaning it right before I came lol).

Some concerns I have are aftermarket component related. The exhaust is mounted very high and the tail section of the bike is basically a molded one piece solo seat (not a cover to simulate a solo seat). How would one go about converting back so that I may have a passenger? Also, the owner claims it has yoshimura head pipes. The pipes are what appears to be painted or coated and the material looks to be some sort of high temp ceramic (which can be done to any stock or aftermarket pipe). Can anyone tell me what sets a yoshimura header apart from a factory header? How well does a 520 chain hold up to the superhawk?

Also, what modifications or parts should I look for that do more harm than good?

Thanks guys!

PS, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Jim Scofield and from southern Wisconsin. I'm avid in off-road motorsports (I built a very competitive yamaha banshee) I look forward to warmer weather to put some miles on this bike.

 

I'm sure you'll get the usual info on the regular stuff...

My first concern is non factory paint. Was it down @ some point in its life?

If you don't like the tail and exhaust maybe you could find a local forum member that would swap you. If I was close enough I would consider it. That set-up looks good IMO.

P.S. Welcome to the forum. Have you been on street bikes long?

 

I had a Katana 750 which I thought was a good starter bike. Two years on that is enough. I rode some of my friend's race bikes and they were fun but I already have that type of powerband with the atvs and dirtbikes (2 strokes). Test drove this and my first impression is that its a hell of a compromise between cost (purchase price and insurance rate) commuting, and performance.

While I do admit the tail section looks nice, I would really need a 2 up for the wife. She enjoys cruising (not all the time, so I still get to carve curves by myself with buddies). But it would mean a lot to her to come with. Since vagina trumps styling of a motorcycle, she wins. I have plenty of stainless and aluminum stock. Machining and Tig'ing some custom rear foot pegs to fit the Leo Vince pipes (opinions on Leo Vince pipes are welcome) would make a good weekend project for me. (are their any options other than custom fab?) Also, I'd be willing to swap some parts out. If someone doesn't mind a solo-only seat (maybe they ride to get away from their wife???)

Also, 97wolverine you make a good point. I hadn't done enough research to know if the cherry red was factory or not. Maybe I'll have a hard time matching the paint to a new tail section? Oh well, if I get it close I'll be happy for this year. One of my winter projects will be to coat the fairings in a deep metallic blue.

 

If it turns out the bike has been down, the '03 superhawk came in blue.

 

Maybe it's just me but there's a few listings within driving distance of me and every one of them is a 1998 model. Was this a successful year for the superhawk?

Also, there is another bike with 32k on it. What is the life expectancy of these motorcycles? Is 32k asking for a lemon?

 

Welcome to the forum! The bike looks cool with the solo tailpiece but I agree with your "trumping" perspective. A 520 chain is fine for a Superhawk as well as most liter bikes. I recently replaced my R/R from RMStator.com out of Canada. Perfect fit, no modding needed and it works great. If you plan to redo the skins you could probably trade someone straight across for that solo tailpiece and seat. The classifieds here would be a good place for that. As for the soundness of a 98 Superhawk, I am very pleased with mine so far and I bought it with 18,400 miles on her and had her a year now. Not knowing any of the history or taking a close up look at the bike I can't really tell you if this particular one is sound or not. Judging from your post you seem to have some mechanical skills and know-how, I think you'll enjoy the bike much. Plus if you took a test ride then you already have that perspective. You'll find the search function here a very helpful source of info. Also check out the Show Your Bike section on the forum homepage (near the bottom of the forum topics), lots of cool bikes and a good place to get some visual ideas. Ride safe and enjoy!

 

There is no substantial difference between hawks from 98-05. The 01+ had a more up to date instrument cluster but thats about it. Different color throughout the years. 32k for a Hawk is nothing as long as routine maintainence has been done. The only major reoccuring problem with the hawk has been caused by the CCT's. So replace those, maintain it and it will run forever.

 

Welcome to the forum!

I could be wrong, but that tail looks like a Sharkskinz Solo Tail over a Corbin seat. So if you replace the plastic part with a stock tail you should have a full (2 person) seat underneath it. SharkSkinz - VTR1000 You will also need to get passenger pegs though.

And high mount exhaust does work fine with the stock plastic, so no worries there.

Jet-Coating the exhaust is actually a nice thing.

A full Yosh header is a rare thing, and a quick look under the fairing will easily tell you. Here is a pic of the Yosh header stolen from a classified ad on this forum:


If it doesn't look like that, then it is just a jet-coated stock system with slip-ons.

There were more 1998's made than any other year (introduced that year, so makes sense, they sell better when a new product) and as already said with CCTs taken care of they go forever. (some with over 150k on them out there)

 

I appreciate the advice. I'm also checking out the higher mileage bike tonight. I love to paint and always wanted to do a chameleon paint scheme (I did a CBR600 F3 for a friend). The higher mileage Superhawk has a corbin seat and speigler handlebars (not sure if this is good or not). There are no cracks in any of the fairings but the paint has scratches and fading. It could be a fun project for this winter.... as long as its reliable and such.

Well, I'll let you know what bike I pick (or if both of them were junk).

Thanks for the Pic Lazn!

Also, I've been browsing the forums and see some very nice bikes. I enjoy looking at personal builds where the owner takes it upon himself to build a bike vs. throwing his wallet at a shop to do so.

 

The one at the top of your thread is a really good looking non standard bike. I would be sorely tempted by that look for $3200. But with everything you need, a standard is probably less costly for what you'd have to do to change it back.

 

I'm the proud owner of a superhawk. So, you'll see me around more. I generally research my questions and inquiries because I enjoy learning and feel that it is frustrating to ask redundant questions such as "how do you adjust the clutch" or "what sprockets should I buy". Anyway, the superhawk I chose was the second one. We negotiated and here's what I came up with...

98' Superhawk (factory red) for $2200

The good: Overall clean bike including engine and bearings, comfy corbin seat, relaxed position speigler handlebar kit, two-brothers high mount exhaust, zero gravity windscreen, upgraded brakes, tires still had nipples on them, no squeeks, all drive/steering bearings move smoothly with no slop or play, has a finned regulator/rectifier, has manual cam chain tensioners installed, includes maintenance items like oil filters and spark plugs

The not good:Battery is starting to become weak, has a dent in the right hand side of the tank about 1.5" in diameter and 0.5" in depth right on the body line (I'll pick up a worn but not dented tank when I do body work) mileage is at 32K but it sounds like this is acceptable on a cared for drivetrain. It does not have the passenger foot pegs. Will stock ones fit the two-brothers high mount exhaust?

The owner answered every mechanical question I had about the bike, which makes me feel comfortable that it has been taken care of since he bought it new in 1998. An addition to his family and money is why he claims this needed to go.

Now, if only I could do something about the weather...

 

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

Honda Superhawk

This will have to do until next weekend when I bring her home.

 

Bargain!

 

I think you chose the better bike. The seller wanted to ride it and modified it accordingly.
It looks like the shock is stock. They're not designed to be serviced and it's probably more than a little tired. Jamie Daugherty is the man to talk to about a rebuild or an upgrade. It's also worth finding out if the fork springs are stock and whether the fork oil has been changed. I'd be reluctant to ride two up if the springs are stock.

 

I think you got a great bike for a great price, the fact that the R/R and CCT's are done says the seller cared about the bike and wanted to keep it for a long time. He probably even got the info from here. Not sure if the rear pegs will work with those high mounts.

 

Very nice bike and at a very nice price too! You'll really enjoy the longer rides with the Speigler's and a Corbin seat too. Enjoy!

 

How do you guys prefer the haynes service manuals? I own one for my Banshee and it has been helpful.

 

The Haynes is better for electrical because it is color coordinated to the bike's wiring harness.

Otherwise, just use the .PDF of the service manual that you can download from the Knowledge Base section of this forum.

Knowledge Base - SuperHawk Forum (the sticky called service manual)