Wily Coyote gets the Hawk…

My friend Jim (aka Wily Coyote) changes motorcycles like you or I change underwear, and every time he gets a new bike, he tells me it’s the last one.   I know how that goes (and you probably do, too).

Jim’s latest acquisition is a restored/rebuilt/better-than-new 1988 Honda Hawk.   Amongst serious club racers and canyon carvers, the Hawk was the “go to” bike if you wanted a machine that really handled well back in the ’80s and ’90s, and stories of Hawk riders regularly smoking bikes that had 50 to 80 more horsepower up on the Crest (or at the track) are still common.    The Hawk’s role as the “real deal” handling bike was ultimately eclipsed by the SV 650 Suzuki, but those Hawks are still hot (and hot-handling) motorcycles.    There’s just something about a 650-sized bike that feels right for a performance machine.   Think Triumph Bonneville.  Or Honda Hawk.  Or Suzuki SV.   Or even my KLR.   It’s about ideal for a “do everything” bigger street bike.    That said, my KLR 650 mostly sits in the garage, and when I want a fun ride my CSC 150 nearly always gets the nod.  One of these days I’ll probably sell the KLR.  I don’t think I’ll ever sell the Baja Blaster.

The Baja Blaster…I had to move it to get to the KLR for my ride with Jim and his new Hawk

All right, I’m rambling…back to the Honda Hawk.   Jim found a guy here in So Cal who specializes in bringing these bikes back to life and making them better than new, so he wrote the check.   I gotta tell you…Jim’s new bike is a good-looking motorcycle.    Jim had it painted in deep gloss black with gold lettering and powder-coated matching gold wheels, with new tires, new suspension, polished cases, and lots of detail work.   The bike is stunning.

Jim’s ’88 Honda Hawk

Another view…note the single-sided swingarm and the powder-coated gold wheels

A close-up photo of the Hawk’s fuel tank

Jim came over to my place yesterday, we rolled over to Vince’s for a spaghetti lunch (Vince’s is an Inland Empire tradition…their spaghetti with meat sauce is the best I’ve ever had), and then we took a quick putt up to the Mt. Baldy Lodge to kick back and sip some iced tea.

A classy ’59 or ’60 (not sure which) Chevy Brookwood wagon parked in front of Vince’s

It was fun day, and it had been a long time since I had my KLR out.  I really couldn’t keep up with Jim on the KLR, but it was fun trying.

I hadn’t run the KLR in a few months, so getting that beast started took a while (but once it started it ran just fine).    I sure wished the KLR started as easily as the CSC 150.   Sometimes I go a few weeks without riding, and the Baja Blaster never takes more than a single tap on the starter to start purring.

Anyway, I had the Midland video cam on my helmet from the CSC ride this past weekend, and well, you can guess where this story is going….

We had a fun day.   Truth be told, it’s more fun riding the CSC, but it was nice to let the KLR warm itself up for a bit.

That’s it for now, folks.   As always, there’s more coming, so stay tuned!