From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Subject: Re: NIGHTHAWK S
Organization: Scientific Computing Division/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:22:44 GMT

From article <3772.89.uupcb@chaos.lrk.ar.us>, by dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams):
	:
>  They are excellent machines, and competed with Yamaha's Secas for
	:

I second that. The Nighthawk S was chosen as a Best Buy and as a Top
Ten bike in the Standard catagory by several of the moto mags. After I
bought mine in '84 and was surprised to find a wealth of aftermarket
accessories for it, I was told by several dealers that although the
bike didn't do that well in general in the U.S., it was a major hit in
California, and CA dealers were buying models off showroom floors in
other parts of the country.

Joe Minton did a hop-up -- actually a hop-down -- article on the bike.
His main criticism was mine too: it had a peaky power band favored by
squids, but not so well liked by middle-aged computer programmers who
have a sense of their own mortality. The warp speed was great on clear
roads, but not so great commuting on city streets. Since I bought back
my '84, I had considered doing the cam profile mods suggested by Minton,
but lazyness and the fact that I already own a bike or two with flat
power bands has kept me from doing anything about it. Like Minton, I
lament the fact that a 1100cc model was never introduced. That _that_
would be a bike to own.

Also, I wasn't crazy about the dry sump design that stored oil in the
frame downtubes. I never trashed an engine but I've been told by a
reliable source that the engines are sensitive to oil levels, and if
you let it drop too low, you can end up with an empty frame and a
trashed engine sitting in a garage on the road somewhere between
Boulder and Nederland in Colorado. Personally, I would worry about metal
fragments lodging in the frame.

I'd would also have liked a larger gas tank, but honestly, I've said
that about every bike I've ever owned. I lust after the 9.5 gallon tank
on the BMW R100GS P/D.

The best things about the Nighthawk S were it's neutral, comfortable
ergonomics and its virtually maintenance free engine. Change the oil
and the plugs. Everything else was self adjusting and mostly maintenance
free. My only complain maintenance wise (and others had the came
complaint) was that the tolerance between the exhaust headers and the
engine block was so tight that getting the oil filter out was
problematic (I'm told that post-84 models are better about this). This
was fixed when I replaced the stock exhaust with a Supertrapp, which had
a space between headers 2 and 3 that you could drive a truck through, so
the filter was no problem.

This is one comfortable bike, IMHO. I rode it 1300 miles across the
Great Plains in two (LOOONG) days, I rode it on tight back roads, I
rode it around town. I sold it and bought it back. What more can I
say? (And when I get done hemmoraging $$$ on everything else, I might
actually get the S put back together, get some new tires, and get it
back on the road).

--
John Sloan              "Since I've given up hope,        +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD                   I feel much better."       Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA                            jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer:  belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.