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scgstuff

My wife is starting to look at riding, and I have been trying to show her some bikes that I think would fit her properly (She is ~5'3"). She is leaning towards the cruiser style bike (Shadow VLX or V-Star 650) because of their size, but I have heard (and read here on many occasions) that a standard riding position is better to start on. Does anyone have info on the 88-91 Honda Hawk NT650s? We saw a picture of one, and she liked the look of it (single sided swing arm, naked styling, etc.) and would look better next to the my Speed Triple.

Is this bike the normal reliable Honda bike, and how would it fit on a ~5'3" person? Also is this a good beginner bike? I don't want her to have too much power, but a lot of the roads in the area are 70 MPH to get to the good twisties and a 250, and possible a 500, would be revved out getting to 70mph I think. Also, is this a more standard position, or does it have the "Sportbike lean?" She doesn't want to have to lean way over to get to the bars.

Thanks,

Shawn

HiDesert

Hawks have (or had - the SV650 may have taken a bite out of the Hawk scene, I don't really know) a cult following. I've heard their reliability is typical Honda. I'd expect them to be fine at 70mph. The only way to be sure about the bars is to have her sit on one, but I doubt they'd be a problem.

Here's a web site to do some more research:

http://www.hawkgt.com/

I've given you a lot of speculation, but if it fits her and she likes it, I really think this could be just what you want.

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Gohm

I'd stick with either a ninja 250 or 500, used. Maybe blast or rebel/nighthawk (lil one). All have upright position, low seat height, mellow manners, low weight. Perfect recipe for a successful beginner. They'll all do over 70 all day long (the two ninjas easily do triple digits). Since she will be learning you would avoid the 70mph and good twisties anyways. As always the msf course is great.

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Scud

Or the all-but-forgotten Suzy GS500. It's fully faired, so it looks like a rice rocket, but it's really a standard bike in wolf's clothing-- up right bars, feet underneath your butt. Twin cylinder, 5 speed box, and a relatively simple engine makes maintainence fairly simple...

Worth taking a look at ... Prob'ly cheaper tha some of the competition, too, since it's kind of a forgotten kid sister....

S.

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miker

IMO. forget about asking here, what would be a good/bad bike for your wife. She is the one who has to ride it, so she would need to know what she will feel comfortable on.

For anyone that asks me, I say, ignore the salesman/woman and just go sit on all the bikes in your price range. Find the one that you feel most comfortable sitting on. Check the lever reach, the kickstand the weight and any other comfy things. Then look at the following....

Ignore the power. If she is instructed properly on how to finesse the clutch and the throttle, she could ride a Rocket III if she wanted to. Some people will tell you that she "will" crash it - I say "nonsense" that's just a self fulfilling prophecy, she will only crash if she doesn't take it easy and listen to instruction and listen to and feel the bike. She should learn how to respect the machine, for it's power and weight. She should look for a torquey engine, not a 20,000rpm screamer.

Perhaps what she should aim for is a bike that is a "bit" too much for her now, that she can grow into and enjoy for at least a year or two, not something she will tire of after she's learned how to ride it, and not something that might look good next to your Speed Triple.......

If I was to suggest anything, a second hand Bonneville, Scrambler or America from Triumph, a Hyosung 650 or a Monster are great if she want's naked sports, or the Virago/Hawk might just be her..... Which ever way, she needs to choose the comfort level for herself.

JMNSHO

Mick

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Sprint1050DA

I've recommended the Hawk to people as a first bike before. It's pretty much in the same class as the Ninja 500, GS500, or SV650 which are bikes people talk about all day. Maybe a bit on the hard to find parts for side, since they are getting up there in age and were only imported for a few years, but great bikes from what I've heard...and available cheap in a lot of cases.

jefftarlton

I bought a hawk gt new and still own it. I think it has about 80K on it, but I'm not sure. The odo reads 58K, but I rode it for a couple years when it didn't work. Mine's been in pretty much every state from FL to CO.
Typical Honda reliability all the way. I was young when I bought mine and hammered it hard for years. I put pistons and a clutch in at around 75K. I've always kept the oil clean. On a really twisty road with little or no straights, or a downhill run, my hawk has run off from many hard core sportbikes. That was in my squidly period.
The seat is lower than an SV. The power is unintimidating, the handling is quite nice, the brakes are okay for a novice, but not strong enough for hard charging.

It might be hard to find a decent one. Avoid old racebikes. They only have two main bearings, so the crank flexes too much at high rpm and cracks.
The sub 3 gallon tank limits range. The stock seat is pretty bad after an hour. The hawk is okay at 55-60, but starts to feel busy at 70.
I really love my hawk. I've never owned a bike anywhere close to this long. I have no desire to sell it. I might give it to my wife if she gets good at riding a dirtbike. She's 5-1 and it would be a pretty decent fit.

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scgstuff

Thank you for all the replies so far. As far as the MSF course, that is a must. I have already told her that she will take the course, and I will not teach her. Not that I don't think I can, but I know that they will teach her properly and I will probably teach her my bad habits that I may have picked up over the years. To make it more fun, I plan to re-take the class with her. I have had the BRC (8 years ago) and ERC (January this year) but wouldn't mind taking the BRC with her, just to have some fun together.

Scud and Gohm,

She does not like the style of the sport bikes, which is why she isn't leaning towards the ninja 250 or 500. I have shown her those bikes in person several times, and she just doesn't like the style. She likes the look of the SV, but it is just too tall for her to be comfortable. That is why she was leaning towards cruisers.

miker,

I was saying that it wouldn't match Speedy in jest, as whatever she wants is what I will try to find for her. I also know that if I ask about a bike, I will get 50 differing opinions if I ask 40 people, as some people will weigh in on both sides. What I was trying to find out is if the power is relativley tame and the seat position is good for someone ~5'3". We do not have any for sale locally (central texas), the closest one I have found is about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away, and before driving that far to let her through a leg over it, I wanted to find out if it was worth it.

Sprint and Jeff,

This is the info I was looking for. Sounds like power would not be an issue and if your wife could use it at 5'1", size should be fine as well.

Thanks everyone,

Shawn

jefftarlton

If she wants a naked bike, another one to consider is the GS500 before Suzuki put plastic on it. Cheap and less power than the hawk, especially low in the rev range.
I know the ninja 250 isn't great looking, but couldn't she live with that for one year and 5K or so miles?
I know a local petite woman with a 599. She loves it. I rode it for about 5 minutes. It's a very nice naked bike, but it's too powerful for a first bike. Honda dealers have leftovers marked down. Awesome second bike.

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Oyster

+1 on the Hawk recommendation. I had one for 12 yrs, loved it but it was limiting for what I wanted it to do. For me, it lacked the power, brakes, legs due to the small tank and touring ability that I wanted. However, it was light, relatively quick, the standard position was all day comfy (with a Corbin as the stocker seat slides the rider forward). I toured the mid Atlantic and NE on it, rode on all sorts of weather and that thing was always ready to run. Total "Honda reliability" that you are asking about.

If I didnt need the space in the garage, it would still be mine.

I would say that there is still a cult following of the Hawk, although I do agree it may be reduced due to the SVs arrival, and finding a clean one is challenging. But they are out there, good luck if you find one.