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I picked up a 700cc 1984 Honda Nighthawk S as an addition to the stable....well now I can call it a "stable"!

Purchased from the original owner (1984 old school NJ title) whose passion for meticulous machanicdom reaches CycleRob heights. 29k miles, $100 under kbb value, this bike is pristine for a 25 year old bike. This bike was really cared for, and he did all his industrial hauling on a Gold Wing.

Manufactured from 84-86, it has a de-stroked CB 750cc motor, to get under the Ronald Reagan over 700cc
big bore tariff of the 1980's, that saved Harley Davidson. These bikes were sold in Canada and Japan as 750cc models, man I wish I would found one of them. Am I greedy or what?

6 gears, Shaft Drive (overdrive! sound familiar?) and it has the long lost 1980's LCD Gear indicator, and a Gas gauge. The only issue (I was told) with the bike is a flat spot in the starter. I have no hit it yet, after a half dozen starts. The bike purrs like a newer model.

I went shopping for this same bike in 1986, and was told that they are all sold out in the entire USA, and were discontinued. (I bought a Suzuki GS 1150E instead, no regrets there).

These bikes are plentiful in the used market, but what I have found is bikes over priced by their owners due to the limited production run, or are are on their 4th-5th owner and have had the snot beat out of them, and need new parts. I got lucky. The electrical harness is clean and clear. (the weakness in aged/vintage Asian bikes IMHO, engine and drive trains on CB's are bulletproof.)

I rode it home last night (about 60 miles, in some rain), and the bike can best be described as "undeniable fun".

I sold my 650 Nighthawk when I bought my R1200R....I miss that bike. Enjoy the Nighthawk they are great bikes!

Sweet bike! Almost bought one of these myself in 1984, but opted for the VF700F Interceptor. The Nighthawk was the better machine by some accounts.

My other fantasy Hondas: CX650 Turbo, RC30 of course.

Great bike! I remember lusting after a V65 Sabre back in the day...

Not to hijack my own thread, but Honda's output of standards bikes in the 80's was IMHO, their heyday.
Words like "lust" and "passion" don't come easily.

My brother just bought a 2006 "metric cruiser" after selling a 1982 inline 4 cyl cruiser, and he's complaining about his VTwin. I had to explain to him, he's just never rode one, and they are very different.

Where are all the great mid range the standard bikes anymore?
It's either a Harley wanna be, or a AMA Superbike on the Asian showroom floors anymore.

It's a shame that the industry is like this.

Had the same bike in '84, same color etc.

Zero maintenance bike, i.e., hydraulic clutch, valves, and a driveshaft.

Just change the oil, for which the frame is the reservoir.

You feel a bump in power when it "comes on the cam", which was fun.

The 16" front tire makes it want to turn in and fall over at parking lot speeds, only thing to watch.

Great bike, enjoy it!

OH YEAH!!

That's my "other" bike. I've got an '84 that's red, not the blue and I love it. Like yours mine was maintained by a meticulous man and the bike was purchased from the original owner in near showroom condition. The only wear was scratches from the owners boot by the brake lever on the shiny bit under the HONDA text.
Of course, I've since dropped a disc lock on the tank by accident "DING"

Enjoy the bike, its a great one and my first and I just can't part with it...

Oddly enough though, its just sitting in storage right now.
I need to get it out so I can at least stare at it. I think it's one of the prettiest mass production bikes Honda ever made...

sjbmw

Great bike.....I bought a red '84 in '88 with 1200 mles for $1800. It was a hell of a bike for it's time. I used it for a couple of years and resented selling it due to a move......I've considered buying another one, but higher forces (the better half) have convinced me to cease and desist.

Knowing that you'll ejoy yours makes me happy.

sjbmw,

The "flat spot" in the starter . . . . do you mean the starter clutch slips? If so, the repair is a deep teardown because that overrun clutch is between cylinders 2 and 3. The problem was the spring plunger's hole got rolled shut by the rollers going by, trapping them in the retracted position. The cure is to chamfer all the plunger's holes (like Honda should have done). Works forever after that.

They also had an alternator stator failure problem ( I replaced 2 on customer NiteHawks) and even when new, it doesn't put out many Watts, something like 230W. It normally discharges at idle speed. Forgetabout driving lites, etc.

The hydraulic lifters mean the valve cover never comes off. Your tune-up is Oil, Plugs and a carb synch.

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