Honda Hawk Ot

Honda Hawk OT

STANDARD TIME

WHEN THE CRY FOR STANdard bikes finally reached Japan, Honda reacted by producing a new motorcycle that combined modified existing parts and newly designed—some would say futuristic— components. Then they named it the Hawk, the third Honda model to carry that name.

Introduced in 1988, and unchanged since, the new Hawk is a standard motorcycle that doesn't look like a standard motorcycle. Much of this look results from using an aluminum perimeter frame, single-sided aluminum swingarm. inboard rear disc brake and spaceylooking alloy wheels. To power the HawkMJonda chose a liquid-cooled, ohc, three-valve-per-cylinder, 647cc V-Twin. derived from the 500cc VTwin that was used in the '83 Honda Ascot.

SPECIFICATIONS

Honda Hawk GT

$4198

Riding the Hawk further demonstrates that it is, indeed, something more than an ordinary standard motorcycle: The footpegs are mounted high and to the rear, more like a sportbike than a standard, and its handling is sharp, accurate, quick and responsive. Its suspension-a single shock rear and conventional fork—provides excellent control until near-racetrack speeds are reached, and it does an above-average job of isolating the rider from bumps.

While acceptable for short rides of an hour or so, the Hawk's small size, sportbike tuck and thinly padded, stepped seat don't make for comfortable rides of longer duration. But that's okay, the bike’s smallish 2.9gallon fuel tank will need to be topped off every 1 50 miles anyway.

During those 150 miles between stops, the Hawk rider will find little else to complain about, and a lot to praise. The engine is responsive, has a powerband a mile wide and is vibration free. The transmission shifts smoothly and positively, and the bike’s disc brakes are strong and progressive.

The Hawk’s mildly tuned engine is surprisingly quick, too, with a 0-to-60 time of 4 seconds, a quarter-mile time in the high 12s and a top speed of 1 1 5 miles per hour.

Commuting on the Hawk is a pleasure, its crisp-running engine, easyto-operate controls, small size and agility makes it a natural for splitting lanes and darting through traffic jams. And, surprisingly, the Hawk is extremely stable at highway speeds.

With so many nice qualities, we have to wonder why the highways aren’t jammed with Hawks. Maybe the bike’s price of $4 198 discourages potential buyers. If so, that’s a shame, because the Hawk, a thoroughly modern standard, is worth every penny of its asking price.