No-Frills Nighthawk

NO-FRILLS NIGHTHAWK

On the road with a budget sport-tourer

WHILE MANAGING EDITOR Brian Catterson looked at the Nighthawk 750 and saw a sportbike lurking inside, I saw a great all-arounder that could be made even better.

Dealing with the bike's suspension woes was my first priority. Progressive Suspension supplied a set of rebound-adjustable dual shocks, and also installed a set of progressive-rate fork springs to upgrade the front suspension. Next, came the exhaust. Vance & Hines built a chromed 4-into-1 pipe (a black finish is also available). Progressive and Vance & Hines used our Nighthawk for prototyping, and both companies returned the bike with their products already installed, so we can't comment on ease of installation, though both operations appear to be straight-forward.

Our next addition, a Hondaline windshield, used a minimal number of parts and fasteners, so installation time required just 20 minutes. But, strangely, the windshield’s angle looked much too steep once on the bike. After some careful examination of the tubular bracketry, we simply grabbed the top of the mount and bent it slightly reanvard until we were satisified with the angle.

These rather minor additions to the Nighthawk produced the results I was seeking. The rear suspension, adjusted to its softest rebound position, is much smoother than stock, although there’s still some midrange harshness.

The reworked fork increases the Nighthawk’s sporting potential, though the ride may be too firm for more casual riders. Less fork-spring preload would increase the comfort level on interstates, but changing the preload requires disassembly of the fork and replacement of the spring spacers. Fork caps with spring preload adjusters—not available for the Nighthaw’k 750. as far as we know— would provide the fork with the quick adjustability of the shocks.

Vance & Hines’ pipe fits well. looks great, is reasonably priced, and only minor carburetor pilot-jet adjustments were required to get the engine running properly. My only complaint is the noise level: Ön the highway, the roar is distracting and intrudes on the enjoyment of a long ride; in town, short-shifting is necessary in order to keep the noise level as low as possible. This was the first Nighthawk 750 pipe produced by Vance & Hines; hopefully, they’ll note our concern and fit this system w'ith a quieter silencer.

Hondaline’s simple windshield does a good job of keeping wind and bugs off of the rider's upper body and head, which makes long trips a lot more comfortable. And its light weight doesn’t add to steering effort when zipping around on crooked roads.

For soft luggage, 1 chose an Eclipse Sportbike Luggage System and expandable tankbag. This stylish set-up consists of two small saddlebags that are sewn to a top bag. Each saddlebag is divided into two zippered pouches and the top bag has five separate compartments. Lashing the Sportbike Luggage System to the Nighthawk only took a few minutes; the tankbag’s initial installation time was slightly longer, but once installed, its quick-release mounting system lets one remove or install the bag in a half-minute. Combined, the tankbag and luggage provide enough storage for a couple of days on the road.

Overall, this project bike has been

a successful endeavor. Carefully choosing accessories for this transformation has kept the cost of the project fairly low, and, best of all, the bike is now more comfortable and more enjoyable to ride. —Ron Griewe