Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126630
tro Is were a ll easy 10 reach a nd us e. Surprise of su rp rises was that the black ru bber in the grips didn 't leave us with the tell- tal e sm udges of past H onda s. Overall. everything on th e bik e seeme d well-fitted and well finished. It is a nice looking bike. Our sta ffers genera lly prefer bikes of th e sporting mold. but a ll co m me nted that if they -were to co nsi d er a cu sto m -styled mount. they wou ld choose the Nighth awk 650. After a ll. th e Nighthawk has a liveable sea ting position a nd a sensible handlebar. The Nighthawk drew its fair share of attention and the n so me. During a photo session near a local bank , four custo mers com men ted favorable on the looks. a' Fra n kly. we lik ed th e Nighthawk. -O u r strongest feelings were ' for th e (marvelo us eng ine. so compact a nd yet such a driving force. The Nighthawk. while no canyon cat . is quite 'n im ble. During hard riding we had to increase the rear shock damping to •th e maximum setting to prevent 'wo bbles. With the damping o n number four, we co ld get the Ni ghthawk to corner bri skl y. but nobody felt reall y com forta ble pushing it. The front fork co uld be firmed u p. and that would help. but, even dia led in to the max . th e 'Hawk will not put fear in th e hearts of sport ing 550 owners. Back in traffi c with th e rear shock damping turned down . th e N ighthawk is a t home. The seating po sition does situa te th e ri der in a wa y that allows all contro ls to fall readil y to hand a nd foot, lead ing to a saf e feeling in rush hour traffi c. U sed as a co m m u ter. a t least if the trek is not overly long. we would rate the 'Hawk well. With a handlebar fairing. such as one o f the transparent p lastic units. the Nighthawk co u ld handle a fa irl y long jaunt without a problem. Th e engi ne was smooth enough to g ive clear ima ges in the mirrors a t 75 mph . so it ha s possibilities as a long di stance cru iser for th e short o f leg. All in all. it 's a nice bik e. S peciflcations Engine Type Transverse. four cylinder. four-stroke . Displacement '.' 655cc. Bore x stroke 60 X 58mm. Compression ratio 9 .5:1. Starting system Electric start. Ignition system Solid state. Transmission Constant mesh. f ive- speed plus overdrive six. Carburetor Four 29mm constant velocity. Frame I' Type ..,' Double crad le. 100/90-19 tubeless. 130/90-16-tubeless. Front tire Rear t ire Dimensions I Wheelbase Seat height M inimum ground clearance Dry weight (claimed) Fuel capacity Suggested retail price · ' 1' , \ I t . ,t I - ; ' I . ; : 57.5 in. 31.1 in. N/ A. 434.3Ibs. 3.4 gal . $2.798 ,.21 v