When I took my rider’s safety course,
I had the pleasure of trying out different bikes.
At the time, I was torn between the CBR125R and
the Suzuki Marauder.
A standard bike.
I went with the CBR125R.
I rode it to work, to the gym, to the park, even to the grocery.
At first the forward leaning position hurt my neck
But after a few rides I got used to it
My first group ride was on the 125
I had a blast with it
A few weeks later, I upgraded to a CBR250R
I knew I made the right decision
By going with a sportbike
It was a summer to remember
6 months ago this tow truck rear ended me while
I was at a stop light and I sustained some
Injuries to my neck
I was lucky I was in my car at the time
But I stopped riding ever since
My concern was that my bike's forward leaning
Position may aggravate my neck injury
But I still wanted to ride
Then I saw this cruiser which reminded me of the Marauder.
With a seating position like that, I should avoid any
Aggravation to my neck
This is the story about how I got
My first standard bike
I wanted a bike that was
500 cc or less to limit insurance costs
It must weigh under 500 pounds
I prefer a Honda
It must be under two thousand dollars
And it must be a standard bike for riding comfort
My search came down to the following bikes
The 500cc Honda Shadow
The 450cc Honda Nighthawk
And the 250cc Honda Rebel
I'm off to check out a Honda Shadow
It's a 500cc bike
Seller says that it's in great condition
Also looks good in pictures
So I'm gonna check it out in person
The asking price is a little bit above my budget
So we'll see how this one goes
Just coming back from checking out the Honda Shadow
It turns out that it needs a new battery
And a new rear tire
Otherwise the bike looks really good
Mileage is okay
I have to find out how much that's gonna cost me
But it's definitely something worth considering
So I'll keep that on the list
A friend of mine has a 650cc Shadow for his first
Bike and loves it
My problem was that it was going to be too expensive
To insure and it is at the top of my budget
So I checked out a couple of Honda Rebel's today
And for some reason even though
They are only 250cc they are both above my budget
So I'm afraid I might have to scratch those off
But tomorrow I'm going to be checking out
A Nighthawk 450
So we'll see how that one goes
Don't worry I'm not replacing you
I'm keeping you
The Nighthawk was a popular model in the 80’s
Have you seen what just hit town
That's that new engine isn't it
Okay guys whose is it
The new Nighthawk from Honda
With tons of positive reviews
And well within my budget
How could I go wrong
Is it yours
Uh huh
Even at 30 years old, it is still all over YouTube
Alright here is a video of my 1985 Honda CB450SC
It was a great looking bike
Here is my 1985 Honda 450 Nighthawk
Doing a quick video to show it just got it
Really happy I picked this bike up
Um I'm actually gonna start it
Let me start it up
Well cold starting may be an issue
But I still decided to checkout a Nighthawk anyway
When I saw my first Nighthawk in person
It was like love at first sight
The Nighthawk 450 had a 445 cc two cylinder engine
With two carbs 6-speed transmission
And a 395 pound dry weight
This one came with a rack a back rest
A wind screen and an and engine guard
The exhaust had been modified to a high flow exhaust
And the carburetor was rejetted
Of the 3 Nighthawks I had seen so far
I had to come back a second time
To see this one again
There was minimal rust on the bike
And both side panels were still there
Yes she's been around the block a few times
But it was still looking pretty solid
I knew this was the one
So when the seller called back for a follow up
I jumped on it
What's up guys the seller of the
83 Honda Nighthawk 450 got back to me
And just to follow up
We eventually came up with a deal
He's gonna discount the cost of the carb work
So I'm on my way there now to have a second look
And possibly give him a downpayment
So we'll see how that goes
I made my deposit
All I needed now was some good riding weather
It's pickup day
I had to rely on the weather forecast
To tell me when would be a good day to pick it up
I had to get a temporary permit first so that
I could ride it to the shop to get it certified
And I had to pickup my dad who lived an hour away
So that he could drive my car
And to escort me to the shop
Finally, it was time to put on the new plates
And ride it for the first time
My dad used to ride a Honda for many years
When he was younger
He pointed out that the reason why it was backfiring
Could be that it is running too lean too rich
Or there is an exhaust leak
So he was quite upset that I didn’t test ride
The bike before buying it
I didn’t really care
But just in case there wasn’t enough gas in the tank
I brought some fuel with me and filled it up
Then it was time to get a feel for the bike
This turned out to be the first time I rode a bike
After my accident and the first time this season
The very first thing I noticed was that the bike’s
Handle bars got heavier the more they were turned
Into one direction
Unlike my 250 it had longer forks resulting in a
Bigger rake angle
On acceleration it was hesitating and backfiring
It was lacking the power I was accustomed to
On my 250
The tach and speedometer were bouncing
It basically rode like crap
But I did get a taste of its power
When wide open in third gear
I found that the seating position was
Very comfortable
I could see myself riding it all day long
I took the backroads on the way to the shop
I even spotted another rider braving the cold
At the shop I was told that it would be ready
In about 2 hours
So I had some lunch expecting to
Take the bike home later
(Phone ringing)
Hello
Hey Mike
Yup
The bike failed safety
Oh really
Okay so you're gonna fix the loose shifter
You're gonna replace the front tire
There's a broken bolt you said
Okay replacing the front grips
Chain and sprockets
And how much are we looking at
Wow
Okay well let me get back to you on that
Because I was expecting to pass safety and
I was hoping to bring it home today
Because the weather is nice
Alright Mike
I'll call you back
Bye
I called him back to get the work done anyway
Damn
Hi can I speak to Mike please
Hi Mike it's Michael with the Nighthawk
Yeah just checking in when I can pickup the bike
Yeah I know it runs like (beep)
Yeah it needs some carb work
I'm here at Clarington Cycle now
I'm gonna pickup my bike
Okay so about twenty minutes
I was skeptical at first
Until I did some research on Clarington Cycle
Excellent
Here we go
Alright Mike
Alright thanks
I'll see you soon
Bye
Bike is ready
Mike had a lot of positive reviews from local riders
Because there is rust in the tank
Eventually that rust will become almost like silt
The only way to stop it is to get the tank relined
There's a place in Peterborough that does
A pretty good job
In the meantime attach a piece of hose onto here
Get a little cup
Open this up
Turn it
Let it run through for 15 seconds
Just make sure when you get in there
You don't strip that
Undo that hang on to the backside of the carburetor
Is it okay if I pickup my bike later on tonight
Maybe you could leave it outside and
I'll come back after you're closed
Sure
Yup
I'll just push it outside
Actually I'll do it right now and give you the key
Still got a few things that you gonna
Want to attend to on this bike
Alright for now it has mechanical safety
So you're good that way
There's some running issues
Got a question for you here
Is that in reserve right now
Or is it in the on position
Arrow is pointing up so it's on
The little tiny arrow there
You don't go by this you go by that little arrow
Alright so that would be your off
Is it off
It's off
Alright
You'd hate to come on back to a dead battery
A couple of hours later my wife gave me a ride
To pickup the bike
The bike had been sitting outside in the cold
So I knew I had to let it warm up for several minutes
Yeah baby
I picked up a high vis vest from Walmart
And by some slim chance the woman at the till
was also a rider
With the wind chill at minus 9 degrees
My open visor was still fogging up
And finally, we were on our way home
This was the moment I’ve been waiting for
It was so windy that day that the windshield felt
Like a giant sail
The tires felt like they were frozen solid
And my hands were numb after just a few minutes
But I didn’t care
We were coming home
We were 5 minutes away from home
When all of a sudden the bike started struggling
Until finally I was out of fuel
Hmmm… what was that thing Mike said back at the shop
The little tiny arrow there
You don't go by this you go by that little arrow
And I was back in business
I made it home safely and my Nighthawk 450
Was finally ready to meet its young nephew the 250
While I still have a lot of work ahead of me
I am sure to enjoy this new chapter
I would like to thank you for joining me
In this mini video journal
If you liked this video please hit that like button
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And I’ll see you in my next video
And as always ride safe and thanks for watching