Picked up 92 750 Nighthawk

[peteinpa]

Feeding the nostalgia. Talked about getting another Nighthawk in the past.

20k miles on it. Went through it then took it for a ride.  

First thing I noticed was when I took off and went to put my feet on the pegs I really had to pull my feet high.  Must be all the leg room on the FJ-09 I'm used to.

Of course it's carbed and really cold blooded. I'll be doing some jetting and cleaning.

Ran around on it, in general I like it.  Love the look, the simplicity, the air cooling, etc.

The intention is to improve it then flip it next year...Eventually.

 

[kilo3]

31 minutes ago, peteinpa said:

The intention is to improve it then flip it next year...Eventually.

Lol right wink wink.

[KrustyKush]

I bought one of those in 92!  That 92 was a re-issue of the Nighthawk from the 80's.  The 80's Nighthawk was a shaft drive, and I believe they were all 700cc.  The 92 was a parts bin special.  MSRP was $3999, coming in under the magic $4k number of the day.  Mine was red.  I liked it.  A good everyday bike.  Eventually traded it on a Concours.

[peteinpa]

Yep, I bought a brand new 83 650 Nighthawk in Millington TN while in "A" School in the Navy.

Shaft drive, dual disc brakes up front, drum rear, self adjusting valves, (best part!)

I put 30k plus miles on it in less then 3 years. great bike!

This 750 has the same valve system, more HP and torque, but only one disc up front, and chain drive.

on my short ride the single disc isn't too bad, drum rear brakes never bothered me, chains don't bother me, more power to the road.

This bike just looks right to me.  Just like most 80's bikes.

This is the quietest bike I've ever heard!  I'm fine with it but the carbs are coming out, cleaned, and re-jetted.  Very cold blooded, can't ride with choke off for 10 min. I don't know what's normal VS. dirty, but I'll make it better then new when done!

I picked this one due to complete lack of corrosion. Headers are perfect.  Some even newer, (up to 2003) were all rusty and corroded into the aluminum. Then they still wanted $3500 for them. 🙄

It has some scratches, rock dings, etc. I AM the 3rd owner at least.

It will be my over winter, keep my sanity project. 

[Brian]

That takes me back so many years ago when I read "Motorcycling for Dummies" as a newbie and the Nighthawk came up as one of the best first bikes. Ended up with a Yamaha Radian....cool little bike to learn and to take the motorcycle safety course on. 

Remember the Radian YX600?

Edited October 24, 2022 by Brian

[Lone Wolf]

5 hours ago, peteinpa said:

Of course it's carbed and really cold blooded. I'll be doing some jetting and cleaning.

...on my short ride the single disc isn't too bad

I still have my '93 Nighthawk 750. You should not need to mess with the jetting (other than clean, including nylon guitar string to ensure fully open passage). Simply riding them, adding seafoam (etc.) if borderline due to being stored will often clear out the gunk. Sounds like yours runs fairly well. 

With stock pipes, stock cams and carb, there is no improvement in changing jet size. These bikes need 3/4 choke to start, and within 20 seconds the rev's will climb from 1,000 to 2,000 and you cut the choke to 1/2. By the time your gear is on, it should be ready to ride. I fully cut the choke after riding a couple blocks.

If it only runs well at higher RPM, even after fully warmed up, the smaller pilot jets are clogged. Do not increase idle speed to compensate for that - it is a symptom.

The front brake is terrible on these bikes. EBC pads made the biggest difference for me (HH) and I was able to lock up the front wheel (brief squeal, then release). Braided steel lines did not really result in noticeable change. Do not run shorty levers, you actually need the full leverage of a full length brake lever with these weak brakes. I moved the lever assembly to the left 1/2" or so to place my fingers on the outer part of the lever, to get more stopping power. they are that bad. Sure they work, and seem "OK" but if you practice panic stops (gradually build up to full) you see how bad they are, especially if the pads get glazed. My brakes have been fully bled many times, and I do get a firm, non-spongy brake. That isn't the issue, they are simply weak. 

The 18" front rim is a challenge to find tires. A lot of mfg stopped making that size, but Avon Spirit (softer-grippy) or Avon Storm XM (longer life) have the exact stock size. You have to go to a 150 rear instead of 140, no one notices the difference. The Avon's have had supply chain issues this year. I have gone through several sets, they are great tires for this bike and yes you can run radials (OEM was bias ply). No one has issues with the radials.

[peteinpa]

Thanks for all the info!👍

Just got back from a good ride on it.  Came to the conclusion I don't like it.  Rose colored glasses from so many years ago.

It handles like a cruiser instead of sport bike.  No idea what the front tire is doing.  I could stiffen the suspension and it probably would help (at some big $$$) but it would still not be a sport bike.

It still looks good to me though.

My FJ-09 handles like a sport bike but only looks so-so to me.

I'm still going to go through it, pull the carbs, sync. them, and in general optimize it over winter.

It will be easy to sell come spring.

[Lone Wolf]

Right. When I go back and forth to my Nighthawk, the lack of agility is very apparent.

I have a soft spot for it - but even back when they were available for sale the magazines referred to it as "boring".

[peteinpa]

I also still can't get used to the short seat to peg distance.  I'm 6ft 2in. with a 33 inseam.  Don't understand why that never bothered me on the 650 Nighthawk unless it is a lot different.

On the carbs I was just going to go up 1 size on the mains (112 to 115) small washer under each needle and 3 turns out on the pilot screws. With a thorough cleaning. 

Going to try to add a length of PVC pipe on the fork springs. Front end is SO flacid.

Front brake besides weak is pulsing.  Slight jerking while stopping. Going to clean rotor with scotchbrite and brake cleaner and check for warping.

All 4 turn signals are wrapped in black electrical tape. There's $100.

Very recent chain and sprockets...but a clip master link. Yuck! 

 

[Lone Wolf]

29 minutes ago, peteinpa said:

Going to try to add a length of PVC pipe on the fork springs. Front end is SO flacid.

All 4 turn signals are wrapped in black electrical tape. There's $100.

When I changed my seals, I dumped the quarter century old fork oil and put in Maxima 10 Weight and noticed much less flacid. Doesn't halt the brake drive, but better. I think that year had drain plugs at the bottom of the fork legs, they made that bike for 13 years and the "newer" ones lost the drain screw.

If you are selling the bike I would not replace the signals. The rubber things always fail on those bikes. Some wrap the failed area with a cut section of water bottle, milk jug, then wrap that in black duct tape and it looks factory if the tape seam is on the bottom (and the repair actually lasts). 

I went through 3 sets of aftermarket signals, put in LED resistors, still had hyperflash due to the blinker display on instrument panel - had to get different flasher unit. The first 2 sets of signals were much less visible than the OEM, the 3rd set was OK. I did the "tape trick" initially, and if I had to do it over again i would have kept the stock ones.

[texscottyd]

1 hour ago, peteinpa said:

Just got back from a good ride on it.  Came to the conclusion I don't like it.  Rose colored glasses from so many years ago.

I've come to the stark realization that fond memories of motorcycles from prior eras are much better than the present-day reality of going back for a visit...   

My first street bike was a CB400F SuperSport, and it was an impressive bike at the time.   But a recent ride on a friend's nicely-restored CB (essentially the identical bike to the one I owned) was almost comical:  It's so small, and slow, and toy-like.   This can't possibly be the same thing that was such a rush when I was 16?   

[Lone Wolf]

9 minutes ago, texscottyd said:

...when I was 16?  

I got a speeding ticket on a Honda 90 when I was 16.

My first "rush" was a lawnmower engine bolted to a bicycle frame - it didn't take much.

[peteinpa]

As of today, you can still get a center stand for these.  $145 free delivery from Ron Ayers.  Mine's en-route.  This is mandatory for me, ALL maint. is SO much easier with one.

Even with carb. cleaner in the tank it still is VERY COLD BLOODED.  It will idle with the choke off but takes forever!   Not that I'm not pulling the carbs, I am, just thought I could improve it till I do. Going to wait till the snow flies, one of the reasons I got it.

I'm changing to Maxima 15 fork oil along with a length of PVC in each fork.  See how that does.

It has a hands off decell. wobble that starts at 55 mph and goes all the way down to 15 mph.  Never had one go that low.  I'll be checking the head bearings.

While it's apart I'll get compression numbers.

I don't think I can stand to leave all the turn signals wrapped in tape.  Another $100 for Bikemaster OEM reproduction ones. New ones should go another 30 years, right?

Bleed the front brake, and any other things I find may keep me busy till Feb.....Maybe.  Then...The Shining.

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by peteinpa

[Lone Wolf]

13 minutes ago, peteinpa said:

center stand ...Mine's en-route. 

It has a hands off decell. wobble that starts at 55 mph and goes all the way down to 15 mph.  Never had one go that low.  I'll be checking the head bearings.

I put a center stand on mine as well, and there is a trick to getting that SUPER STIFF spring in place. You bend it, insert a couple of penny's, nickels. Bend it the other way, insert more coins. You keep doing that until it the spring is long enough to hook in place.

I bet you have a tire badly out of balance causing the wobble. I replaced my head bearings at 35,000 so I don't think yours will need it at 20,000 that would be really rare. I did mine because of a slight detent, barely noticeable.  I bought an old interceptor that did what you describe and a new front tire completely fixed it. 

On the turn signals, hopefully the OEM style has incandescent bulbs because the LED on this bike is more than just the resistors, the indicator bulb (instrumentation) has a gremlin that causes hyperflash even with resistors, causing you to get a new flasher unit specific for the LED signals. I say that because you are planning on selling it.

[peteinpa]

Yeah, they're incandescent, total OEM clones.

Thanks for reminding me of that spring trick.