[trav3000]

Got this little beauty about a month ago and have been splitting my time between this and the CB823 ultralight so haven't been able to post pics but I'll catch ya'll up and then update as much as possible.

First it's a 1988 Honda Hawk GT (NT650). It was in pretty good shape for a 26 year old with 30,000 plus on the clock.

Plans:
-Bore out the cylinders to 696cc, reshape the ports and reseal
-Wiseco pistons that will raise the compression from 9.2:1 to 11:1
-Full M4 exhaust, Pod filters and re-jet
-Solo cafe tail with battery and electrics relocated to the hump
-Full CBR1000RR front end with radial mount master cylinder and calipers
-CBR rear shock
-VFR800 Rear wheel swap
-Dime City Cycles headlight and taillight
-GPS Gauge
-And a rewire and turn signal delete
(Unsure on paint...any suggestions?)




This is how it looked when I rode it home.



Basically just started tearing it down





Had to make a tool to remove the castle nut holding the swing arm/motor mount bolt.



But then it was no problem.



Fitted up the front end to have a look see.





Spindle modified by Hi/per Form to accept the wider VFR800 5 spoke wheel
M4 Exhaust with Uni filters
DCC Headlight

The old exhaust fit all the way inside the new one



Next I went to work on the sub frame


and under tray.




And finished with the battery box and plate bracket





And this is where I'm at now. I went ahead and threw the swing arm and old wheel back on to make sure the license plate would clear and be visible.

 

[94yzf75fighter]

More cafe fighters I think you found your notch. If its anything like the last I can't wait to see it finished.

 

[Reed]

Sub'd

 

[Jackstand Johnny]

GODDAMN RIGHT! Hell yeah dude this is EXACTLY what I needed to see. Awesome work. Doing WORK right out of the gate. Looks like you put a lot into it already. Im jealous of that shop space man. If I had something like that I'd be able to really rip into my bike too. I saw your plans with the CBR parts and I was hoping to peddle my shit onto you but it looks like you already got what you need lol oh well. I'll be keeping an eye on this too. I love these bikes. Very cool build.

 

[trav3000]

GODDAMN RIGHT! Hell yeah dude this is EXACTLY what I needed to see. Awesome work. Doing WORK right out of the gate. Looks like you put a lot into it already. Im jealous of that shop space man. If I had something like that I'd be able to really rip into my bike too. I saw your plans with the CBR parts and I was hoping to peddle my shit onto you but it looks like you already got what you need lol oh well. I'll be keeping an eye on this too. I love these bikes. Very cool build.

Hell yeah man. I gotta say, I think I like building them more than riding them. Thanks for the complements on the shop. I'm actually looking to relocate to something bigger right now. Maybe a 2 car garage. hahaha ...anyways thanks again man. All I did to get all this is buy one tool at a time over about 4 years till finally I had some respectable fab equipment. Next is a lath and Miller tig.

 

[a_morti]

Loving it! Very nice concept.

Regarding a big-bore... are you aware that the Africa Twin (750) and Pacific Coast (800) have effectively the same engines, which should make a jump from 650 right through 700 to 800 pretty easy to do? You'd need to check it but ISTR there is a pretty good Hawk forum out there.

 

[trav3000]

Loving it! Very nice concept.

Regarding a big-bore... are you aware that the Africa Twin (750) and Pacific Coast (800) have effectively the same engines, which should make a jump from 650 right through 700 to 800 pretty easy to do? You'd need to check it but ISTR there is a pretty good Hawk forum out there.

Thanks, a_morti. I'd hard of those bikes but didn't even think about swapping in one of those motors. Pretty damn good idea. I already bought the pistons and sent the motor out to be bored but I'm definitely doing another one of these NT650s. I love the 52 degree V twin and the fact that it already has a SSSA is a big bonus. I'ma research that motor swap and ya'll will for sure see that on the next one.

 

[trav3000]

New Wisco hi-comps.

 

[Jackstand Johnny]

I'm just starting out with my first shop space. Been doing the same thing. Collecting shop tools as I need them. I moved in with my Brother at our grandparents old house and my Dad and I have been converting my Grandmas greenhouse into a shop. Its kinda weird cause essentially the whole thing is one big window but it had 120/240v and running water in it at one point. In the next year or so I'm gonna have an electrician and plumber out here to redo it all. Keep up the good work dude I'm really liking the build so far.

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[trav3000]

A greenhouse would make a cool shop I bet. Loads of natural light and I'd love a 240 set up. Sadly I'm running everything off 115 and it's really limiting when it comes to welders and air compressors. Thanks for the support and keep on building. I really dig your style.

 

[Jackstand Johnny]

A greenhouse would make a cool shop I bet. Loads of natural light and I'd love a 240 set up. Sadly I'm running everything off 115 and it's really limiting when it comes to welders and air compressors. Thanks for the support and keep on building. I really dig your style.

It has its good and bad things about it. Yeah you get all the natural light you want but ZERO privacy. Also the entire structure is very fragile and if a tool goes broken arrow on my ass than I can kiss part of my wall or roof goodbye. PLUS I said it HAD 120/240v in it. Its all there but the wiring is shot. Im running everything off of 1 50' extension cord plugged into the back of the house lol. It;s not as glamorous as it sounds, but it'll get there. Gonna slowly start putting roofing sheet on it, then some kind of insulation or walls, power, etc. and it'll be a good setup. Of course by then I'll have packed the place with tools and parts and need something twice its size lol.

 

[trav3000]

Yeah, a glass house might not be great when the shits flying but we take what we can get I guess. Just keep building it up the best you can. You'll be happy when you get some electricity ran and it's insulated. It makes it much easier to do quality work. Good luck and keep building.

 

[trav3000]

Alright happy day for me. I got the tires and rear wheel in over the weekend and had the tires mounted and balanced today. Got a rolling chassis together but I still need to source a rear shock. Used the original NT shock for mock up.

 

[a_morti]

What's the plan for the shock? Sure you know this but if you re spring it you can use a cbr900 shock. I forget the ideal year to get the right length.

If you can find a used after market shock for a cbr900 then you'd be laughing, as if it has threads for preload adjustment instead of a collar then the original hawk spring, which is shorter, could be recycled. Or since it's a bit softly sprung anyway, you could get one to your weight:
http://www.penskeshocks.com/assets/PENSKE SPRING APPLICATION CHART.pdf

 

[trav3000]

I was trying to hold out for a good deal on a penske but will probably settle on a CBR shock. Still kinda looking for the best option. That penske chart is great.

 

[a_morti]

Depends how much $$$ you want to give, but Nitron make some really good shocks in the UK. Their base model is the Street, the quality is super and they will customise length, spring rate and such as you ask for it. The next model up is length adjustable.

I put one on a CBR900 '98 and the bike was transformed.

 

[trav3000]

Depends how much $$$ you want to give, but Nitron make some really good shocks in the UK. Their base model is the Street, the quality is super and they will customise length, spring rate and such as you ask for it. The next model up is length adjustable.

I put one on a CBR900 '98 and the bike was transformed.

Yeah, those shocks are pretty nice but I'm trying to keep the shock under $200 total. I've spent a lot on this lately and need to ease back a bit. Probably gonna go with the CBR900 shock and swap the NT spring over. I've heard that works well on these bikes.

 

[a_morti]

Yeah, those shocks are pretty nice but I'm trying to keep the shock under $200 total. I've spent a lot on this lately and need to ease back a bit. Probably gonna go with the CBR900 shock and swap the NT spring over. I've heard that works well on these bikes.

The spring is longer on the CBR, you need to make a shim so it reaches the preload adjuster.
http://www.rc31.co.uk/CBR900_shock_mod.htm

Should be possible and cheap enough though - if you can pick the shock up cheap enough you'll have budget left from $200 for a rebuild/regas and maybe modify the valving to suit the new spring, too - otherwise the adjustment isn't going to be as useful as it could be, but should still work. On my CBR if you turn the adjusters right in, it almost turns the shock to a solid bar.

 

[trav3000]

The spring is longer on the CBR, you need to make a shim so it reaches the preload adjuster.
http://www.rc31.co.uk/CBR900_shock_mod.htm

Should be possible and cheap enough though - if you can pick the shock up cheap enough you'll have budget left from $200 for a rebuild/regas and maybe modify the valving to suit the new spring, too - otherwise the adjustment isn't going to be as useful as it could be, but should still work. On my CBR if you turn the adjusters right in, it almost turns the shock to a solid bar.

Yeah, a spacer shouldn't be a problem and changing the valving is definitely a good idea. I came across that thread on the swap while doing some research. Really good info and doesn't seem difficult. Will be better than the stock shock for sure which is like a solid bar all the time. haha

 

[trav3000]

A little bit of eye candy. The Acewell gauge. A tiny, thing of beauty.




...And I couldn't really find a good picture of the sensor and magnetic bolt when I was researching this gauge so I thought I'd post one up if anyone is curious.