996 Super Hawk ?

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 8:22 pm

Does anyone have any opinions good or bad regarding a 1999 super hawk 996. Bike is in very good condition with only 2600 miles on the clock it needs new tires sell will split cost for the new tires. From looks of the front and rear tires it was gently ridden0 and never really leaned. Seller is asking $ 4500.00 firm. Any pit falls or any Achilles heels that I should know about.

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:11 pm

They are nice bikes. Forks are weak and a little flexy of a frame. But all in all VERY good bikes.
I see them that are IMO really nice bikes from $2000.0 to $3500.00. For $4500.00 that had better be a really nice one as these are still around.

For what it was worth.

JJAM

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:21 pm

Never liked them. Poor attempt by Honda to battle Ducati with their design forte on and off the European tracks. The later ones that ran under the RC51 moniker were maybe a little better.
Honda is all about inline- and V-Fours. Twins are not their best products.

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 11:14 pm

The RC51 is actually a lot of fun. I wish there was a track around here.....................

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 11:26 pm

I've had half an eye on getting one for a little while. They have a pretty devote following on :
http://www.superhawkforum.com/

I would also say that for $4500 it hd better be pretty special. And it sounds like it just might be with so few 'easy' miles.

But take a minute to look around. You should be able to find a real beauty for less.

Cheers from Toronto.

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 12:34 am

Sorry DOHCRob, I have to disagree with you on this one.
I have a 98 SH with 40,000 miles, paid $7400 for it brand new, in terms
of performance per dollar it absolutely kicks ass and it's very fun to ride.
Not RC51 performance levels, but a very capable bike, and easy to go fast on.

They can be had for not too much money, as they
never really caught on. People mostly bitched about the fuel range
(approx 125 miles per tank in "spirited mode")

Factory exhaust was big and heavy, made the bike look kind of porky in the middle.

Mine's got a Sargent seat, Helibars, Double Bubble screen, Staintune exhaust, K&N filter
and a few other goodies sprinkled in. I've got a dynojet kit and a spare bank
of carbs plus an ignition advancer. Waiting for a rainy day to swap all this stuff in.
Agreed, the front suspension is a bit soft from the factory. Easy fix with stiffer springs.
You have to remove the forks to service them, no drain valves are provided at the bottom.

.

Mine had a rear cam chain tensioner failure that wiped out all 4 valves. I scored a lo-mile
used head from e-bay, bought the required gaskets and swapped in the new head. Also replaced the
hydraulic tensioners with full manual APE tensioners. Honda dealer wanted $2000 for this repair.
Er, no thanks, I'll take a shot at it...

Warning: valve adjustments are a bitch. The shims are tiny and "under the bucket" (i.e. riding
directly on the valve stem) so you have to remove all 4 cams to adjust the valves.
Also worth noting, these bikes demolish tires quickly.

With about 120HP and 75 or so Ft-lb of torque, second gear wheelies are no problem.
Just dip the clutch at 3500 RPM and give it a twist!

Spike, PM me for a phone # if you want more details.

Have fun,

Toonces

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:59 am

A Superhawk or VFR were the two final choices for me. I love my VFR, but damned if a yellow 996 didn't just come up for sale around the block from me. It is fitted with a CF two brothers 2-2 pipe system even. DAMN!! Would have been a cool ride too.

Shim over bucket valves are my nightmare with my M6. The up side of shim over bucket is that once the valves seat, they don't really move. You check them, but they stay nice and consistent. My VFR is shim over bucket too.

As Toonces point out, the cam chain tensioner is a known issue with the Superhawks. Do like he did. Replace the automatic (failure prone) tensioners with manual tensioners and then you won't eat valves or heads by surprise.

Jose

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 12:53 pm

The bike is very ,very clean the only thing i could find wrong with it is tires, and the foam hand grip is torn and the lens on the front right turn single needs to be secured. It does have only 2600 miles on it all stock with the exception of a brand new 2-2 D&D exhaust system. The chicken strips on the rear tire(180xr55) are almost 2 inches and center of tire has little wear it does have a few dry rot cracks.

The bike is being sold from a dealer where we bought Pegs Duc from so i know the rep and if there are any issue they will be taken care of .also i have the option to by a 2year or 20000 mile full dealer warranty for 198.00

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:30 pm

spike wrote:

Does anyone have any opinions good or bad regarding a 1999 super hawk 996. Bike is in very good condition with only 2600 miles on the clock it needs new tires sell will split cost for the new tires. From looks of the front and rear tires it was gently ridden0 and never really leaned. Seller is asking $ 4500.00 firm. Any pit falls or any Achilles heels that I should know about.

A starting point the bike books for $2400 he want all the $ +

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:09 pm

I really dislike the small gas tank, and the side mounted radiators. Stoping all the time is really a pain.

Cool looking/sounding bike thou.

Jim