This bike has now been sold
1988 Honda Hawk GT (Bros)
This is the most modern of all the bikes in my collection, a 1988 Honda Hawk (RC31, also known as the Bros) imported from the USA. It also happens to the bike I use the most, mainly due to its superb reliability and the amazing grunty motor and Harleyesque sound through the Supertrap exhaust.
Some people say Hondas are boring, well they have not had a ride on one of these babies. No it's not the most powerfull or best handling but there is something about the way the 650cc V-Twin motor gets its power to the road. I always get the feeling the bikes a bit of an animal, it always seems to have instant grunt in any gear at any revs above about 2K, its that instant throttle response you only get from a superbike like the Fireblade (OK not as much but similar), this really is a very underrated bike in the UK. Don't get this mixed up with the shaft driven NT650 which is completely different and probably has the honor of being a bit dull. The Hawk is a real thoroughbred. Just look at the beautifully crafted aluminum frame (the welding is unbelivable), the Ohlins style centre shock and a first, the single sided swinging arm, this design was years ahead of the Ducati 916 not to mention the fabulous RC30, and no wonder the bike is also known as the Ducati Honda or Honda's Ducati. These used to be raced in the states with great success (Hawk Racing), there's even a large aftermarket scene for performance and handling improvements.
Overall its a shame that the bike was never imported into the UK but considering the quality of the components used this would have been a very expensive model.
Hawk Brochure
Related Web sites
Hawk GT web site
Hawk Web Ring