quote:
Wow! How can one biker forum single-handedly have attracted all of the riders who don't actually "get" what riding is really about. I thought riders were part of a brotherhood (or sisterhood) of people who shared a common interest, not necessarily common opinions (wouldn't that make us oh so interesting).
When this guy said he is a "newbie", he meant to this site, not to bikes in general. I happen to know he has done some amazing things to bikes over the years and has spent more time behind the bars of a bike riding across this continent that most of us could ever dream of doing.
As for the value of the "Hawk", he actually never asked for anyone's opinion of it. He did ask for advice in a few specific areas from people who actually know something. ALL bikes can have value beyond what the market will pay for it to the person who owns it. I may love Hondas from the sixties and you may be all about big-bore, late model sport bikes. That's fine! We're allowed to each enjoy the thing we like for whatever reason we deem to be important to us!
How can one rider justify discouraging another from enjoying our sport? I sincerely hope this forum is made up of better people who are more dedicated riders than this!
First off this site tends to be pretty hard on newbies in general, whether they are new to the sport or new to the board. If you wanted all touchy feely hey this is great kinda crap the internet is packed to the gills of sites like that. Nobody pulls punches here.
Second, if you are going to introduce yourself as a newbie you kinda have to take it that people are going to assume you don't know anything - hence you are new to it all. I read newbie and assumed, new to mechanics, new to fabrication, new to resources, the works - if he wanted this not to be the case he should have said so. The fact that he is asking general newbie to motorcycle questions. Lots of newbies get in over their heads quckly with impulse purchases and more often then not when the find out it is real work to learn this stuff the bike ends up abandoned
Third, some bikes are better left for dead. It is a fact. They are like pintos and edsels without the novelty. No parts support even from major mfgs like honda. Some bikes are so cheap to buy as good running examples because nobody wants them that buying a project bike for anything other than parts is just a plain bad decision, no matter how long you have been riding. A hawk is definatly one of those bikes, sold in the millions and nobody wants them. Really clean examples sell for what some would consider stupidly low for any motorcycle. The best project bike is any one that you can ride the first day you bring it home, because then you are not fighting to improve the bike up to stock standards before modifying. I really hope his hawk was free or close to it if it is a project.
Fourth, who cares what he asked for or not. you put yourself out there on the net and you take what you get, like it or not. Most oten the unsolicited advice is the best because it rasies questions and possible solutions to things the original poster may not have been thinking about.
As for what getting what riding is all about, well that is gonna change from person to person and really to say one person or another does't get it is a fart in a stiff breeze. Like I said before nobody is discouraging anybody from riding (wrenching that is a different story), but I doubt you are gonna find anybody hear who will shit their drawers in excitement over some "newbie's" purchase of a 1979 cb400t hawk. Maybe there will be people impressed with what he has done to the bike when finished but nobody will be impressed with the bike because it is a hawk. I mean seriously, unless he is really just starting out riding the bike is a curse not a blessing (there are 250s and 350s that are a decade older than this bike and they are faster, better handeling and better looking).
And speaking of somebody "knowing something", here is what I know: Anything available in the marketplace for this bike is going to be generic (bars, grips, tires, etc). The rest will need to be custom made and will in many cases require fabrication skills above and beyond most weekend warriors. Exhaust: will need to be fabricated, rear sets: fabricated - and there are plenty of stock parts from honda that are NLA (hope he doesn't need any of those to get her running).
Gotta say Mark W, I'm not overly impressed with your first post either. I hope you were not the guy that cajoled him into getting this particular bike rather than researching what bikes actually have aftermarket parts available. Your terms are vague at best (what part of the "sport am I discouraging - the riding or the massive fabrication project ahead being asked about by a person whose skills are not known). It's nice that you are sticking up for your friend and all, and you obviously have hurt feelings over it, but wouldn't your role as a friend and rider be to make sure he didn't end up with a bike that is more trouble than it is worth?
As far as anybody being a dedicated rider, I think you'll find that there are probably not qualified in any means to determine who is a dedicated rider and who is not, espically over the internet.
anyway, just got in from the late shift and I am beat. We will continue this.
