My own Hawk

This Hawk is my first bike and I will probably never sell it. It's only used for one or two trips abroad, in search of nice sweeping B-roads in the Alps or the UK.
I bought my Hawk in August 1995, only a week or so after I first admired one in the paddock at Assen. It is a 1988 model, but it did not hit the road until 1991 and had only 10,000 miles on the odometer.

After I bought it I changed the clipons for lower ones from Harris, machined from aluminium. The front brake line was swapped for a steel braided one. Then the airbox was taken out and two K&N filters took its place. Carburation was retuned by Dick Hoogland in Kwadijk, and after that the Hawk felt transformed into another bike. The increase from 48bhp to 53 bhp at the rear wheel was nothing compared to the way the engine now wanted to rev to the redline. Of course the sound of those hammering K&N's under the tank had something to do with the new sensation...

I took a while to change the suspension, quite long if you consider the terrible quality of the original equipment. In the end, I went to Schijndel and had the silly springs and shock changed for Technoflex suspension. Together with the intake tuning this is the major revamp to my Hawk. I have not changed the exhaust, because I quite like the stock one and I am told that the engine is limited by the size of its inlets, not its outlets, so a more freely flowing exhaust is pointless until you change the intake valves.

My latest project has been to mount a video camcorder beside the headlight, to record nice stretches of road. I am still fiddling with it, to improve sound and operation. The images I get are already quite good. Elsewhere on this site you can view some of the footage online, as recently I have figured out how to capture and edit the stuff on my computer.

Everytime I start to think of more expensive mods or even a different bike, I quickly get rid of the idea. This bike is perfect to enjoy roads in the real world, and in many cases just as quick as more powerful bikes. On the track, my money is spent wiser getting more experience myself than invested in 'better' equipment. So the Hawk stays, and stays like it is.

But I don't take it to the track as often as I would like to. My Hawk primarily leaves the garage for one or two trips abroad. After I bought it I joined the KicXtour through Germany for three years in a row. Apart from some shorter trips I have ridden the Hawk to Italy twice, to Scotland twice, to Wales, to the Peak district, and to the Lake district. And I hope to continue that for many more trips, on the very same Hawk.