Honda 650 Nighthawk
Stephen, or Honest Steve as he is generally known to his mates, doesn’t have a before picture of his bike, but says that it was in a sorry state when he got his hands on it. This picture shows the bike at the start of its transformation.
First job was to replace the standard handlebars with something with a bit more rise to them, and then to clean up the control area using a custom made speedo mount, billet switchgear and throttle housing. All designed to hide the wiring as much as possible.
Still not quite happy with the lines of the front end, Steve enlisted the help of another friend, Rick, to help manufacture a set of slab yokes.
This was the start point for the rear of the bike.
Frame rails were modified to allow for a change in rear mudguard and new side panels and a replacement seat manufactured to suit. On to the finishing touches; stainless steel tube was used to make shrouds for the rear shock springs, and a homemade side mount number plate bracket added, complete with replica Miller stop light.
To keep people guessing, Steve then had the Honda logos removed from the engine casings and retained the three silencer exhaust system (the bike is an inline four). The wiring also received a makeover including relocating the fuse holder and new black / yellow HT leads fitted).
All of the tins went off to be painted by Josh of J.K. Motors. Normally a car guy, this is the first bike that Josh has sprayed, and the yellow and black colour scheme certainly stands out.
Not being keen on the reverse comstar wheels fitted to the standard bike, Steve sourced a pair of CB750K spoked wheels. The rear fitted straight in, but the front required some machining work to allow the standard twin disc set-up to be retained. The rolling chassis was then stripped down ready for paint and powdercoat. Frame, wheel hubs and rims were treated to a gloss black powdercoat finish. The wheels were then rebuilt using stainless spokes.
Not being keen on the reverse comstar wheels fitted to the standard bike, Steve sourced a pair of CB750K spoked wheels. The rear fitted straight in, but the front required some machining work to allow the standard twin disc set-up to be retained. The rolling chassis was then stripped down ready for paint and powdercoat. Frame, wheel hubs and rims were treated to a gloss black powdercoat finish. The wheels were then rebuilt using stainless spokes.
As well as Josh and Rick for their help with paint and yokes, Steve would also like to thank Cuddly Marc for his help with the engineering work. I think Steve and his mates can be justly proud of their efforts. The bike has clean, uncluttered looks, with a lot more presence than the original bike. Would I be very excited about riding a standard Nighthawk? Probably not. Would I like to have a go on this one? Absolutely! Job done, then.
