New rider here and just got my first bike...a 1993 Honda Nighthawk 750!!!

[ginmqi]

So today I bought my first bike...a red 1993 Honda Nighthawk 750!!!  A couple of minor issues on initial exam (small crack in turn signal housing, bent inward rear brake pedal, VH pipe unsure about carb jetting) but overall looks to be a fairly well maintained bike!


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OLD: So today I'll be going to take a look at a 1993 Nighthawk 750.  The ad says $2200 firm (http://lawrence.craigslist.org/mcy/2610891458.html).  To me this sounds a bit high for a 1993 machine, although I do understand that Nighthawk 750s probably command a bit higher value due to it's appeal and low supply.  

So NADA has it at $2200 for "Excellent" condition, and about $1500 for "Good" condition.  KBB has it at $1665 for "Excellent" condition.  Looks like the guy took the NADA price.  So what would be a fair offer if this turns out to be a good buy?  Of course I will be bringing a couple of friends to also take a look and do a good inspection and test ride if the seller allows it.  

But to me 2200 is still bit too high...unless the bike is actually in perfectly immaculate condition without needing anything (new tires, recent oil change, new plugs, recent clutch cable, very well maintained or new chain/sprocket, no steering head bearing issues, recent battery, not laid over, fresh gas, etc.)

It's a 1993 and with only about 8k miles, it seems it must've spent some time sitting for a looong itme.  So is that already a bad sign?  

[TimmyJ]

Depends. If it was sitting for a long time with the fuel on, then that could cause carb issues...but he says it is running good? Its hard to see with those pics just how good a condition it is in.

Seems like a good price for only 8k miles, but again look closley at details.

I paid 3K for my red '92 with 26k and I overpaid and knew it when I did it. Of course I bought it from a dealer for hthe sake of convienience, so it was going to be on the high side...but I knew what I was getting too (it is basically showroom condition, new battery, new clutch, etc). You need to get a close look at the one your looking to buy...look at it running, see if there are any leaks. Look at the headers, see if they are dented, stuff like that. Is the battery fairly new? All that kind of stuff. Those pics just dont tell enough of the story.

If it is as good as it looks from those pics, then I would say it is a fair price.

Here is "excellent condition" (the one I got). If the condition of yours is close to this one, then I would say he is asking a good price.

[ariwhiteboy]

I paid $1500 for a '92 in "Good" condition. Prices vary by as much as $1000 from one area of the country to another for identical bikes. Looking at the pics in the CL ad, that bike seems to be in "Excellent" condition, though further inspection would be necessary. Keep in mind the seller is likely including the accessories pictured in the price. (Windscreen, bags,exhaust) Make sure the carbs have been properly re-jetted for the V&H exhaust, as that is a problem if they haven't been. Bottom line is, it's a NH and even with only 8k on it, if it hasn't been abused it's probably a fine bike.

[twoone60]

If the seller has taken as good care of the bike as he takes of his garage. Its definitely worth a look.  The saddle bags run from $100 to maybe $200.  Wind screen might be $150 to $250.  The V&H pipe if the carbs were re-jetted so the engine runs with no flat spots and you like the sound should be a plus.  The pipes would add performance.

    When I bought my 700 I knew that I was getting a low mileage, mechanically sound, almost new looking bike that fit my needs for less then 1/3 the price of new.  I don't like the crotch rocket lay down and tilt your head back to see where your going that they sell now.  I have also had a lot of people come up and say that they ether had one or dreamed about having when they first came out.

[hppants]

"The pipes would add performance"

Doubtful, but it will be louder.

IMO, the bike is overpriced by at least $200.00 - maybe $400.00.  But if it's really what you want, and you plan to keep it a while, one could argue giving the seller the money.  Spreading out a few hundred dollars over 5 years to get the bike you really want is justifiable IMO.  Keep in mind that, regardless of mileage, with a bike this old, you are looking at potentially changing/maintaining - at a minimum:

Battery
Front brake bleed
Tires (regardless of tread, if older than 4 years, pitch em)
wheel bearings (not likely, but possible)
fork oil (and possibly seals)
All cables get lubed (and possibly changed)

If you can do all of that yourself, not such a big deal.  200-300 bucks, and you are done.  If you have to hire a mechanic to do it, all of that could run you well over $750.00 and likely more.

If it were me, and the bike checked out as good or better than it is presented in the add, I'd bring and show him 18 crisp Benjamins. Tell him to take it or leave it.  Then be prepared to walk away, but give him your phone number.  Then wait for the phone call.  It's starting to get cold up there - he'll take it.  I'm sure of it.

Remember the Golden Rule.... "The one with the gold makes the rules..."

[green427]

The seller is probably not in a big hurry to sell it based on his "firm" price.

Keep in mind that "excellent condition" is interpreted differently by different people.

It is just me, but I get the heebie-jeebies when someone modifies the exhaust on a bike. It has to be done right and the jetting has to be done right. Looking at the pics, it appears that the bike does not have a Hondaline backrest. I paid $2200 for my 1995 three years ago, and it was overpriced at the time. Mine had 16K miles. I spent about $800 putting new tires, bearings, heaters, windshield, & luggage on it.

[ginmqi]

Thanks all for the advice.  Well just got back....with the bike.  And my wallet is $2000 lighter.  I know I probably could've gotten 1800 if I just walked away and waited for him to call back but I figured I was gonna keep this bike for a while and do maintenance piece meal. 

It was definitely not "excellent" (which in my mind is show condition...aka perfectly spotless).  The two immediate concerns I discovered (after I had bought it, of course) was that the right front turn signal has a crack in the little plastic tab that's to the inside of the turn signal (not the stalk, hard to describe):

The small tab in between the amber light housing and the black stalk is broken off, light still appears to be fully connected though. 

Also, the rear brake pedal is very close to the engine/crankcase cover(?) so much so that it appears to be actually touching and if I press down on the rear brake pedal it exposes a scratched-up area of the side engine/crankcase cover(?) where I presume the rear brake pedal has been scratching the metal surface.  WTF?  Obviously this does not appear normal and how do I go about fixing it?  The actual rear brake pedal appears to have good and free movement but appears to be very very close to the side engine. 
In this image, the rear brake pedal appears to have been touching that round circular metal covering. 


Also I have read about needing to rejet carbs after exhaust installed.  This guy apparently only owned it for 3months (this was his first bike) and didn't know about rejetting the carbs.  So, how would I go about checking to see if the carbs have been properly adjusted/rejetted for the VH exhaust? 

The tires appears to have been made sometime in 2007 (I think by looking at the four digit WWYY code that I think I found on the rear tire, not sure about front tire) but does have deep treads and no signs of rot on initial check. 

Definitely need to lube chain, change oil/filter, change air filter, and also check brake fluid status.  And as hppants mentioned those things definitely need to be checked as well.  I do some minor maintenance on my car so I'll just slowly and surely try to tackle each one as weekends roll by. 

Otherwise it rides fine...as far as I can tell.  Won't switch out of neutral with motor off, which apparently could be normal? (was loading it up and needed to put it in 1st but wouldn't go out of neutral so just started the motor and then was able to do it easily)

[ariwhiteboy]

Congrats on the purchase and  to the family!

The not switching out of neutral  could be due to the bike sitting still. Sometimes you need to roll it back and forth a few inches to allow things to line up and shift.

[twoone60]

  Won't switch out of neutral with motor off, which apparently could be normal?

It is normal that this can happen, sometimes the gears need to be turning to be able to line up. 

[green427]

The two immediate concerns I discovered (after I had bought it, of course) was that the right front turn signal has a crack in the little plastic tab that's to the inside of the turn signal (not the stalk, hard to describe):

You can get replacement parts all over.

Also, the rear brake pedal is very close to the engine/crankcase cover(?) so much so that it appears to be actually touching and if I press down on the rear brake pedal it exposes a scratched-up area of the side engine/crankcase cover(?) where I presume the rear brake pedal has been scratching the metal surface.  WTF?

The brake lever is probably bent inwards. You may have to heat it up and bend it outwards or replace it.

p.s. Congrats on your purchase.

[ginmqi]

Congrats on the purchase and  to the family!

The not switching out of neutral  could be due to the bike sitting still. Sometimes you need to roll it back and forth a few inches to allow things to line up and shift.

Thank you!  Yeah I figured the neutral gear shift with engine off is not a huge deal.  Next time I'll try to remember to roll it and see if it'll shift down to 1st without having to just start the bike.

It is normal that this can happen, sometimes the gears need to be turning to be able to line up. 

Okay that's another confirmation.  Thanks for that.  I'll try rolling it to see if it'll shift down. 

The two immediate concerns I discovered (after I had bought it, of course) was that the right front turn signal has a crack in the little plastic tab that's to the inside of the turn signal (not the stalk, hard to describe):

You can get replacement parts all over.

Also, the rear brake pedal is very close to the engine/crankcase cover(?) so much so that it appears to be actually touching and if I press down on the rear brake pedal it exposes a scratched-up area of the side engine/crankcase cover(?) where I presume the rear brake pedal has been scratching the metal surface.  WTF?

The brake lever is probably bent inwards. You may have to heat it up and bend it outwards or replace it.

p.s. Congrats on your purchase.

Yeah saw a turn signal on amazon for $13.  But probably can get cheaper if I dig do some digging around.  Will look into just getting a replacement brake pedal.  Good thing is the bike came with a Clymer service manual so will just go and try to get it replaced...hopefully not too difficult. 

Thanks for the welcome everyone!  Will post up pics asap!

[ariwhiteboy]

You got a service manual with your purchase?! Score!!! 

[TimmyJ]

Hey great buy then, and welcome aboard!   The NH family is a special one, as Honda's CB is a unique part of cycle history that cannot be matched by any other model in history.

[ginmqi]

You got a service manual with your purchase?! Score!!! 

Yup.  The guy handed me what he called "The Owner's Box" with a trickle charger, owner's manual, and a Clymer service manual and other things.  My friend who is also a new rider got a 2008 Vulcan 500 and he had to order a manual for $35 so this is definitely a plus.  Also I remembered just now that the brake line (the cable that leads from the front right lever down to the bakes) are steel braided...I think that is aftermarket/upgrade?  So that seems to be a good sign, hopefully. 

Also will need to try to replace plugs and also check on the carb rejetting since it does have VH pipes but previous owner didn't know about rejetting. 

Hey great buy then, and welcome aboard!  The NH family is a special one, as Honda's CB is a unique part of cycle history that cannot be matched by any other model in history.

Thanks!  As I mentioned, I will try to take and upload pics when I can.  I'll also want to clean her up a bit.  It's red so I definitely like the color.  And I agree with ya on its uniqueness.  When I first saw the Nighthawk 750 I really just fell in love.  It is such a gorgeous bike I had to have it! 

[ariwhiteboy]

Also will need to check on the carb rejetting since it does have VH pipes but previous owner didn't know about rejetting.   

Give Dynojet a call, they should be able to save you some time.

[Hawks_Nest]

Congratulations on your new purchase. Welcome to the addiction.

Crack in the turn signal housing?  If it blinks, don't bother. No one in the world would notice it.  You are to enjoy riding the most fun bike.

Bent rear brake pedal?   If you are careful, place a thick broom stick between the pedal and crank casevcover and bend outward a bit. Try not too much force at once.  NH rear brake lever is relatively long. So it is easy to bend out- or inward without cracking it.

[ginmqi]

Give Dynojet a call, they should be able to save you some time.

Oh really?!  Do I just tell them I just bought a bike and it may have a Dynojet jet kit in it, how do I check?  I was on reddit and a fellow rider told me to do symptom checks (backfire, misfire, hesitation, low power, etc.) and then pull out the float bowl to check the jet size against stock jet size.  If they are different then it's ok to assume it has been rejetted. 

Congratulations on your new purchase. Welcome to the addiction.

Crack in the turn signal housing?  If it blinks, don't bother. No one in the world would notice it.  You are to enjoy riding the most fun bike.

Bent rear brake pedal?   If you are careful, place a thick broom stick between the pedal and crank casevcover and bend outward a bit. Try not too much force at once.  NH rear brake lever is relatively long. So it is easy to bend out- or inward without cracking it.

The crack in the signal is just a annoyance and I know no one would see it but i was just afraid it might cause further cracks elsewhere.  So if it's no big deal then I'll just leave it. 

Will try to reverse bend the rear brake pedal, ha.  That sounds scary but I'll see about messing with that sometime this week. 

Thanks for the welcome!!!

[ariwhiteboy]

Well I would check the jets yourself...if they are stock then Dynojet should be able to tell you which jets you need to run.

[Rubey81]

Congrats on your purchase and new bike! 

As for the brake pedal being so close to the engine... theres the possibility this was a result in the bike being laid down on it's right side at some point. I can speak from experience where I got caught off guard when my 92 Nighthawk 750 stalled and I couldn't get my footing in time and it went down on the right side.

As a result my brake pedal was touching the engine after that and I had to heat up my bike and took a pair of good sized plyers and bent it out and back to it's normal position and all was good again and ready to go.

Once again congrats on your bike and ride safe out there. 

[ginmqi]

Congrats on your purchase and new bike! 

As for the brake pedal being so close to the engine... theres the possibility this was a result in the bike being laid down on it's right side at some point. I can speak from experience where I got caught off guard when my 92 Nighthawk 750 stalled and I couldn't get my footing in time and it went down on the right side.

As a result my brake pedal was touching the engine after that and I had to heat up my bike and took a pair of good sized plyers and bent it out and back to it's normal position and all was good again and ready to go.

Once again congrats on your bike and ride safe out there. 

Wow, you may be right.  If I remember right the pedal does look bent inwards towards the engine side...which I thought looked funny. 

DAMN!  The things you discover AFTER you empty your wallet....

Hey, what advice do you have to try to ply/bend it back?   A handheld hair dryer would work?

[Rubey81]

Congrats on your purchase and new bike!  

As for the brake pedal being so close to the engine... theres the possibility this was a result in the bike being laid down on it's right side at some point. I can speak from experience where I got caught off guard when my 92 Nighthawk 750 stalled and I couldn't get my footing in time and it went down on the right side.

As a result my brake pedal was touching the engine after that and I had to heat up my bike and took a pair of good sized plyers and bent it out and back to it's normal position and all was good again and ready to go.

Once again congrats on your bike and ride safe out there.  

Wow, you may be right.  If I remember right the pedal does look bent inwards towards the engine side...which I thought looked funny.  

DAMN!  The things you discover AFTER you empty your wallet....

Hey, what advice do you have to try to ply/bend it back?   A handheld hair dryer would work?

My brake pedal was pushed against the engine so I started up the bike and let the engine idle with the choke on for 5 min or so and it was warm enough for me to use my good size craftsman plyers and grip and bend it away from the engine. Works pretty good too.

Yeah it's amazing what you can discover after emptying your wallet. I got my 92 Nighthawk 750 a couple months ago for $1800 with low miles just under 13,000 on it and after I bought it took it in for new tires and turns out my mechanic found it had been in a crash. So I had to sink another $600 to make sure all was good and ready to go.

But it's just a beginners bike and something to learn on that will last me more than a few years before I upgrade to something else.

I'm sure once you get it all taken care of you will be as addicted to it as I am. Already put over 2500 miles on my bike and trying to ride as much as I can now.

Here's a pic of my bike and my ride from this past weekend

[green427]

A hair dryer will not get the metal hot enough, a heat gun will. Have a Harbor Freight store nearby? Cheap.

The brake lever is steel, you can take it off and hammer it straight after heating it up.

[hppants]

Welcome officially to the group - ride safe.  A few things to consider:         

1.  www.bikemaster.com - this is THE place for your replacement turn signals.  They are about $25.00 a piece, and you can get them at any local dealer that sells Bikemaster products.  Do not be discouraged by the price.  These T/S are an exact match cosmetically to the stock ones, but they are made from much more durable materials that will last a lot longer, and withstand the incidental rub that everyone does once in a while.       

2.  Tires that are 4 years old, regardless of the non-appearance of dry rot, or the amount of tread left, need to be replaced.  Here's why - the rubber gets hard as the tire is drying.  When that happens, the tire's ability to grip the pavement drops significantly.  I have preached this incessively now, and I am utterly ashamed to admit it, but this very issue contributed greatly to my crash last month.  I was on a new bike with much differerent brakes.  But it also had an old tire (only 3 1/2 year old, but noticeably hard) with about 1500 miles left of tread.  I planned to ride if for a month and mount a new tire before a long anticipated riding weekend.  STUPID mistake.  In a panic stop, I grabbed too much rear brake, the rear tire locked up WAY too early, and down I went.  After changing my rear tire, the grip was like a whole new bike.  PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.  I will never do that again.     

3.  Your front brake needs to be bled, and if you put it off, eventually, you will be rebuilding the master cylinder and/or the brake caliper.  This is a piece of cake to do, ocnsidering you have some mechanical experience.  Do a search for some threads on this.       

4.  If you ahve not already done so, please get the crash gear - get the gear - GET THE FRIGGIN GEAR!!!  It might save your life.  DAMHIK.  Also, take the MSF course.  TAKE THE SAFETY COURSE!!!!  It might save your life.

Hope you enjoy your bike.  Welcome again.

[muttstang]

careful with bending the brake pedal back.  definitely use heat if you do but I'd replace the pedal as bending metal one way, and then bending it the other can significantly weaken it.

and definitely take the beginning riders course.  that's how I learned to ride.  I should spend more time practicing low speed maneuvers and emergency avoidance techniques.

[ginmqi]

My brake pedal was pushed against the engine so I started up the bike and let the engine idle with the choke on for 5 min or so and it was warm enough for me to use my good size craftsman plyers and grip and bend it away from the engine. Works pretty good too.

Yeah it's amazing what you can discover after emptying your wallet. I got my 92 Nighthawk 750 a couple months ago for $1800 with low miles just under 13,000 on it and after I bought it took it in for new tires and turns out my mechanic found it had been in a crash. So I had to sink another $600 to make sure all was good and ready to go.

But it's just a beginners bike and something to learn on that will last me more than a few years before I upgrade to something else.

I'm sure once you get it all taken care of you will be as addicted to it as I am. Already put over 2500 miles on my bike and trying to ride as much as I can now.

Interesting idea, letting engine itself warm up the pedal....I'll see if I can try that.  I guess hair dryer won't be enough. 

A hair dryer will not get the metal hot enough, a heat gun will. Have a Harbor Freight store nearby? Cheap.

The brake lever is steel, you can take it off and hammer it straight after heating it up.

Ah, not too keen on spending money to get a heat gun just for this purpose.  OEM brake pedal on bikebandit.com is something like $80!  I'll try to manually bend it with engine heat and also a nice pair of big pliers, ha.

Welcome officially to the group - ride safe.  A few things to consider:         

1.  www.bikemaster.com - this is THE place for your replacement turn signals.  They are about $25.00 a piece, and you can get them at any local dealer that sells Bikemaster products.  Do not be discouraged by the price.  These T/S are an exact match cosmetically to the stock ones, but they are made from much more durable materials that will last a lot longer, and withstand the incidental rub that everyone does once in a while.       

2.  Tires that are 4 years old, regardless of the non-appearance of dry rot, or the amount of tread left, need to be replaced.  Here's why - the rubber gets hard as the tire is drying.  When that happens, the tire's ability to grip the pavement drops significantly.  I have preached this incessively now, and I am utterly ashamed to admit it, but this very issue contributed greatly to my crash last month.  I was on a new bike with much differerent brakes.  But it also had an old tire (only 3 1/2 year old, but noticeably hard) with about 1500 miles left of tread.  I planned to ride if for a month and mount a new tire before a long anticipated riding weekend.  STUPID mistake.  In a panic stop, I grabbed too much rear brake, the rear tire locked up WAY too early, and down I went.  After changing my rear tire, the grip was like a whole new bike.  PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.  I will never do that again.     

3.  Your front brake needs to be bled, and if you put it off, eventually, you will be rebuilding the master cylinder and/or the brake caliper.  This is a piece of cake to do, ocnsidering you have some mechanical experience.  Do a search for some threads on this.       

4.  If you ahve not already done so, please get the crash gear - get the gear - GET THE FRIGGIN GEAR!!!  It might save your life.  DAMHIK.  Also, take the MSF course.  TAKE THE SAFETY COURSE!!!!  It might save your life.

Hope you enjoy your bike.  Welcome again.

1.  Alright!  I'll see about bikemaster's turn signal.  I'll be doing quite a bit of maintenance anyway so might as well get that replaced. 

2.  Okay, so it does look like I need new tires!  Argh!  I'll check the code again to be sure.  I haven't been able to ride or look at the bike since I bought due to busy work but I'll see if I can take another peek tonight.  I'll have to ride it over to a FLIB and get it replaced.  A friend of mine also is getting a new rear tire too at this place. 

3. Alright, will definitely check into brakes.  I work  a little on my car with things like oil change so as long as I can get the right tools I should be able to do it.  And when you say bleeding I assume it's basically making sure there are no air bubbles in the system and then you just fill it up with fluid as needed.  Also I think the PO installed a steel-braided brake line too.  Because there is one cable that runs from the right handle bar thats not in black sheathing but a metllic looking sheathing. 

I'm reading the Clymer and it seems there are also other things I need to do at 8000 miles in addition to what I'm planning to do already: oil change and filter, air filter, clean chain and lube chain, check chain slack/condition, check rear sprocket, check battery, replace spark plugs, check clutch cable. 

Also what is the crank case breather system.  Looks like I just need to remove the plug and let it drain and reinstall plug...not sure what will drain though but sounds simple enough. 

Also fuel system strainer?  Looks like some sort of fuel filter where the Clymer says to just take it out and then clean it and reinstall. 

4.  I'm all over gear.  I have a helmet from closeout (Scorpion EXO 700: DOT and Snell) and just recently got gloves from closeout as well (Teknic Xcelerator).  I am in the process of looking for a leather jacket (Alpinestars Rod), race boot (Sidi or Alpinestars), and then still trying to decide between leather or textile pants. 

Also I'm looking to get a Hi Vis vest to wear over my jacket as well.  My helmet is white with green chameleon graphics and my gloves are also white so those should be more visible than the typical all black look.

And friend (who is also new rider, he got a 2008 Vulcan 500) and I passed the MSF a couple of months ago.  We are definitely trying to be as far away from a "squid" as possible.  We both shake our heads when we see 9/10 riders in our area wearing basically T-shirt and shorts and tennis shoes.  Actually I was planning to ride up to the local community college where we took our MSF and visit the rider coaches in a couple of weekends when they'll have their last MSF weekend course it seems for the year.