My new '91 Nighthawk CB750 :)

[Homsar]

I had used this forum to help me decide between a few different kinds of bikes, and it really swayed me toward the Nighthawks.   I just bought this '91 Nighthawk cb750 last week and am loving riding it.

[ariwhiteboy]

  and congrats on the purchase!

[coffee_brake]

That is a very well-appointed Nighthawk, with a rack and engine guards. Very nice stock condition...enjoy!

[NightHawked]

  to the Forum from a fellow Keystoner. That's a damn good lookin ride you got there. I hear those red ones run the best. Ride often.

[spoupard]

Nice bike! I love that color of red.

[JB1290]

Nice bike.   

[Homsar]

Thanks, guys!   I'd like to keep it as fairly stock as possible, but I was wondering if anyone has any input on some of the changes I was thinking about:  the "Hodge modification" is intriguing me, and also I would really like to see about a change to the headlight, whether it be just a good bulb for the NH light or a better light assembly altogether.

[hppants]

Welcome to the group - ride safe.

The Hodge mod, along with the carb-washer mod, do improve breathing at both ends.  The carb washer mod will get rid of that factory flat spot that you may feel just off idle, but your fuel mileage will likely drop about 2-3 mpg.  The Hodge exhaust Mod is not-reversible, and it will make the exhaust sound differently, so consider that.  You can do one or the other or both.

There are several threads on some lighting modifications that can be made.  Search and ye shall find.

Other things you might consider are a windscreen (slipstreamer spitfire and the National street shield are 2 common choices for the NH), a corbin seat (if you can find a good used one), installing a 12V accessory plug for your GPS, Cell phone, etc., and a Vista Throttle lock.

If you are even a little mechanically inclined, you might consider the following as good preventative maintenance:

1.  Bleed your front brake to flush out and replace the old Dot 4 brake fluid.

2.  Inspect your tires - check the date code on the sidewall.  If more than 4 years old, pitch 'em.

3.  While you have the wheels off, clean your chain and sprockets well, and inspect your wheel bearings.

4.  You can remove your exhaust, use a wire wheel (dremmel tool and angle grinder with wire wheel) to clean the center section that is starting to rust.  Then you can mask it off and spray 3 coast of Duplicolor Gray Exhaust paint - good to 2000 deg. F.  It's a perfect match and then you can forget about it.  Be sure to torque your exhaust nuts at the head properly.

5.  You can lubricate your clutch, choke, and throttle cables - Cycle Gear has a cable lube kit that works very well.


Hope you enjoy your bike.

[Laminar]

[SirSeanSean]

Welcome to the forums. That's a nice looking bike you got there. And that sissybar/backrest is priceless.

"Stave it off 1, 2, 3, now you can count to 3."

[Homsar]

Wow, thanks for all of the info hppants!

One of the things that I really like about the bike is how quiet it is, so I'm not sure that I would want to change the sound of the exhaust.   The washer mod sounds like the better option for me for now. 

The bike actually did come with a small fairing around the headlight that has a small windscreen on top, but I took if off for now because I didn't like the look.   I am hoping to work on the electrics to install a plug and possibly to put in a headlight modulator. 

And thanks for the advice about the exhaust pipes!

Yeah, the backrest/luggage rack is something I definitely would have looked for if the bike hadn't come with one.     

 I'm glad you guys get my references 

[redd_planet]

Welcome Homsar, from a fellow Pittsburgher.  Where are you located?  I'm in the Cranberry-Mars area of Butler County.  Nice color too!

[Homsar]

I'm in the Shaler North Hills part of Pittsburgh, and though I thought at first that I might want to turn the bike a bright yellow, the beauty of the Honda red is really growing on me.

[spoupard]

Nice bike! 

[jsepanski]

Nice bike.  I really like the red.  I replaced the bulb in mine with a high intensity one, and I'm really very happy that I did.  The light is very white and revealing.

[flynrider]

   Nice bike!

  While your bike did come with some nice Honda accessories, it seems to be missing the most useful one.  A centerstand.  Honda sold it as an accessory for the '91-'03 Nighthawk.   The part number for the centerstand kit (includes required hardware) is 50600-MW3-810    Plug that into your favorite search engine and go shopping.   Unlike the backrest, there are still supplies of the centerstand floating around in parts inventories.

[Homsar]

Thanks for the number on that!     

A centerstand would certainly be useful for me, but for some reason almost NONE of the nighthawks that I looked at before choosing mine had them!   I don't know why you wouldn't want one on a bike, and I probably will look into buying one soon.   

I was reading somewhere on either this or another forum about some aftermarket brand centerstand that you could install on a nighthawk more easily than the Honda stand.   I'd like to stay stock on most of the bike, but for the centerstand I certainly don't think it would matter as long as it works just as well.    Does anyone on here have any experience with other kinds of centerstands that work well for the 90s NHs?

[bullsprig]

my new 92 looks similar. 12000 miles

[flynrider]

A centerstand would certainly be useful for me, but for some reason almost NONE of the nighthawks that I looked at before choosing mine had them!

   When the Nighthawk was reintroduced in '91, it was a price point bike.  Honda's goal was to bring the MSRP in under $4,000, so an ordinarily common item like the centerstand was made an accessory.

I was reading somewhere on either this or another forum about some aftermarket brand centerstand that you could install on a nighthawk more easily than the Honda stand.

   There may be an aftermarket brand that fits, but if there is, I've never seen one.   As for ease of installation, it's pretty easy.   Insert and tighten two bolts, then attach the spring.  The spring is the most difficult part.  I did mine the hard way, but you can "preload" the spring by inserting pennies or nickels between the coils before attaching it.  Mine took less that 1/2 hr. to install.

[Homsar]

I had read that the centerstand was an additional cost, but I guess I figured that if the original owner hadn't sprung for it then someone down the line would've put one on in it's 20 year lifespan.   

Oh!   Well then I'll certainly just try to find a Honda stand for it.   From where I was reading about the other brand centerstands, some people were saying that with the Honda one you needed to have the exhaust off the bike to install it.   I guess it doesn't make much sense that they would install so differently though...

[flynrider]

[Homsar]

Haha, thanks!   

This is also reminds me to ask about manuals.   I've already ordered the Clymer's manual off ebay for about $30, but I've seen in a couple of threads on here that some of the things in it aren't exactly correct or helpful.    Is it worth investing in the Honda manual for the bike, or should I be ok between the Clymer and the internet?   What do you guys use?

[SirSeanSean]

From what others have said here, it is definitely worth it for the Honda Shop Manual. I currently only have a clymer manual for my 84 650 and certain things are grey areas with explanations. "Remove circlip," but they don't let you know ahead of time that you need "Circlip or "snap-ring" pliers before hand. 

[Spoonman]

Very nice bike!

[Bumblebee]

I currently only have a clymer manual for my 84 650 and certain things are grey areas with explanations. "Remove circlip," but they don't let you know ahead of time that you need "Circlip or "snap-ring" pliers before hand.

Except for special purpose non standard tools, shop manuals won't likely tell you that you need certain tools. Nowhere in there will it tell you that you need generic 12mm sockets or 10mm wrenches or even fingers. That information is considered standard wrenching practices that you should already know and tools that you should already have.

Always do your homework before wrenching. That means read through the section carefully and note anything specific that you likely need that you don't have. Then look at the hardware the best you can to be certain. Then think your way through it. Then get the tools out and start working on things.


As for manuals, IMO: Aftermarket manuals give more detail and hold your hand more on how to do the procedures. OEM manuals take you through the process and assume that you have a decent mechanical background and know the basics without being told. Chances are that the OEM will have less errors than aftermarket since it's the first generation of the material that was gone over in detail by the manufacturer.
It's really a preference thing. I prefer OEM to aftermarket. Other people prefer aftermarket. Some others prefer having both and cross referencing.