Hopefully the link to Picasa images works right. This is my ratty ol' Nighthawk, an '86 with an '84 engine in with an FJ600 exhaust can, Kerker headers. The cludgy engine, can and headers are thanks to the original owner. The Suzuki hard luggage setup is my custom addition and I can't imagine life again without a top case on my bike. The luggage setup has seen many hard miles of use without any issue at all and is strong enough to be used to lift the rear of the bike with little deflection. There are still some improvements for the mounting points that I've worked on from time to time. Just gotta put in some more garage hours.
Other things include a Corbin seat from the previous owner; I hate, hate, hate, hate this saddle! Galfer clutch and two line brake kit that I installed a few weekends ago; love it all! Center stand was missing when I got it, so I ordered one offa ebay and ordered all the OE mounting hardware, what a blessing to have a center stand again. Did that many months ago. Diablo Sport Demon fore and Bridgestone BT45 aft. Standard EBC pads w/freshly and fully rebuilt calipers fore and sintered EBC shoes and freshly/fully rebuilt and serviced wheel aft. A thought and a loving single-finger caress is about all it takes to stop on a dime! Freshly rebuilt forks done when I did the brakes recently, need new sliders though.
Airbox I believe is modded as well as a jet kit was installed by the previous owner to match the Kerker exhaust which was so ungodly loud when I got the bike I was embarrassed to ride it on the street and switched to my only alternative which was the FJ exhaust very soon after. Though admittedly the banshee scream
of this bike at anywhere between 3000rpm and 11,000rpm with the Kerker was oddly appealing at times.
Notice I said "... at times...", not _all_ the time.
The matt black and very busted up/drilled up fairing is from the previous owner as well but is serviceable for now. Same for the side covers, of which only one is on the bike right now since the left one has broken standoffs. And the turn signals are remnants from the previous owner as well; I'm addressing those today by building a new bracket that replaces the old brake proportioning valve and mounting some very carefully selected LED signals; will likely stay with the Bandit-sourced rear incandescent signals. Very bright and visible.
I love this bike and am really glad that I didn't pass it up. It'll be going around Streets of Willow in a couple of months once I fix some minor oil leaks. Modern comfort, reliability and performance that was years before its time. The hydraulic valves and shaft drive are really modern conveniences that people take for granted and have seriously lagged behind the times in motorcycle engine design for other bikes. I've always been used to servicing chains in my short motorcycling career, but enjoy the benefits of the sealed shaft setup most of the time; there is something to be said about kush drive and certainly the dual kush drive setup of the Suzuki Bandit 1250
that makes driving it deep through corners a little less hairy when you get on the power though the new tire has helped a bunch. The 700 is certainly a very capable every day rider as well as a weekend canyon/track warrior!
Whew! Little long-winded there, but oh well. :D
