Revisiting and Reviewing My First Love

"LostPuppySyndrome" (lostpuppysyndrome) 08/30/2014 at 19:50 • Filed to: Honda, CB400, motorcycle

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I've been reading bike rags for most of my life, and it's pretty apparent that the first bike anyone has ever owned, much like their first car, holds a special place in their heart. That said, I'd like to half-reminisce, half-review my first bike, the 1978 Honda Hawk 400T. My dad had always had a thing for bikes, especially Hondas from his youth, though he'd never owned one until his quasi-midlife crisis in the early '00s. It wasn't a full-blown midlife crisis, but since he didn't really have any little kids to chase around anymore, he needed to find something else to curse and fume about, and thus began his, and my, love affair with motorcycles. Immediately after completing the MSF course, he sought out his own machine, and one spring day in 2001, he came home with the aforementioned Honda.

I couldn't wait until the following summer, when I could actually get my bike license. After taking the MSF course and getting my license, I took every opportunity I could get to ride the wee beastie, and it became virtually mine after my dad bought yet another old Honda, this time a dark blue '77 CB750F. It was bought for $400, mainly because it was only running on three cylinders, and then only barely. I still remember the day quite clearly when the thing whomped and burbled to life in the garage after fixing whatever was afflicting that fourth cylinder, and it sounded GLORIOUS. I'm firmly convinced that Honda has made some of the best sounding bikes ever made, and while I may be ever so slightly biased, that 750 was their magnum opus (well, ok, it's a tie between the 750 and CBX). We did discover that the 4-into-1 muffler was aftermarket (though we never found out who made it), and I haven't heard a 750 sound quite like it since. From idle to about 4k, it had a loud, raspy, sinister rumble, but from 4k on, it roared like some furious werewolf, hitting a feverish pitch at the 9500 rpm redline. I hit the ton maaaaybe once, but it was certainly the most dramatic ton I'd ever reached. The combination of wind buffeting, a wobbly and softly sprung suspension, and a motor screaming and clawing for every last bit of power made for a highly entertaining ride. I'll hopefully write more about that bike one day, but this entry is about my first love, the Chicken Hawk.

The 1978 Honda CB400T II Hawk is a light, skinny, spindly machine that sounds about as threatening as your average lawnmower (with stock mufflers, anyway). It's doesn't have the same cool-factor as the 4SOHC Hondas from the 70s, like the 750, 550, or the highly-coveted CB400F. It has no racing pedigree. It can barely be called sporty. However, it IS hilariously slow. If I sat bolt upright, I'd hit 85 but I could manage another 4 mph if I leaned flat on the tank and put my feet on the passenger pegs — and that was back when I weighed 170 lbs. The front forks were so noodly I could shake the handlebars at freeway speeds and the bike would continue to track perfectly straight, even after the addition of a fork brace. Then there were the brakes. With all four fingers clamped firmly on the brake lever and putting all my weight on my right foot, the Hawk would finally come to a nice, gradual halt. The 395cc parallel twin was barely wider than the front forks, and the bars came up almost to shoulder height when seated, making for a very comfortable riding position. The "power" didn't come on until 5k rpm, and would squirt away pleasantly and in unintimidating fashion.

Now, you may be thinking this bike sounds like a boring, archaic snoozefest. Not so, if you treat it for what it is. I've ridden it a couple times at a local 8/10ths mile semi-driver training course at Dakota County Technical College that offers the occasional motorcycle track day. Being a training course, it consisted mainly of a variety of different technical corners. On the back straight, I only managed to tickle 85 mph, and that on a ZRX1200R. In short, it was perfect for the Hawk. The first time I rode it, I was in a beginners class, but it included all manner of 600cc sportbikes and other machines far newer and quicker than my own. During the first three or four laps, the bikes would whip past me like I was a traffic pylon on the back straight, but I'd shortly find myself passing them in the corners. At about the fifth lap, I hit the straight, pinning the throttle and waiting for the inevitable whooshing parade, but there was no parade. As I checked my mirrors, I instead saw all the bikes lining up behind the bike, waiting for me to FINALLY reach the upcoming downhill, off-camber left hander so they wouldn't have to see this piddly, puttering relic on bicycle tires come breezing by on the outside of the 270 degree carousel AGAIN. That's a good feeling. Even better was when the instructors bumped me up to the intermediate level because I was lapping so much faster than the rest of the group. That's a REALLY good feeling.

That was about 10 years ago. Since then, the bike has been sitting in my dad's garage for the last four or five years, maybe more, collecting dust and taking up space. He had the motor bead-blasted, and we rebuilt...and rebuilt, and rebuilt the motor, since there was always one more piece that we forgot to put back in. Seriously, I could probably put that thing together with my eyes closed at this point. Not that there's much to put together. It's one of the other great things about this bike, that it's so bloody easy to fix. There's all of three wires on the whole thing, and every part is quite accessible. There's only two very simple carbs, and like 20 bolts that hold the whole machine together. In virtually every respect, the Hawk 400T is simply the most unintimidating motorcycle ever built. This summer, I finally hassled mi padre enough to where we got to work trying to make her run once again.

The master brake cylinder has been rebuilt, it's got new pads, the carbs are sitting in cleaner, and we've got spark. Unfortunately, I took a tumble down some stairs a couple months ago, spraining my ankle and fracturing my talus, putting the whole project on hold for the time. However, I hope to get it running before long.

I've ridden a bunch of bikes over the years, mainly ones my dad has since owned. SV650S, ZRX1200R, ST1300, etc. All fun bikes (as if there isn't one). Still, that Hawk is my favorite. It's a perfect starter bike, though prices have since gone up now that it's technically a collector. It's a great machine to learn maintenance on. There's not much you can really break, and even then it's usually a pretty quick fix. If you want to get into bikes, this is the kind of machine you should start on. And do yourself some favors: take the MSF course. Wear proper gear. Learn to ride. It's not an appliance; it takes time and practice to gain the skills to ride well. You don't need a GSX600R right off the bat. Every rider will tell you: "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow." This bike is proof.

bob and john > LostPuppySyndrome 08/30/2014 at 19:57

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anyone who think they need a 600SS right off the bat is a moron and is proabably riding for the wrong reasons

CB guy > LostPuppySyndrome 08/20/2015 at 19:05

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Hi,

Where did you find a fork brace? I have scoured the internet and found nothing.

Thanks!

CB guy > LostPuppySyndrome 08/20/2015 at 19:07

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Where did you find a fork brace? I have searched the net and found nothing.

Thanks!