Honda Nighthawk 250 reviews

I recently purchased my 2002 NH 750 about a month ago and when I first rode it, I was really amazed how smooth it ran and how manageable it was in all aspects. I haven't ridden a bike in about 10-12 years and my last bike was an old 1976 yamaha 500. But when I got on this bike the feeling instantly came back to me. Even though the nighthawk felt a little heavy to me, when I got it rolling, it balanced itself rather nicely. I would recommend this bike to just about anyone... Show less

After 35 years, decided to begin riding a bike again - after all that is what some going thru a mid-life crisis do... Yep, I took the safety class and realized why my teenage motorcycle mishaps occurred - well worth the money and time, might save your life. Anyway, researched bikes for 4 months before purchasing my 2000 Nighthawk 750. I felt I needed a bike with at least 60bhp for my frame, didn't like the feel of a sportbike and thought the cruisers too hard to control being so low and heavy. I found the Nighthawk to have autoadjusting hydraulic lifters plus a history of reliability. I purchased mine in May, 2008 with 16k+ miles - today it has about 20k+ miles on it. I use the bike for commuting 20 miles each way each day (weather permitting) on rural roads, city streets downtown, local highways and the inter-state. It is quite at home in all of these environments. It has the power to hold its own on the interstate and the maneuverability to deal with the caged drivers in the city. Fourteen months and 4k miles later I feel can offer the following to those considering buying one: Pro's: High reliability, new parts seem to be easy to get considering the last year this model was sold in the US was 2003, very maneuverable and predicable for the new rider, seems to receive a lot of respect from the sport bike riders and cruiser riders alike, you don't see one on every street corner, plenty of power to ride two up on the highway, low cost of maintenance. Cons: Drum brake on the rear and single disc rotor on the front, few upgrade options from 3rd party vendors, front fork springs are mushy and nonadjustable, oem seat will give you monkey butt after 30 minutes of riding, tricking handling when riding two up (adults) on city streets, no grab bar for riders, oem handlebar bushings are made of foam rubber requiring replacement each season or more often, doesn't come standard with a center stand although it can be added easily, no gas gauge, no gear indicator (must calculate from the tach)or keep count. Things I wish Honda had put on it as standard features: single rear disc brake, dual front disc brakes, comfortable seat with grab bar, aluminum handlebar bushings, adjustable front forks, center stand in addition to the kick stand, maintenance free battery, a model with 1200cc option. Conclusion: all bikes have their plus's and minus's and the Nighthawk 750 is no different. I love the bike and it was just right for the commuter bike I wanted. Two or three of the bigger bikes are trying to lure me away from the little girl so I am not sure how long I will keep her. I just wish Honda had kept up with the model upgrading its features to meet the public's demands. Every bike manufacturer thinks the American public wants a Ducati or Harley look alike. The Nighthawk 750 (more or less) is still sold in Japan as a CB750. It is the same motor, same body with a brake upgrade and updated looks. It would be nice for Honda to reintroduce the model to the US market. Show less

I've had my Hawk nearly 5 years now, and she's got 82,000 miles and still runs strong and true. Other than normal items (oil, filters, battery, tires, chain) only repairs have been rebuild the starter and fix an oil seepage from the valve cover. Oh, yes, and the tach quit (as it does on all these early NHs). Have now added a bunch of stuff, including a fairing, headlight modulator, luggage rack, taillight flashers, hiway pegs, you name it. Will probably keep this bike forever. Show less

I bought this bike July 08 when gasoline was $4+ per gallon. I was very happy getting 70+mph and 300 miles between fillups. This bike has good acceleration and highway speed for around town and on the interstate. No problems getting to 65+ MPH quickly. Handles very nicely. Easy to control. I did a 600mile trip in three days to Arkansas with my friends. They were on 750s - 1100s. I kept up just fine. The only problem was accelerating on the uphill in the Ozarks. Be patient. 200 miles per day makes for a tired seat, but I did not feel vibrated to death, a pleasant surprise. I recommend this for ANY urban driver wanting reliable, inexpensive transportation (Nighthawk or Rebel). If you want highway miles and longer interstate trips, go for the 750 or up. My only concern is that on colder mornings, you have to work the choke until the engine is well warmed up. Show less

I have a 2002 Honda Nighthawk 750 and it runs awesome. I was really surprised with the power of this bike. It is faster than it looks. Show less

I purchased this bike to get back into riding after a 3 year hiatus. I'll tell you, it has been a great experience and a fantastic value! I rode around Lake Huron and up into Canada. Absolutely NO problems! She does not like 70-80 mph cruising, but at 55 everything is great, including 50-55 mpg! The seat gets a little uncomfortable around 200 miles, but a scenery break takes care of that. I also have a '03 Triumph Bonneville. If I had to keep only one, it would be the Nighthawk! Show less

For a standard, all purpose street bike, you will not find a better handling, smoother riding, more predictable ride than this. If you change the oil every 2-3k on this bike, it will run forever. This is my second one. First was a NH700S in '84 to 90. I rode that to over 75K miles. These things are animals. Not the fastest but definitely not slow. It gets great mileage. It's excellent for taller people or anyone not looking for a cruiser, but who don't want the rice rocket either. It is a little tall for shorter people. My wife is 5'2and can't touch with her feet with the stock saddle. Show less

I bought my 2000 Nighthawk 750 in 2005. I have put on 6000 miles, mostly in clear weather commutes and pleasure rides. I always get over 50 mpg and always enjoy riding from March to November. Plenty of power, easy to maneuver and low maintenance. This is the perfect bike for the person riding every day. Show less

I have had this bike for about 3 weeks now and love it. It had 3500 miles on it when I bought it. It now has just a little over 4000 miles on it. I mainly bought this bike for driving back and forth to work (all city driving). As this is my very first motorcycle, I wanted something small and easy to learn on (and cheap). I could not have picked a better bike. I LOVE THIS BIKE. Not only is this bike great for around town driving, it also does well on main roads at speeds of 55-60. This bike is not a speed demon by any means, but it will do 75-80 if needed. And it is light (300 pounds) which makes it easy to learn how to move it around at speed. It is a smooth ride as long as you don't ride it for more than an hour or so at a time. And the best part: 70mpg on average. And another plus is that being only a 250, insurance is dirt cheap for a motorcycle. I only have two complaints in 500 miles. One is that it takes a long time for this bike to warm up from cold so the choke can be opened. Some mornings, I have to ride it for a few miles to be able to turn off the choke with out it stalling out. And the other is the neutral can sometimes be a pain in the you-know-what to find. Sometimes I have to put almost all of my weight on the shifter to get it down into first just to get it up into neutral. Other than those two small things, this is a great bike and I would tell anybody that is just starting out to look hard at this bike. Show less

I happened to see a 1996 Nighthawk 750 for sale across the street from our local Honda car dealer. Turned out this bike belonged to one of their mechanics. After doing doing some research on the internet, I purchased this bike. This included center stand, windshield, sissy bar and engine guards. Bike had new chain, sprokets and a new battery. Mileage; slightly less than 20k. It was in pristine showroom condition and ran perfectly.(still is and still does!) The last bike I owned was a 1971 Honda CB350 twin, which I traded in on a car in 1974. I am extremely happy with this bike. Put a Corbin seat on it right away, which is WAY more comfortable than the stock seat, and is a must for any Nighthawk owner. I ride this bike about 500 miles a month all year around, both to work and for pleasure. Wife rides with me occasionally. Have looked at Honda's 919 and Yamaha's FZI as possible upgrades, however neither the riding position nor the seats on these bikes are close to the comfort I experience on the Nighthawk. I get 44 MPG with two up on the interstate at 80. Average 48 in normal mix of local and highway driving and have gotten as high as 54 MPG on a 55-60 MPH cruise. This bike likes to go 70 or better on back roads and will easily top 100 with windshield. Yes, there is bigger and better out there, but at what price? Show less