Honda Nighthawk 250 reviews

I have always wanted a Nighthawk and more specifically one of the 84 through 86 models. Of all the Nighthawks I felt these were the best of the breed. Not only are they the best of the breed, they are one of the best bikes ever built. Things about this bike that really took me by surprise were the little things like self adjusting valves, anti dive front suspension, shaft drive, and dual disk front breaks. The ride is excellent and the power comes right on when you twist the throttle. Even two up riding is not a problem. I live in the northeast where we have many twisting turning climbs and this bike has yet to let me down. That said the bike is a little give and take. don't expect sport bike handling and power and don't expect touring bike comfort. The faring provides no wind protection at all. It is more of an aesthetic piece. Finding parts for these bikes is an exercise in patience and persistence. Ebay and salvage yards will become your friends when you get one of these. What you get in return, though, is one of the best engineered, lowest maintenance engine transmission combinations ever created. Shifting is smooth and the engine feels solid. The riding position makes this bike a very easy bike to maneuver and inspires you to really want to get out there and see what it can do. Living here in VT we have many unpaved roads and this bike handles them with ease. Two substantial upgrades I have made are adding a Corbin seat and Progressive Suspension springs and shocks for both the front and rear. The Corbin allows you to ride a lot longer than the stock seat ever would and the Progressive Suspension makes the bike come alive in the corners and is better for two-up riding. I find myself riding this bike far more than I intend to. I do have a new BMW R12GS which I truly love. That bike will be the one we take on vacation in a couple of weeks. Never the less, if you are new to motorcycling or an experienced rider such as myself, don't pass one of these by they are too much fun! Show less

Solid, reliable, functional, delivers the goods. An ideal local commuter or low-time rider's bike. Fit and finish is of course top-shelf. About 70mpg average; will cruise all day at 55mph. Not meant to be an over the road long distance machine, but in its niche there is nothing that will give you more confidence. Show less

I always find myself online and in bike stores drooling over the candidates I would like to replace my Nighthawk with. Trouble is... all the bikes do what mine does, to a greater degree in most cases. Sure the bike is dated with its bais-plys and old-school suspension. But the machine does everything.. and not too bad either. In the twisties, it changes direction very quickly and in a controlled manner. I still get satisfaction from a hard acceleration. I love the sound. One limitation I commonly run into is the constant footpeg dragging. This is one of the few things that nags me to get a more capable machine The reliability and maintenance can't be beat. Only thing to break was a brake light switch. Not bad considering this bike rides no matter what the weather is. Otherwise all maintenance costs have been to filters, plugs, oil, chains, tires, and a battery. All work done by me. And at 35,000 miles oil consumption is the same as new. Clutch is in need of its first replacement soon. Also keep in mind I am not easy on this thing. Typical commute speed is 90 plus... and I don't hesitate to redline it a couple times a week. Often at outside temperatures near 100. Tires I like to use include a stock size Pirelli up front and a dual tread compound, stock size, Bridgestone in the rear (BT 45). I've found this combo of tires to be great on the bike. Both tires still bias-ply. Otherwise I find it to be a great touring machine. I've spent as much as 22 hours with this bike resulting in a 1200 plus mile ride. I'm considering a ride to Los Angeles on this beast. I wouldn't put it past it. Show less

I bought my 91 750 nighthawk for 1250 bucks in june 2006. I have put over 4000 miles on it since then. It had 62,000 miles on it when I got it. It runs as if it were brand new. It's comfortable, whether I'm alone or with a passenger. I took the little windshield off, and it does better in the heavy winds without it. I can find no fault with the bike. Some say it is plain looking, but I think it looks cool. Mine needs a paint job. I use a tank bag, and it had a luggage rack on it, which I can bungie a huge duffle bag to. I just now returned home from a 3 day jaunt around the state. And I have a bum shoulder, and I suspect on most other bikes this would have been much more painful. The Nighthawk is roomy enough to adjust your riding position quite a bit. The plain, flat seat isn't as cool to look at as my brothers Shadows, but he is locked into one position. This is a great bike for a person who loves to ride motorcycles, not just look at them. Show less

I haven't been a rider for about 25 years. I wanted something to commute to work, about 10 miles round trip, small town traffic and for evening, weekend cruising out in the country. So far the Nighthawk has been great. As big as I am it still can handle 65mph cruise with relative ease. I don't think that a long drive would be much fun, for a person as big as me. If you are looking for something for 2hr plus drives get something bigger. I initially was going to purchase a "Rebel" but it was too low, the "Nighthawk" fits very well. Up to this point, I'm very pleased Show less

I bought the rebel last year and I wish that someone would have warned me as a new rider that with the size of the bike there are a few issues that arise: 1. The weight of the bike is so light that you get thrown around very easily. 2. The max maintainable speed on these bikes is about 55-60 mph (I know you can get it faster but not for long and the bike is working real hard to maintain even that low of speed) I would recommend this bike to someone without much experience but warn you that if you get into riding (as I have) the limitations of the bike can get frusterating. Show less

I'm 60 years old, learned to ride 5 years ago. I Read the Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles, which rated the CB750 as both "Best Buy" and "Best First Bike." Man, they weren't wrong. I bought a used '95 Nighthawk with only 3,900 miles on it. I LOVE this bike. Like most new bikers, the first year I just took short day trips, staying close to home. Last year I rode it to Americade--now I just want to go, go, go... This year I'm riding my Nighthawk from Baltimore to Iowa to visit some friends, coming back by way of Chicago to visit my daughter. I have no doubt this bike will get me where I'm going, and more importantly--it will get me back home again. If you can own only one motorcycle, this is the one to own. Show less

Of course, this awesome review is based mainly on the fact that this is a brand-spanking new bike. It had better be 5 stars! My first experience with the bike was picking it up in another town (about 162 miles away), and riding it home. It is not good for long hauls. However, that's not what it was designed for! I was impressed with its 250 power though. Still, it left me with ample twist in the throttle when I needed it to pass other vehicles. Traditional/classic (stress-around town) sport bike for those of us who don't like a lot of plastic. Buy one. Show less

Bought the bike new in Dec 2003 as a close-out special. I'm over 50 and had not ridden since '85 when I sold my Yamaha 550 Maxum. After 2 years and 7000 miles on this bike, here's what I think: Definitely "low tech" by today's standards, but that suits me fine. Very stable and confidence inspiring for normal cruising and highway riding. Seat gets a little uncomfortable after 3 hours or so of riding. Gas mileage averages around 50 with cruise range over 210 miles before reserve. Very "cold natured" engine, but performs great after warming up. Absolutely reliable and no service problems so far. I should mention that I've found very few after market parts for this bike, which I find amazing since Honda made this bike for 13 model years with almost no changes. This bike will probably outlast me. If I do get rid of this bike it will be to upgrade to something more comfortable. Show less

I'm bit on the heavy side. So perhaps this is why I get saddle sore or this could be a common problem of the seat no matter who the user. So the seat is my complaint. The seat is thick in the passenger side so you can stretch to back there for relief. Funny thing is that my butt gets enough of the seat just about at the point where I need to jump off the saddle for a gas break - at about 160 miles or 3 hours. Air cooled engine so you do have to worry about bumper to bumper traffic in a hot day. When the engine is really hot the oil starts to cook so you'll smell oil fumes. that's your hint to find some wind, make your own by moving the bike through the air somehow, or park the bike off the road for a break. If you continue to roast the engine after the oil fuming stage then as with any overheating engine the head gasket may start disintegrating. Honda oil and oil filters are double or triple the price you'd get for whatever you can find in a local auto supply store. Get a nice Mobil 1 or similar high quality oil filter. The stock Dunlop tires are great. I've stuck with them for two tire changes already. It's tough to lock the rear wheel so don't be afraid to press it hard when you need to. Just watch the front brake. A locked front wheel will send you to the ground faster than you can realize. I wish anti-lock brakes were a standard on every bike on the road. The tach stopped working at 35,000 miles in my 3rd year of ownership. New replacement is $500. So I guess I'll be riding without a tach for the rest of the life of the bike. Proved to be the most flexible bike I've ever had. I've used it for travel, commuting, short hops, and general shopping. I use it more than my car - which explains the high miles. (Grin.) You can sport about with it in mountain curves, move on the Interstate for long distances, and cruise with the custom bikes on the blvd. Before, I had a CB360 for daily commuting and a 750 Magna for everything else. Now one bike does all. The black engine paint has started not to look as deeply black as it used to. I think the paint is losing its "blackness". I do about 47 average miles per gallon. Show less