Honda VTR 100F Superhawk reviews

Buy if: You want lots of low end torque, loads of smooth power, and like back road twisties. Avoid if: You want more than 100 miles/tank, want to beat your friends at the track (R1, GSXR1000, RC51), or have a commute longer than 20 miles... Show less

My 1st - 2nd shift is a little notchy, the front brakes are only adequate, and the suspension was fair until it got 10 k miles on it. The good news is everything else. TORQUE forever, and a decent top end rush. Awesome real world handling - probably the most user friendly motorcycle ever. Narrow and confidence inspiring, it is easy to get the most out of. And a HUGE bargain. A keeper forever. Show less

I know that people aren't going to like this but this bike pretty much sucks. After doing much research I thought I wanted one, until I rode one-urgh! The motor made incredible torque, but was very abrupt and difficult with the transition off on and off the gas. I shouldn't have to pay this much attention to a bike like this. But then there is the ergonomics! I have owned several crotch rockets and have ridden many different bikes and this was the most uncomfortable bike I have ever ridden! After about three miles my wrists started to hurt a lot and I lift weights regularly. The seat is sloped so that you slide into the tank constantly and put way to much weight on your wrists-very uncomfortable! There is no way that I could ever ride this bike for more than about 30 minutes without a break. The suspension on this bike had been set-up for canyon riding and it was so stiff and uncomfortable that it was ridiculous. Corbin makes a seat that specifically corrects that slope problem and Heli bars help with the wrists, but even then I didn't think that this would help enough-pass. I would still have to sell the bike because of discomfort after these changes. So what did I do? I went and bought a FZ1- what a bike!! It's faster, better handling, 1000x more comfortable, cheaper and and has lower insurance rates. Change out the bars and I will have a canyon rocket and a touring bike for the price of one. Sorry guys but the VTR sucks. Show less

Bike is quick and handles very well. Had a small electrical problem but other than that it has been trouble free. GAS TANK TOO SMALL! Show less

Without a doubt, the best liter class bang for the buck. Save thousands on a two-year-old model still in the showroom. Light, nimble, narrow, lots of torque, lots of fun. Poor mileage (33 or 34 average but as much as 41 if ridden very conservatively) Stock mirrors are rock steady but uselessly narrow. Yamaha R1 or R6 mirrors bolt right in and are a huge improvement. Stock bars are angled poorly for my wrists, but Heli-bars are a very good fix. Add a corbin seat and a 900 mile weekend works pretty well. My first sportbike- not a rocket like the GSX1000R but plenty fast and after 3500 miles in two months still loads of fun. No regrets. Show less

I had been out of riding bikes for the last ten years or so, when I was bitten by 'the bug' again. I bought a used Suzuki SV650, which was a fantastic 'relearning to ride' bike. I felt I really wanted more power, so I went shopping for a used SuperHawk. I got a '98 with only 1500 easy miles on it for a good price, consigned at a dealer. I love the bike, with a few reservations. It doesn't get nearly as bad gas mileage as I had heard- I get around 40, and that's fine by me. The tank is tiny, so I'm a frequent visitor at the gas station. That is actually less of a problem when touring than it is around town. The crouched position leaves me ready to get off every 100 miles or so anyway. Around town it's irritating, because I have to stop and gas up all the time (though I don't need a break...). If Honda asked me what to change on next year's model, I'd say 'A five gallon gas tank!!'. One essential modification for me was a louder pipe. The bike has a great exhaust note, but the mechanical noise from the cams, etc is louder than the exhaust on the stocker- leaving the bike feeling like it has the personality of a blender. I put Vance& Hines slip-on mufflers on it after owning it only a couple of weeks. At first I was shocked at how loud it was, but now I love the sound of it- it's really not that obnoxious, and it gives the bike a lot more character. Overall, I think it's a wonderful bike, and would recommend it to anyone, but caution those with carpal tunnel, or a bad back that will put your hands to sleep on a long ride, and might not be the greatest sport-tourer for you. I rode a '99 when I was shopping, and it seemed to have higher bars.(I put a small tank bag on it, and lean on that. Helps a lot.) The magazines say it's pretty softly suspended and drags things in corners. They must be a hell of a lot more aggressive than I am. I'm 5'7", about 180, ride pretty fast, and have never touched a peg down, even in some hairy canyon riding. Happy Riding! LG Show less

Good to start with, but needs a few tweaks. Bike ran very lean stock. Changed to Yoshimura pipes, and K & N jet kit. Huge difference! Better performance, especially when cold, and gas mileage IMPROVED 4 mpg. Gas tank is still too small. Honda dropped the ball there. Front brake needs help as well. I changed to Goodridge lines and DP pads. Much, much better. Played with the damping adjustments on the rear shock and that works pretty well. May have to do a cartridge upgrade on the front though. Mirrors are Dangerously bad, great view of your elbows though! Angle of the handlebars is a little funny, I hear Helibars is a good option. Riding position is good except for bar angle. Bike is very narrow and flicks back and forth very well. It doesn't seem to try to "stand up" when braking late into turns. Most of these things are fairly minor. One might say that Honda should have addressed this stuff. The saving grace is if you shop around, you can get one heck of a deal on one. I have been riding for 36 years, and this is one of the most fun bikes I've owned Show less

Yes the Superhawk, I have owned this awesome motorcycle for two weeks. This bike rocks! Last year I bought a 2000 Honda 929RR. This was my first new and real bike. The 929 kicked ass but I didn't like the seating style my hands would fall asleep! I need a bike that hauled ass and I could ride for a few hours at a time. This was my first V-Twin that I've ever rode. This bike has so much usable torque. From the stoplight the Superhawk is gone!!! To anyone looking for a new bike if you want something very fast user-friendly this is worth a look. Show less

To be correct my "FireStorm" as we call it up here is 2001 model. It is my understanding, that there is a 19-litre tank, modified bars, new ignition setting and new gauge cluster which differs from 2000 model. You guys in States (sorry to say that) allegedly still have to live with 16-litre tank. Hey, what's to say, all the adjectives spoken and written apply. It is beefy bike! The only thing which throws me off a bit is clunky (notchy) transmission, especially 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. Hopefully the shift wears off as km's are coming. Otherwise perfect tracking, throttle response excellent. Would like to get hugger. Who sells them on this continent? Show less

Coming from a Ducati I think I have a good perspective from which to compare. 1st the good. Good engine. Tight chassis, much better than the duc. It feels like a solid piece of billet in corners. Good build quality, it's very easy to take the fairing off without a hassle. Good brakes, very predictable. Reasonable riding position, I knew what I was getting and I knew it wasn't going to be a Goldwing. I get more comfortable on it each time I ride. Great head light. The duc left me blind at night. Smooth power. Twist the throttle and hold on, even at altitude (6500+). Excellent clutch. Great cornering clearance. I've had it out on the track and it just laughs at me as if to say "that all you got?". I LOVE the race engineering incorporated into the design. Easy to service the lights/windscreen/instruments. Break in 300-mi. Beautiful sound. 37 mph after break in. AND the not so good. Geared WAY too high. 80mph @ 3.7k rpm? The rear sprocket needs at least 3 teeth. Changing the teeth will kill the speedo. The fuel injection mapping sucks. All the little dips are more noticeable at altitude. Pretty flat from 2-5k rpm, 5-6k is dead. 7k hold on for dear life. Can't just change a chip, have to get the PCII or TEKA programmer $$$$. Why didn't it come with SS brake lines? Impossible to get to the carbs without taking the tank off or the radiator/s off. That sucks. Silly flapper valve. Over sprung and revalving the shocks = big $$$$ HEAVY wheels and replacements $$$$. Initial turn in is SLOW. Once the bike turns it's easy to change directions but it really does need to come with lightened wheels. Side to side transitions create a pretty good head shake. ALL IN ALL -- What an awesome ride!!! WAY better than the duc. The 16000 mi tune-ups help a bunch. No squids allowed. If you can't ride leave the bike for somebody who can. Show less