Hi, new member here in Torrance, CA - South Bay LA area.
As I just posted in a project thread, I'm joining here because the Honda 305 specific forums seem to have gone down in flames. I’ve been working on a ’65 Superhawk for many years off and on, and am finally getting the sense I’ll be able to ride it again soon. I'm a mechanical engineer by training and I work for a major turbocharger manufacturer designing & supporting racing turbos for top-level motorsport. I've worked with LMP1, WRC, DTM, GT, and Rallycross manufacturers on lots of projects over the past few years. Before that I worked on commercial aftermarket turbos for about 7 years, like the performance-oriented units you'd find in kits and for sale by tuner shops and the like. Most of my spare time is devoted to prepping and racing in the 24 Hours of Lemons series with my Black Iron Racing BMW E36 (El Dorado Camper conversion). I recently got my wife involved in trackdays and have a Miata for that purpose. My main vehicular disability is for Volvo 240s, and I have 3 of those. And occasional offroad trips in an FZJ80 Land Cruiser, and dirt bikes over the years.
Here's what my bike looks like as of this weekend:
Why the Superhawk? In college I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and really got into it; then got curious about what make & model of bike Robert Pirsig was riding and referring to. He never mentions it by name in the book but I did some research and found the Superhawk. This bike was well before my time so I’d never heard of it, but instantly felt drawn to it. In 2003 I found a black '65 on ebay in San Diego county and paid about $600 for it. It was in terrible shape but seemed complete enough and cheap enough for a college kid to resuscitate as his first bike.
Didn't look so bad from far away over the internet. This was one of the original ebay pics from the seller back in 2003.
My dad had been into motorcycles for years before I was born, mostly dual sport / scrambler style bikes. He did a lot of riding out to the desert, exploring, and then riding home. I have a 1971 Yamaha JT1 Mini Enduro that he passed down to me. He bought it for my older brothers when they were little tikes. I didn't start riding motorcycles until just after high school, but have been involved ever since, off & on.
List of bikes I have or had:
Looking forward to discussing with you guys here, while I get my Superhawk back on the road.
As I just posted in a project thread, I'm joining here because the Honda 305 specific forums seem to have gone down in flames. I’ve been working on a ’65 Superhawk for many years off and on, and am finally getting the sense I’ll be able to ride it again soon. I'm a mechanical engineer by training and I work for a major turbocharger manufacturer designing & supporting racing turbos for top-level motorsport. I've worked with LMP1, WRC, DTM, GT, and Rallycross manufacturers on lots of projects over the past few years. Before that I worked on commercial aftermarket turbos for about 7 years, like the performance-oriented units you'd find in kits and for sale by tuner shops and the like. Most of my spare time is devoted to prepping and racing in the 24 Hours of Lemons series with my Black Iron Racing BMW E36 (El Dorado Camper conversion). I recently got my wife involved in trackdays and have a Miata for that purpose. My main vehicular disability is for Volvo 240s, and I have 3 of those. And occasional offroad trips in an FZJ80 Land Cruiser, and dirt bikes over the years.
Here's what my bike looks like as of this weekend:
Why the Superhawk? In college I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and really got into it; then got curious about what make & model of bike Robert Pirsig was riding and referring to. He never mentions it by name in the book but I did some research and found the Superhawk. This bike was well before my time so I’d never heard of it, but instantly felt drawn to it. In 2003 I found a black '65 on ebay in San Diego county and paid about $600 for it. It was in terrible shape but seemed complete enough and cheap enough for a college kid to resuscitate as his first bike.
Didn't look so bad from far away over the internet. This was one of the original ebay pics from the seller back in 2003.
My dad had been into motorcycles for years before I was born, mostly dual sport / scrambler style bikes. He did a lot of riding out to the desert, exploring, and then riding home. I have a 1971 Yamaha JT1 Mini Enduro that he passed down to me. He bought it for my older brothers when they were little tikes. I didn't start riding motorcycles until just after high school, but have been involved ever since, off & on.
List of bikes I have or had:
- 1965 Honda CB77 Superhawk
- 1968 Honda Z50 Mini Trail
- 1971 Yamaha JT1 Mini Enduro
- 1981 Honda Motocompo
- 1998 Kawasaki KLX300
- 2003 Suzuki SV650
- 1972 Honda CT70
Looking forward to discussing with you guys here, while I get my Superhawk back on the road.