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alright guys and gals, its almost here....i take the MSF course on the 1st of sept! totally excited for that, just moved to southern california from chicago and classes are MUCH easier (and surprisingly cheaper!) to get into out here. so, with the license almost taken care of, the bike is going to come soon thereafter. i have decided on a standard, since i'll be moving to LA within the next year and be using the bike in an urban area, i figured a standard would be smaller and more agile than say, a cruiser. the question is now, which one? i'm not looking for sheer 'wrap your eyelids over your head' speed (not yet anyway), but i do want it to be fairly quick. will a 234cc nighthawk do the trick for a 6'0" 180 pound dude like myself? and i also want it to be comfortable and have the option of some saddlebags (for grocerys) since it will be my main mode of transport....sorry 'bout the long post, just thought i'd consult the experts!
see you on the road soon!

hey, thanks kal. yeah thats what i was basing my decision on. 80 mph is plenty for me, as long as it has a good powerband so that i can get quick blips in traffic if i have to to avoid being sqaushed. the only thing that bothers me about the nighthawk is the drum brakes (i'm under the impression that discs are more efficient)...brakes are probably the most important part...should i be concerned about drum brakes on this type of bike?

If you are moving to LA and look for standard, I have just a group for you.Check out this group http://forum.mildones.org/ they are a bunch of nice and friendly ppl locate across So. Cal. A lot of them riding sportbike, some standard and a few cruiser. You might get an idea along with a group of friend to ride with.

gitarjunky wrote:hey, thanks kal. yeah thats what i was basing my decision on. 80 mph is plenty for me, as long as it has a good powerband so that i can get quick blips in traffic if i have to to avoid being sqaushed. the only thing that bothers me about the nighthawk is the drum brakes (i'm under the impression that discs are more efficient)...brakes are probably the most important part...should i be concerned about drum brakes on this type of bike?

I live in the LA area too and I personally think in my humble, novice opinion, that the nighthawk will be a little sluggish for exactly the reason you just spoke of.... I have a shadow 600vlx and even though I'm not a speed freak and i'm not interested in racing folks whatsoever, I still feel like it could have a little more zip for when I need to pass a Semi quickly and safely... and keep in mind, it's alot more powerful than the nighthawk..

I can't give any feedback about the brakes since I'm a newbie, but if the bike's top speed is 80, keep in mind, there will be those rare occasions when you'll have to kick it up while on these dangerous LA freeways....

I have heard nothing but good stuff about the suzuki GS500... it might be hard to find a used one, but if you can find one, it may be more along the bike you're looking for.

I would look at the buyer's guide on this site for comperable standards w/ a little bit more power, and also look @ motorcycle.com and bikez.com for write ups.

ps-- remember my screen name, and drop me a message when you get your bike... not sure what part of LA you're in, but If you ever want to go riding let me know.

My personal opinion is that the engine found in the little Nighthawk and Rebel might be a bit sluggish for the kind of freeway traffic found in L.A. Sure, it'll eventually get up to 80 mph, but it won't do it quickly. Above 60-65 mph, it's straining and responds very slow to the throttle.

I took a ride on the L.A. freeways a few months back on a couple of 250s. The Rebel seemed to be running at the top end of it's performance envelope the whole time. Surprisingly, when I switched to the Kaw EX250 it was like night and day. That little 250 performed like a champ. With the extra power, I felt quite comfortable on the freeways.

yeah, see, i was thinking about the ninja 250 too...seems to have gotten good reviews from owners and might be a little quicker...i have always really been eyeing the sv650....its the only motorcycle i've ever rode (my friends) i know the quality/reliability factor is good...i just don't want to get in over my head as far as horsepower/torque goes...i understand the dangers of sportbike in a newbie's hands, no matter how responsible i might consider myself to be...i know they made an sv400s, does any one know if that was ever available in the US? thanks again for all your help..

Here's a link to Motorcycle.com's 250 shootout. Interesting reading and dyno data.

http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mccompare/250shootout.html