Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi after 20 years I just restored a motorcycle
I had a bad accident when I was a teen but I'm back in the saddle and loving it .
I just posted my bike on the pics page under the honda site go check it out and let me know what you think.
Also I need some info on washing , just some simple in the yard care with a hose so on .

Welcome back! Nice bike you have there. Always liked the Nighthawks.

What specifically did you want to ask about washing your bike?

well since buying the bike I've done alot of research and I have all these mixed messages .
When I owned my bike years ago I just washed with a hose and some soap and warm water.
Can I still do this all the things I've looked at are don't wash with a high pressure wash , that I can understand .
But I should just be able to take a cloth soapy water and a hose no nosle and wash my bike or has things changed that much?

Sure! That's still the best way.
Of course, now there are better products available to help keep it looking good. For example, I use a car-wash detergent that doesn't strip wax, so after the final rinse I just chamois it dry and it looks freshly waxed. Honda makes an excellent spray cleaner/polish, too, for those little touch-ups like bug guts, road tar, etc. in between washes.
One of the handiest things I've found recently is a micro-fiber cloth that polishes beautifully without adding those dreaded swirl marks. I bought a couple of them the last time I ordered my favorite metal polish, Flitz (Google it).

Thanks alot big dog
I really appreciate the input there is a product that I use on my vehicle that armour all makes you spray it on after the cleaning and it act as a wax , repells water and the shine is impecable .
Let me ask you another question if I may ?
When I took my bike out a couple of days ago , I started her up and she spit and sputtered and did some backfireing but once she warmed up she purred like a kitten.

Most carbureted Japanese bikes are cold-natured. Probably nothing to worry about. Had the bike been sitting or stored for awhile?

Yeah for about a month and a half
and I live in the maritimes canada and the weather goes from cold to freezing to mild all in one day , I should have been born in California where it's warm and the beach isn't icy for 7 months of the yr

bubbyt wrote:Yeah for about a month and a half
and I live in the maritimes canada and the weather goes from cold to freezing to mild all in one day , I should have been born in California where it's warm and the beach isn't icy for 7 months of the yr

Said it in another thread already, but to the forums!!

and I know what you mean about changeable weather - was on holiday in the Scottish highlands a couple of weeks back - We had Snow, Hail, Sunshine and rain in the space of 2 hours!! was the strangest thing I have seen for a while!

Hi bubbyt, Just had a peek at your personal gallery and had a look at your lovely bike. Looks cool. Dave is the pilot of our FZX 750, theres a pic of it in my personal gallery.

hey bubbyt nice job on the restoration!

Those hawks are bulletproof man, you should get a lot of life out of that one. My CB900 has the same inline-4 engine, with the same H-shaped valve cover that is such a pain in the butt to polish!