August 8, 2003

Nighthawk

It’s now official: I am the proud new owner of a 2002 Honda CB750 Nighthawk. I decided to get the new bike since the R80/7 broke down on me. No, it’s not a capricious as it may seem. After having the BMW towed back here on Sunday, and it since sitting in the parking lot with no way of being fixed, I started to wonder about the practicality of owning such an old bike in such a geographically isolated place like Macon. I called around to every local place I could find on Tuesday, and they unanimously had no earthly idea where I could find a mechanic around these here parts. The closest place to fix a BMW is in north Atlanta: either at the official BMW dealership or Blue Moon Cycle. But, how do I get the thing there? And while I liked the fact of owning a BMW, living in Macon really does not afford me that privilege. I will someday.

Well, technically, I still own a BMW, but not for long. Terry said that when I wanted to sell it, that he would buy it back from me. I just don’t think that he believed that it would be so soon. Even if he doesn’t, I’m sure I can sell it. I guess I’ll need to get it fixed first. Hopefully Terry can come up here and fix the problem—the spark plugs are not firing for some reason—and take the bike back to Florida with him. I’ll try to speak with him tonight.

The Honda is a much more practical choice for me right now. Macon has a Honda dealership four miles away, Capitol Cycle, that can take care of the maintenance and repair any problems that should arise. However, like their cars, Hondas are supposed to be notoriously easy to own; their reputation for reliability extends to their bikes: just wash and ride. There are oil changes and chain adjustments to worry about from time to time, but this bike should be much less of a problem.

After doing quite a bit of research—I also seriously considered a Suzuki Bandit—I found many owners who rave about their Nighthawks as excellent all-purpose bikes. It has a 750cc engine—150ccs larger than the Bandit—so the bike is large enough to take on some distances while still small enough to ride around town. It does not have hard bags like the R80/7, but I’m sure to find some soft substitutes that might even be more flexible. It doesn’t have a windshield right now, but the guy who traded it in still has it, so Tim, the owner of ValuCycle just east of Atlanta in Conyers, feels confident that he should be able to get it for me.

I’m psyched. I was hoping to get it tomorrow, but the loan can’t go through until Monday. I should be able to take delivery Monday afternoon. ValuCycle is not open on Mondays, but Tim agreed to meet me to close the deal. Cool. Stay tuned for my first report from the road.