I never thought the old 550 K series were anything to write home about. Just big, smooth fours. The old 350 twins ran almost as well and the early twin-cam 450 would make short work of one of those. For a bike like your 450, I'd use Bridgestones. Top heavy ? Not really, just more weight in general and, of course, above the axle center line. Ever ride a 350 four ? Another short lived bike from Honda. Very collectible now. Only made '73~'74. The CB400F not nearly as neat as the 350F. (CB400F not made very long either) The 350F was a little jewel. I could pull out the kick starter with the bike on my lift at full height and start it with my hand.
________________________________ From: stanley/ Randolph <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, February 17, 2010 2:27:23 PM Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Hello from New Mexico! Thank you for your input, Dennis. On my 450, I would not put Kendas. It feels faster than my 550 Four that I owned in Puerto Rico. At least, acceleration wise, anyway. But then, I am older and not as quick with the reflexes and inclined to take it more slowly; but it is, partly, because I am not used to that much acceleration on two wheels any more. Heck - I am not used to it on four wheels, what am Italkin' about??? The only thing about this 450 is that it seems a bit top heavy, unlike my 350 scrambler, which was light and nimble. Am I right about that? Is its CG a bit high? Maybe after I ride awhile in the spring, I will become more familiar with the whole machine and get into it again... Stanley ________________________________ From: Dennis Hammerl <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 10:42:33 PM Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Hello from New Mexico! Sorry about your father. We only get one set of parents. Home buying ? Be very careful. Good time to buy distressed. (they call it "motivated" ) Kendas on a 250 ? No problem. Not for sport bikes that may be ridden hard. ________________________________ From: stanley/ Randolph <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 2:36:32 PM Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Hello from New Mexico! I do understand safety, and will be able to afford the best now, because of my inheritance. Father died. I have enough to buy a home(if I do it soon), plus some to live on as well. The 250 was purely commute. To work and to the store for groceries, etc. Last three cars died from under me - transmissions - but now I have a nice F150, extended cab. Great truck, but IMO, uses too much gas. Will be hooking up one of my newly revised (fifth "generation" ) hydrogen generators this week to discover how much of an improvement it will make. I think I will probably put it on a Ford analysing machine, to determine if there are any tuning issues. It has a slight imbalance at some moments that comes and goes. Stanley --- On Sun, 2/14/10, Dennis Hammerl <[email protected]> wrote: >From: Dennis Hammerl <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Hello from New Mexico! >To: [email protected] >Date: Sunday, February 14, 2010, 9:28 PM > > > > >No secret, they are a bargain brand tire that I won't use on any bike that can >be used for anything other than commuting. When replacing tires, I like to use >a better grade than OEM. IMHO Kenda is not. Plenty that are though. I >understand budget concerns but can't justify sacrificing safety. > > > > ________________________________ From: stanley/ Randolph <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Sun, February 14, 2010 6:26:53 PM >Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Hello from New Mexico! > > >Dennis - >I would like to know - why no Kendas? While I had no trouble with them, >they're not trustworthy if it's been sitting. The Dunlops that were on it >when I bought it were imbalanced and I am sure it was from sitting in a garage >for some nine years. It only had 815 miles on it. So, I would not use any >tire that has been sitting for a few years, regardless of how much tread it >has on it. >When I replaced the originals with the Kendas, they made a huge difference; >and they needed replacement some 8,000 miles later. >I replaced them myself both times, with the tools in the OEM kit and a pry >bar. >At the time I had very little money and had just recovered from my accident >enough to go to work part time. It was hard going at first, being on my legs >for that long. I worked at night and the 250 was our main transportation, for >the both of us. >Mostly, it was for my wife, though. Now, she won't get on it: go figure. >We both or each went to work on that bike rain or shine, did all of the >maintenance, and she was faithful to take us everywhere: over 15,000 miles in >two years, seldom using the car, because it used too much gas, even at 31mpg >in town. We were starting out anew, had little, and spent little. >That little Honda 250 Nighthawk performed well, never complaining, not even in >the rain, except once, when a plug went bad: nooo problema... >When I actually put the 450 on the road in the spring, it will have new >tires(-haven't decided which yet, Metzler or maybe Avon), rebuilt caliper, and >maybe some attention to the carbs, if I still feel a slight hesitation after >running a tank or two with SeaFoam. > >Stanley > > >--- On Sat, 2/13/10, Dennis Hammerl <[email protected]> wrote: > > >>From: Dennis Hammerl <[email protected]> >>Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Hello from New Mexico! >>To: [email protected] >>Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010, 9:23 PM >> >> >> >> >>If you say so.. The condition you describe makes me still think a tire >>problem. You bought it with these tires on ? Block it up so the front wheel >>is free and spin by hand. Look close for the tread to run true and from the >>side, for out-of-round. There is usually a line around a tire that is close >>to the rim that can be used to reference the bead. Sometimes your hand is the >>best instrument to use. Spin the wheel and let it run through a light grip. >>Imperfections can be felt that aren't easily seen. If it meets all of these >>criteria, we'll look elsewhere. It slips me for now, what model is this again >>? >># No, Kenda is not a brand I would buy or use. sorry. The official policy of >>Honda when pursuing a problem like this is to replace a tire to determine if >>that is the cause (when all else checks out fine) Hidden defects can be >>resolved this way. Barring that, we'll get into more chassis detail. You've >>done a good job of eliminating most things >> already. I take very seriously anything that can compromise safety. >> >> >> >> ________________________________ From: NM85NightHawk <[email protected]> >>To: Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers! <[email protected]> >>Sent: Sat, February 13, 2010 4:00:45 PM >>Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Hello from New Mexico! >> >>Hey guys! >>I didn't find any flat spots on the tires. They are nearly new and >>still have the little nubby's along the extreme outside edges. >> >>The bead looks to be nice and even on both sides. I had a friend >>double check just in case I went blind. >> >>The tires are Kenda Cruiser K671 front and rear. >> >>Are these known to be good tires? Or should I look to replacing them >>pretty soon? >> >>-- >>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>To post >> to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>[email protected]. >>For more options, visit this group at >>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >> >> >>-- >>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>[email protected]. >>For more options, visit this group at >>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >> >-- >You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >[email protected]. >For more options, visit this group at >http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > >-- >You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >[email protected]. >For more options, visit this group at >http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
