I was just running this very topic through my head this morning. I have a 12 mile commute that only has about 3 miles of highway. However, I'm now having to commute for 30 miles each way and 20 of it is on the Highway - this will be off and on for the next couple of months. As I was riding in today we had our typical Hawaiian trade winds - the wind is very strong here. As I was going I was fighting the wind both ways on my 750 and wishing I had my ST1100 on Oahu with me. The bigger bike is more stable and will give you the power you need to be comfortable and safe. If you can find an ST or Concours you won't have to go to the gas station as often.
To sound like a know it all trade up to a bigger bike. You'll be much happier and with that much highway time you'll be much more rested after the rides. Nothing against the NH250 - great bike for city a little amounts of high way. I think you'll be shocked at how much nicer a bigger bike will be to ride. Sean On May 8, 8:44 am, Joey Kelley <[email protected]> wrote: > Double G and all, > At the risk of sounding like a 'know it all' - the 450 > Nighthawk is no treat on the highway for extended periods - to > maintain 70 MPH you have to run the bike at almost 5,000 RPM which > dramatically reduces the fuel economy, not to mention adding in a > considerable amount of highway buzz. > I also found that the 450 didn't accelerate particularly well > at those speeds - but mine doesn't have stock carbs, it has the carbs > from a 400. The accelerator pump might be the difference there. > IMHO - find a nice small 500-800 cc bike with at least four > cylinders - they provide better performance on the top end. > -Joey > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 1:16 PM, Double G <[email protected]> wrote: > > The bike is well engineered. (I'm a former Honda tech.)..however heat > > build up can be a problem wide open for an extended time. Back off now > > and then, maybe find one rest stop along the way. Consider getting a > > bigger bike such as a 450 Rebel , 450 nighthawk, CM400, 600 shadow, > > etc. Many of these older bikes do not have a lot of miles and can be > > picked up for reasonable money. If it takes a while to find a bigger > > bike or trade up, be sure to keep an eye on miles and oil change. The > > oil change is the best insurance against engine wear and damage. Be > > sure to service your air cleaner. Keep your senses tuned to the power > > delivery while you are making your ride, if you sense a drop off or > > sluggishness, you need to pull over and let er cool down. Better fuel > > is better. Good luck. > > > On May 8, 1:06 pm, BoonesDaddy <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi All, > > >> I'm looking for some input from anyone with long term experience with > >> the Nighthawk 250. I have a 2008 nighthawk that I bought with 3k miles > >> from a dealer. Since August 2011, I have put 8k miles on it with my > >> daily 50 mile commute, 20 miles of which is highway. So far this > >> little bike has held up great and saved my a ton of money on gas > >> versus my '97 Dodge Durango V8. However, I was just offered a better > >> teaching job that will require 72 miles on the freeway. It will be a > >> longer (but faster) commute for me with no lights, but I am worried > >> that I am going to prematurely destroy my little 250 by running it @ > >> 70mph for 72 miles a day. > > >> So my questions are these: > > >> 1. Can my Nighthawk hold up in the long term for this commute? > > >> 2. If not, any suggestions on a bigger bike with great fuel economy? > > >> I will have to go through a dealer if I need to get a new bike, > >> because I don't have any cash on hand, so older used bikes are > >> probably not an option. I really want to hang on to this little bike > >> as it has treated my well, but if I'm going to destroy it, I will just > >> have to trade it in. Thanks for your input. > > > -- > > 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 > > athttp://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > > -- > -Joey Kelley > JoeyKelley.com - My Life Online > JoeyFixesComputers.com - Its What I Do! > JoeyKelleyPhoto.com - Photographing Today, For Tomorrow -- 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.
