Hi everyone, I am a new member of this group since I would like to learn more about Nighthawks and share my love for them since I think it is one of the most easy-to-maintain, durable, reliable, and best-bang-for-your-buck motorcycle out there. I own a 2008 Nighthawk CB250 and know that it can take me anywhere (albeit with some pretty rough vibrations as it's a 250 engine, lol). But as I just replied to one of your members' posts about her solo road trip on her 1986 Honda Nighthawk CB450, I too believed in my bike so much that I took it out on a summer solo road trip in 2010 for a month and rode over 5400 miles from Houston to Las Vegas to Los Angeles to San Francisco to Seattle to Keystone and all the way back down through Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and back home to Houston. Although I do plan to upgrade to at least an 800cc bike, it would be hard for me to part ways with my Little Engine That Could and I will probably hold onto it for keepsakes.
The question I am posting about is: How important are the Exhaust Pipe Joints/Strap Collar/Exhaust Flanges? (see pic below) The reason I ask is because the first time that the joint from my left exhaust pipe came loose, it was during a 3-day road trip to Big Bend in 2010. If any of you have experienced this issue before, then you know that I found out the ring joint came off as soon as my bike's sound became more "Harley-like" instead of the typical Nighthawk. I also heard the metal rattling from the ring sliding down the pipe clanging against the metal. The quick fix I did until I got to the dealer was using a heavy duty plastic zip tie to keep the ring joint tight against the frame, preventing it from rattling. After the dealer replaced the bolts to keep the exhaust pipe flange in place, I asked them how important that part was and whether it would cause any damage if I rode it for an extended amount of time with it loose like that and he gave some answer that I can't seem to remember now. Fast forward to 2014 and the issue has come up again - the same exhaust pipe joint/flange has come loose. I haven't taken it back to the dealer since my warranty expired. I'm tempted to try and fix it myself, but in the meantime I am riding it how it is now. What do you all think? I actually don't mind the new noise my bike makes (to me, it actually makes my Nighthawk sound even tougher, haha!), but are there any potential problems of riding my bike with only one exhaust pipe joint securely fastened while the other is loose? Thanks in advance for your responses. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
