Before I took the Hawk out for its first ride, after two years of slowly renovating the bike, I had binned the OEM clipon's. Towering nearly six inches above the triple clamp, they did not provide the level of racer-boy performance that I thought I'd wanted. Besides, the OEM bars looked really goofy. I installed a set of VTR SuperHawk bars straight-away, and after sitting on the bike in the garage, I determined them to provide a great seating position.
However, after installing the Fox Shock and jacking the back of the bike to the moon, as well as lowering the front 10mm to quicken steering, I started feeling differently about my chosen seating position. I felt like I was riding around like a stinkbug; butt in the air and my elbows out. This is a fantastic riding position for attacking a race-track or my favorite stretch of tarmac wedged between two steep slopes, but anything else was sheer torture and, as such, I found my self increasingly reluctant to ride my beloved Hawk.
After a few autumn rides in 2004, I'd decided I'd had enough. The S3's wide and tall handlebars did not, in the least, hamper canyon/track performance. Instead, I felt that they provided added levels of confidence and control. Mind you, I'm not delusional about my riding ability. I know that I'll never stand on the podium box at the end of a motorcycle race. Unless I sneak up there, after the race is over and all the crowds have gone home, for a bootlegged photograph.
I began searching for some alternatives to my discomf
ort derived quandaries. Initially I had planned on retrofitting some tube handlebars. If I could find a set of SV650 handlebar risers, bars and an extra Hawk triple clamp, I imagined I would be able to drill a few holes and put it all together. But I'd already swapped the clutch cable and brake lines for shorter replacements in order to facilitate the lower handlebar height and I was uncertain if my shorter control cables would reach high and outward enough for the job.
Onward to plan 'B'. The Hawk is blessed with modern sized, 41mm fork legs. This means that, relatively speaking, any bike with 41mm fork legs should provide a clip-on alternative. I decided to stick with Honda models to make my choice easier and likely ensure I would not be required to jump into major component modifications. The clipon's for CBR600's, be it F2 or F3, would fit nicely, but they appeared to be nearly identical in height and sweep as the VTR clipon's. CB-1 clipon's are very popular, but the bike is so rare that getting a set could take a great deal of time. VFR750's and would fit, but would they be too tall?
Then, while perusing Ebay I found a set from a VFR800 (pre VTEC). The VFR800 earned most of its complaints from its seating position. Many owners and a few magazine reviews commented that the VFR800, with a more aggressive seating position than the 750, was too aggressive for a touring inspired bike. I bid, I won, I waited. When they finally arrived I skipped out to the garage to give 'em a look-see. They were a bit taller than I hoped, but only an installation would tell the tale for sure.
Installing them proved to be easier than I'd imagined. I still had to hack off the dowel/nubbin that Honda puts on its clipon's to keep them from rotating should they come loose. But fortunately, the nubbin on the VFR800 clipon's were placed near the pinch bolt on the Hawk triple clamp; meaning that if I kept some nubbin in place, rather than hacking it all the way off, the would still prevent rotation in the even of a loosening bolt.
I also knew that I'd have to drill new holes in the bar itself to hold the switchgear from rotation. So I was able to dry fit it all together and mark with a Sharpie where the new hole should be located then make a quick pass with the drill press to get everything to fit.
After the new clipon's were installed, it was too cold to take the bike for a ride, but the seating position is now much more conservative while, hopefully still as functional. If they are too tall, I fear I may be facing too much wind and an additional discomfort factor as well as uncertainty on which clipon to try next. More information to come after the first ride.
The next opportunity I had to ride the Hawk was during an unexpected warm winter spell. The clipons are fantastic. At first I thought they may still be too low, but after a few miles of riding, they felt perfectly natural. Read about the Winter Ride.
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