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All I know is the Vulcan *always* puts a smile on my face. A true sport bike probably isn't in the cards for me. I have a 40 year old neck that has absorbed auto crashes... I couldn't tell you what "fun" is to me, except pure speed isn't necessarily the end all, be all, but I do get supremely irritated getting stuck behind a bunch of Harleys on a windy road puttering along (yes, the Vulcan can spank most of 'em). And I'd rather *ride* a beater 'hawk I've wrenched on than a mega-buck, chrome art bike most folks treat as trophies Even the Nighthawk position is slightly forward and leg cramped for me ; 5' 11", 32" inseam. I don't care how "uncool" it seems, upright is just more comfortable. Honestly, the best ergonomics I've encountered so far are my friend's DR650. Since I already know the engine, I had considered a clean ol' Ninja 500. I'm not looking for a scorchingly fast bike, just fun to toss around, cruise and take trips on. Honestly, a Vstrom 650, as butt ugly as it is, is a strong contender. Yes, I semi-lust after an FZ-09, but a good deal on a well cared for bike that doesn't break the bank and is less than $150 a year to insure, full coverage, is hard to pass. And I'm not ready for a bike that is more than able to throw itself right out from under me. I've cleared *most* of the stupid from my system over the years, but not all of it. PS, the Vulcan has an inline twin. Same as the ol' Ninja 500, but cammed for a bit more lower end grunt and broader range. Still, it doesn't peak until 7800 RPM and redlines around 11k.

I'm always up for learning what's around here, meeting other riders. On a side note, am I nuts for thinking that though it's slower, thumpier, peakier and quirkier, the Vulcan is more fun than the 'Hawk?

It seems as a SW Ohio native, there aren't as many epic twisty roads nearby as what you Eastern Ohioans have. To the East of Cincinnati is some great scenery and some nice roads, to the west, a small ball of good roads that are a bit too urban, nice cruising further west into Indiana and to the north, a flat wasteland. But then there's south... We decided to revisit KY 10 and 22. Last time it was earlier in the year on a day that turned out to be chillier than the forecast had us believing. My friend on his DR650 and me on my Vulcan 500. That was a 200 mile trip that took use out to Aberdeen and by the time we were in the meat of 22, I was hanging off of the little Vulcan for all it was worth. This time we skipped the cruising and went straight for the meat. Dave, still on the DR650, but me on on my "new" 1993 Nighthawk 750 I recently acquired. The '750 is actually much slower to transition / chicane than the 500, but the upside is it's much more planted and predictable and the powerband is much wider. The Vulcan 500 is about as sporty of a small cruiser as I can imagine, but that little 6 speed twin needs to be wound out to keep it in the power band and behind a DR650 which has immediate torque, it becomes an hour long exercise in constant shifting. The '750 however, was "stick it in 2nd or 3rd and go" I can't say we were burning up the road like the sport bikers, but I feel pretty good about my first technical run on the Nighthawk. There are large sections where there are *no* straght-aways. The image below doesn't do it justice. Follow the link and zoom in. http://goo.gl/maps/QdiXR Having to haul the top heavy, 500 lb. 'hawk over meant there were plenty of spots where just going the speed limit felt plenty aggressive. I'll admit it, I'm a pretty new rider (started last year) and I'm sure a better rider would have destroyed me on an identical bike. On the other hand, I refuse to take liberties with the yellow centerline. Somebody on a 2 up, maroon Goldwing or Concours blew past and dusted us - it was humbling. I also noticed my chicken strips on the right were bigger - leaning with mailboxes whipping a few feet past one's head is "interesting". Never the less, it was the most fun I've had on any road around here, bar none.

I've made progress with the Nighthawk 750. Above are the "before" pictures I've put a fair amount of work into my '93 Nighthawk 750 so far. Replaced the chain, sprockets, adjusted the shifter, banged the side stand back into shape, adjusted the wonky rear brake/light mechanism, untweaked the front end, replaced the front signals (so far), mirrors, air filter, lubed the cables, "de-stickied" the turn signal switch, got the choke action smooth once more, greatly diminished what looked like a break fluid stain on the tank with a buffer 'n compound and have spent several hours with carnuba wax and Simichrome. Whew! Whatever they used to lube the chain over the years turned into the nastiest, tar like sticky horror that completely filled the drive sprocket cover. I had to dig it out with a putty knife! Sorry for the crappy pix, I haven't had a sufficiently dry, sunny day to get it out and photograph. It still needs a tune-up, but since it's now road-worthy, I'm sure the rain forecast will keep on giving. After Doug

Thanks for the welcome! Full pix of the Nighthawk are on my SLR and I haven't pulled them yet. I want to photo document its transformation from a beater to something a bit more respectable. The mirrors were beyond repair (too rusty), so I replaced 'em. Tell me what you think. I'm thinking any chrome I have to replace will be replaced with black items if available - it's a black bike after all. Yes, I'm a West Sider , Price Hill actually. I've been tooling around Cleves, Shawnee Lookout, Cliff Road, Buffalo Ridge, Miami River Rd, Van Blarnicum, Taylor, Wesselman, Jordan Rd., Hillside, Rapid Run, River Rd. Brower Rd., Dugan's Gap, Mt. Nebo. You get the idea. Great riding to clear the mind, but It's getting a little monotonous. Thanks!

Hi, I stumbled across this site a while ago and though I ought to join. After many, many years of wanting to ride, I figured I finally got most of the "stupid" out of my system and took the MSF course last summer. Found myself a super clean 2001 Vulcan 500 LTD and have been riding it every chance I get. It's not as spotless anymore and I've added a small engine bar, luggage rack and took the windshield off (AKA turbulence generator), but here it is: I can't believe people call the little '500 a slow bike. It has plenty of scoot if you wind the engine up like it wants. I also have a recently acquired 1993 Honda Nighthawk 750 in the garage I'm slowly returning to "glory". It runs great, but the previous owners clearly had no concept of what soap, wax or perhaps even what a garage is. I'm basically doing all the scheduled maint. that has built up over the years. I ride with a buddy east of town quite often and putter around the twisty roads between Cincinnati and the Indiana border, but I need to explore what fun there is to be found to the west. I seriously have the bug to do some motorcycle traveling / light ADV and was holding out for an affordable WeeStrom, but for the time being, I think the ol' 'Hawk 750 will do just fine until I want to go beyond fire roads. SYOTR Doug