Just got into biking this time last year. I bought a bike off craigslist (1983 Honda Nighthawk 550) for $800. It was in pretty good condition but I decided to restore it last winter. Did a lot of research (2 weeks worth anyway) before buying my first bike. The fact that it was only made for one year made me think otherwise at first, but its a solid bike. I had one minor problem during my first year riding, the CDI box crapped out on me during the first warm ride (I want to say back in March) of this year, right in front of a local bike shop. They let me keep it there overnight (J&J Cycle in Massillon, you guys are awesome) no charge. I trucked it home, found the problem and got a replacement on eBay (around $25). During the cold spell we had I then decided to tear into it further and clean the rust out of the tank, replace the brakes, change all fluids, fix leak in valve cover, ... etc. It has been a reliable almoast daily rider ever since. I put damn near 4,000 miles on it my first year riding. Stumbled on this site today, basically looking for some people with older bikes to meet up with and go riding. Have some friends with sport bikes, which I enjoy riding with and have no problem, just looking for some people with older 80's or 70's bikes to cruise around with. I still enjoy twisting the throttle and laying it down in a curve, just cant keep up with the sporties all the time. So, Hello to all, looking forward to spring and maybe meeting up with some more people in NE Ohio to go riding with.
