Designed by Toshiaki Kishi as Honda was casting about for a way to bring sporty motorcycling to the masses, the NT650 used a neat v-twin and single-sided swingarm, but stayed affordable. Though its pricing vs. pizazz didn’t lead to a long run here, it was more popular in Europe and Japan, where it had a 400 cc little brother ( the offshore Bros name is a brothers reference ). The NT650 Hawk GT has a cult-like following now, and the bike presented here leads by example.
1989 Honda NT650 GT for sale on eBay
The very compact 647 cc twin uses three valve per cylinder to attain 56 hp, much more was possible when tuned. In the day, carburettors were less expensive than fuel injection, and the NT650 uses twin 36mm flat slides. A high-tech / economical mix, it uses an aluminum twin-spar frame holding 41mm conventional forks, and a 5-speed sends the power out to the Pro-Arm monoshock rear. Single disk brakes, 316mm front and 247mm rear.
Evidently owned by a serial Hawk fan, this example has a rare aftermarket fairing, and very low miles. Not much in the way of mods beside the bodywork, and overall it appears excellent. From the eBay auction:
Thanks for checking out my fantastic 1989 Honda Hawk GT NT650! Everywhere I go this bike turns heads
as it is unrecognizable to most, admired by the savvy and revered by the collectors. Not often seen but admired by all,
this 1989 NT 650 shows pride of ownership. Purchased from the estate of a meticulous collector, this low mile Hawk
looks as good as it did the day it rolled off the floor, only better with the tasteful upgrades made by its previous
owner. I have several of these and this is by far the nicest I have ever seen. Other than the fairing w/mirrors, exhaust and grips
this NT650 is original. I would give it a 8.5/9 of 10. I believe the paint is original but I do not know this bikes full history.
Reviewed in hindsight as before its time, the Hawk foreshadowed the standard / naked-sport revolution that followed a few years later. Helped by the Erion brothers, the model has acquired a following in vintage racing circles, and great mods and parts are still available. But hopefully this gem won’t be subject of too many more updates. With a recent re-list at a more realistic price, it’s just about perfect the way it is…
-donn
These things are like a timex if taken care of spent many miles on one never seen this fairing on one before. But man those foam grips would have to go asap.
Round slide Keihin carbs were stock on these. I’ve always wondered, with the success of the Ducati Monster and the SV650 v-twins, why Honda didn’t update the Hawk.
I guess you could say they did update with the VTR1000 in ’97, but that’s really a different animal. Hawk fans might say an animal that begins with the letter “P”.
I was looking at that fairing closer and it actually looks like the rz 350 fairing that’s been fitted to the bike.
I’d take those foam grips over that bra. Zero vibration and who cares about scratches on that twin?
This bike is a bit embarrassing on too many levels.
As a Hawk owner, I have to say that is one of the ugliest Hawks that I have ever seen. There are some really gorgeous mod jobs out there, but this is just an atrocity. The full fairing really defeats the original intent of the bike. Open and minimal. Now the RC30 half fairing kit (Air Tech made one I believe for the Two Bros team) looked pretty cool. but this one just looks ridiculous.