Going British On A Budget
Going British on a Budget
PERSONAL PROJECT
ALTHOUGH NO LONGER IN production, the classic British V-Twin is far from forgotten. Prices for Vincents and Brough Superiors have risen to astronomical heights, prohibitive to all but ardent and wealthy enthusiasts. But for those less prosperous individuals who lust after a modern-day V-Twin British-style roadster, there is hope, even if you've got to start with a motorcycle made in Japan.
When George Wegner, a 39year-old technical writer at American Honda, purchased his 1988 Honda Hawk GT 647, he envisioned a motorcycle with a decidedly English influence.
“British bikes have always been very attractive to me,” says Wegner, “though I could never afford a Vincent Black Shadow. But the Hawk is such a simple machine, it brought me back to those early British bikes."
England also influenced the bike's paint. A fan of l 960s-era Lotus sports racing and formula cars. Wegner felt that British Racing Green would be perfect for his updated Brit-bike. He sanded and painted all of the body parts himself. including the headlight bucket. To accent the BRG. Wegner dipped the damper spring and the rearwheel hub cover, a pirated VFR750F item, in yellow paint for that Team Lotus touch.
Wegner swapped several components in search of the perfect bar/ peg/seat relationship. First, he replaced the stock handlebars with a pair from the Japanese-spec Hawk GT, curiously known as the Bros. The new clip-ons are lower, narrower and offer greater sweepback than the stock items. Shorter Bros grips have also been fitted. Additionally, Wegner slipped on an adjustable Bros front-brake lever.
Wegner then lifted the preload-
adjuster fork caps from a 199I CBR600F2, and bolted on a pair of alloy footpegs from a 1990 CBR600.
After completing the modifications, Wegner began polishing. The fork sliders, headlight mounts, footpeg shields, cylinder fins and outer wheel edges were polished to a mirror-like sheen.
Most enthusiasts would have stopped at this point, but Wegner has a strong eye for subtle details. To complement the wheels' polished outer edges, he painted the inner portions black. Wegner even went to the extent of removing and painting the cylinders.
While the paint booth was still available, the waterpump cover, the fuel-filler cap's outer ring and numerous miscellaneous items received a coat of semi-gloss black.
In this form, the Hawk combines a unique British twist with its clean lines and capable hardware. Surprisingly, Wegner's entire expenditure, excluding the initial price of the bike and providing his own labor. was only $535. The revitalized Hawk is not only visually exciting, but it is completely EPA and DC) I legal, from its sanitary exhaust system to its stock turnsignals.
The classic British V-Twin roadster has been gone for several decades. but for certain individuals, like George Wegner, the spirit is alive and well. —Matthew Miles
