I have an 83 nighthawk 650 too, I LOVE what you did to it. I looked on that Chicago H-D site and couldn't find the fairing, could you send a link directly to it? If you could send a link of the headlight too that would be awesome. Also, how did you paint the exhaust? Did you bake it too?
Indeed, Kudos, Josh.
I see a lot of this era's UJMs through my shop - I've got about 30 sitting in there now. They're usually dragged out of a basement, barn or garage (with owners that expect them to undergo a complete restoration for $50), and your before picture would be considered above average by most standards. Your finished product is probably the cleanest 650 Nighthawk I've seen.
Fine work, man.
Oh, you won't find that fairing on the site, I just used the Buell part number. My headlight is from a 2002 Buell M2, I got it on ebay. A Blast headlight should work equally well, I just happened to win the auction for this one.
Below is a snippet of the invoice from the fairing order including the H-D/Buell part numbers that I used to make the order. The $47 item is the fairing itself and the two $8 items are the black metal brackets for each side.
1 x M1600.TMW (M1600.TMW) = $47.96 1 x M0604.D (M0604.D) = $8.76 1 x M0605.D (M0605.D) = $8.76
Thanks for the kind words, Alex, it means something knowing you have seen a fair number of bikes in your time. I used to live pretty close to your current shop when I was going to Wash U, I sort of wish I was still there so I could swing by and check it out, and join you on a ride. I agree mine was in better than average condition when I got it, it was "shed fresh" I guess you could say. The guy I bought it from had bought it from a shop a few years prior, and it appeared to have been slightly restored at that time, the engine had been given a basic coat of paint, among other things. He had been storing it in a shed for at least a year, and I don't think he rode it very often if at all while he had it, due to the "charging issues" he had with it (which were solved with a battery, a battery tender, and the knowledge that these bikes have to be revved over 3k cruising to charge properly). The bike was super clean in the places that count though, only 7k miles, the plastic parts are in great shape, the tank looks new inside, the frame had only a couple chips/spots of surface rust, and it came with brand new tires. There are a few cosmetic issues with the bike that aren't obvious in the photos - the valve cover has some peeling clearcoat, the centerstand really should be removed and refinished, there are fuel stains below the filler, and there are some chips in the exhaust paint that don't really show up, but it really does look quite good in person. The original paint is solid and shiny but scratches and spots of touch-up are obvious up close. I am thinking about putting a silver vinyl tank/tail stripe on it to at least cover up the fuel stain, and maybe a full paint job eventually (I think it would look great in a flat mettalic grey). I am sort of hesitant to paint it while the stock paint is still in good shape though. I will definitely be powdercoating the valve cover and centerstand parts in the offseason (I have a friend who does PC work cheap).
edit - whoa how did I make it do that? Software doesn't like lines of dashes I guess.
I found everything I would need to buy, is that a 7" headlight?
yes, it's a standard 7" round headlight with an H1 bulb. Not all buckets for a 7" light are identical of course, but there isn't a whole lot of variation.
Did you have to buy a headlight bucket for the headlight when you got it off ebay? I saw a couple on there but it doesn't say if it needs a bucket or not, also, how different do those new handlebars feel? Also, do you plan on putting highway pegs on it eventually? I ordered some since I have the frame buffers that go behind the exhaust.
I bought mine as the whole headlight assembly, even the bulb. I have no idea what you're looking at though. The handlebars are only a couple inches lower, I like them better but I only rode it around in parking lots before I changed it.
I sort of think highway pegs are stupid and dangerous, I generally want my feet to be ready to use the controls at all times. Then again, I also don't plan to do much straight ahead long highway riding, we have much more interesting things to do around here.
Up there, where I said H1, I meant H4. I was getting my car's lights confused with the bike.
Hey I just started my 83 Nighthawk project inspired by yours! I basically stole all your ideas but it looks good! No painting yet and I still got an ugly seat and a dented gas tank... But check it out on here http://www.flickr.com/photos/30886662@N06/ and tell me what you think!
Cool! Now get on http://nighthawk-forums.com/ and start a project log thread!
For the seat I would recommend spending a few extra bucks and getting a replacement cover from Sargent instead of the ebay seat cover that I used. Not that mine didn't come out just fine, but the materials on the Sargent kit are nicer and it'll only cost $15-20 more. Or you could buy my completed seat from me and I can spend your money on a Sargent kit for my spare seat :).
What did you do to get a headlight to work with the stock brackets? I've grown fond of my custom brackets, but I'm still curious. I considered making an extender like that for the stock bracket, but decided in the end that it would be cleaner just to make my own.
For those clamps siwng over to McMaster-Carr, "straps and hangers" in the "material handling" section. Lots of options.
Great lookng bike.
So I just purchased what I needed from Gainesville H-D. My main problem was I couldn't find a Blast/M2 headlight assembly for sale, so I had to spend some time with the parts catalog. Here was what I got, and the prices:
67713-86 Headlight, sealed beam- $14.32
67726-08 Ring Assy. Headlamp- $13.17
M0604.D Bracket, Windshield RH- $9.31
M0605.D Bracket, LH- $9.31
Y9005.TA Bezel, Chrome Headlamp- $37.06
Y9006.T Headlight bucket/ harness- $25.46
Y9007.T Nest, Modified- $6.86
Icing on the cake was the Blast fairing. The parts guy found one in a cabinet that he had ordered for a friends Suzuki 2 years ago. He charged me $20 for it!
Other than the screws and the McMaster-Carr parts, I'm all set!
Josh, can I get more information on the little side brackets and the blinkers?
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