HawkGT Page

Go! See! Do!

HawkGT Page

The HawkGT was my first bike. I bought it in November '94 just after completing the MSF RiderCourse course at a community college in CT (thanks Mike). I immediately moved to Virginia and used the Hawk primarily for commuting and scooting around town. I also rode it on a couple of short trips to visit relatives near Richmond and outside of D.C.

Eventually, I decided to be slightly more adventurous and took my first real sport tour. On Labor Day weekend of '96, I rode to the outer banks of North Carolina. I pushed out with a backpack on my shoulders and a gym bag bungeed to the pillion perch, my clothes and kit split between the two. I was wearing a leather jacket and gloves, blue jeans and work boots. Nothing was waterproof. There were neither spare parts nor tools for miles around. I was in blissful ignorance of how to tour on a motorcycle. It was fantastic!

The coastal highways weren't especially curvy, but it was my first time hitting the open roads and exploring the unknown by motorcycle. It was a wonderful experience. My most vivid memory is of riding north from Cape Hatteras to Nags Head that Sunday night. Huge moths died violently on my visor as I followed my high beam along the asphalt between the sand dunes. Between their exploded, insect bodies, I occasionally caught a glimpse of the surf breaking on the moonlit beach. When I looked up, I gazed into the darkest sky containing the brightest stars I'd ever seen.

While motoring thru the National Seashore, I had to pull off the road, shut off the engine, switch off the headlight, pull off my helmet and savor the moment. The stars shone that faint, bluish light which was completely foreign to a city-slicker like me. It just doesn't get that dark in Metropolis. I spent several long minutes listening to the waves crash into the beach and watching the stars twinkle. It was wonderful. Inspiring.

Too soon, I fired up the GT and continued north. There was the mellow sound of the v-twin working beneath me. There were stunning visuals of the sand, surf and brilliant night sky. There was the cool, crisp wind giving me chills under my riding jacket. My world was a beautiful place and I was irreversibly hooked on motorcycle touring.

A couple of years later, I bought the Interceptor to serve as my primary sport touring machine. The little HawkGT, which is still my favorite bike, went from all-purpose workhorse to fair-weather plaything. Though I still use it for a bit of touring here and there, the New England Hawk Rally of '99 and the Hawk Flight South of 2000 for instance.