Anybody Ever Own a Honda PC800?

[DirtFlier]

As long as the battery stays strong, you can let a bike with Fi sits for months and months and they still start as if they ran last week. You can't do that with a carburated bike!

 

[mikesim]

As long as the battery stays strong, you can let a bike with Fi sits for months and months and they still start as if they ran last week. You can't do that with a carburated bike!

Yup! You gotta love fuel injection! The kids today have no appreciation on what they have missed. All of my Hondas have been cold natured beasties that required a lot of fiddlin' with the choke lever on cold days. My CB750 was the worst. It took about two to three minutes before it was able to be ridden off. My NT in fifteen degree weather will fire right up and will move off with no hesitation whatsoever..... amazing!

Mike

 

[DirtFlier]

Motorcycles from the early-80s were terrible on cold idle. One of the Gold Wings would start readily but maintain a high idle speed for a long time. If one tried to get it to drop off the high idle detent, the engine just died. And even worse, if you tried to ride away while cold, you'd likely lose the fire at the worst possible time!

These were CA models which had to meet a stricter emissions standard that was new at the time. Some of the "49ST" (49 state) bikes were better.

 

[NewTo700V]

Honda, which has become a car company that makes bikes...now has the car-company habit of closing the parts book on old models. I needed a few things on my GL, and had to have them fabbed at great expense.

It's fairly ludicrous to expect any manufacturer to have a steady parts supply for vehicles that qualified for antique plates over a decade ago.

The throttle cables for your Nighthawk are no longer available from mother Honda anyway, so I'm not sure what waiting on the dealer to open would do for you. Motion Pro can make cables to order: https://www.motionpro.com/custom

 

[mikesim]

Once a manufacturer determines that it is no longer profitable to make a product, it behooves him not to do so. That being said, there are many aftermarket companies who specialize in making parts for the restoration market. When the OE ceases manufacture, a new niche opens up which is usually filled by an entrepreneur.

 

[DirtFlier]

+1 on cables from Motion Pro.

I had a longer set made for my NT and I specified black exterior so they look exactly like standard cables, plus black is the cheapest color option!

 

[NewTo700V]

Just went to the Motion Pro site.

Model information I can give them. But I haven't dug into it yet - I wanted the parts in a pile before I committed, as opposed to taking it out to a pro. So I don't have length or specific carb information, which the site says they want.

Removing throttle cables isn't a huge deal. Lifting the tank and air box is usually all that's required. If figuring out carb specs seems daunting, to keep it simple you can just send them the old cables and say "replicate these please". Measure them once you get them out and take a photo of them sprawled out on the floor with good views of the fitting ends. Just in case something happens to the package in transit.

 

[wphillips007]

Look what I saw at my local Honda dealer today......

 

[Phil Tarman]

I seriously thought about trading my GL650i Silverwing in on a '90 PC800. Then I came to my senses and bought a new '99 Kawasaki Concours.