My old 88 still makes the blood pump out on the track. It can still give the new stuff one hell of a run. There is nothing like the sound of a 998 with cabs at flat noise.

 

I bought my '91 from eBay based on the pictures. I had never even sat on one, but I had checked the specs and prices for a good while--stalking, as someone said earlier, only I was doing it through bike mags and the Net. The seller shipped it to me from upstate New York. Pretty crazy to buy a bike that way, but $3,000 USD for a bike in mint condition with only 10,000 miles on it was hard to resist. It has Supertrapp slip-ons, a jet kit, and a Corbin seat. I added bar risers, a Laminar Lip, and Givi luggage racks. The bike is that classic red and black color scheme, it's comfy, fast, and stable as a train, but it only takes a little pressure on the bars to make it turn, and with Michelin PR2's it stays planted right where you put it. No surprises. Plenty of power, but smooth, linear acceleration from 1500 rpms to 10,000. Very good brakes. I'm always itching to buy another bike, but when I compare the specs for newer machines, it seems the Hurrycane is nearly as good as current sport-touring bikes. One might be a few pounds lighter, another might have a few more ponies, but they cost $10,000 more than I paid for the 'Cane. I would love to have an ST3. I lust after Blackbirds and ZX-11s, I'm tempted by the FJR and C14, and I thought seriously about pulling the trigger on an '07 VFR when Honda started dumping them a few weeks ago, but when you factor in the cost, the 'Cane just keeps looking better. An 18-year-old bike that will do 160 mph, handles very well, brakes beautifully and is all-day two-up comfy? For three grand? Can't beat that with a stick.

I don't think I've ever owned a new motorcycle in 40 years of riding. Maybe the best thing about bikes is what I call Craigonomics. People buy expensive new bikes, but only ride them on sunny weekends. Ten years later, the bike is in mint condition and selling cheap, so people like me, who will actually ride them, can buy them and get 90% of the performance of the latest new bikes for next to nothing. That, folks, is the only market I know where trickle-down actually works.

Craig

 

why i ride a 1000f hmmm..... i believe the original ad was " whats the only thing that can make a ninja run and hide?... a hurricane i spent 9 years lookin for a decent one and finally found one to wolfman 1000 i know its been a long time but if u still need body parts airtech streamlining has both sides and the hard to find bellypan

 

Enjoyed the story and I understand where you are coming from. When I was a Ninja nut I hated the "Hurricane" and after owning several big Ninjas I was still drawn to the Honda brand. I bought a new CB1000 "Big One" (God, I wish I still owned that bike!). I had found "my new brand." Got out of motorcycles for a while and when I came back, it was with a vengence. Yesterday, mid 60s, I had to ride after washing and waxing three cars. Even though all my bikes are Hondas, some extremely fast and agile, I still love the feeling of the bullet train that is the 1000F. The soft seat, the pocket of stillness behind the fairing/screen, the suspension that's able to soak up bumps yet allows you to hold a line at double the posted speed limit as you exit a 45 mph curve...yeah, you get the picture. I love the 1KF!!! Later, JD

 

One morning, which was much like any other, I was at the shop where I bought my Kwaka and the CBR was sitting in the driveway. He said the guy had ridden it in and left it. Even his gear was still there! Apparently it was keep his his licence or keep the bike. I'd given it the once over as I walked in, but nothing more. The shop guy asked me what I thought it was worth - I had no clue. He told me a number that got my attention so I had a really good look at it. Good points were; right size, right colour, good tyres and chain, registered and running. The bad; older than my current bike, more kilometres and less rego, noisy timing chain and slightly damaged - rips in the seat and a hole in the upper fairing. Make and model were way down the list. My first bike was a Honda, then I had a Yamaha dirt bike before the first of 3 Kawasakis. I thought about it for a while before asking for the test ride ... just a quick hundred kays. Took it to show my hubby, who said I could have it if I wanted and gave me a price limit. I was keen on most of the bike, but I didn't - and still don't - like the linked brakes. So I made an offer that gave me somewhere to move and left it for him to talk to the owner. Went in a couple of days later and he told me $200 more than my offer. I guess that was his commission. Paid the deposit and said I'd be back in the morning to pick it up. Hubby was pleased with the price so I musta dun good.

 

Steve, you took the words right out of my mouth. Pictures, we need pictures. A good purchase no doubt and it really doesn't matter what you paid as long as you feel good about it. I paid $400.00 more than what I wanted to but the bike was nearly mint and it was the second owner. Owner finally agreed to my offer after I made sure he agreed to throw in a new K&N air filter, 2 oil filters, bike cover and newish helmet. Best damn bike I've ever owned. Cheers to ya' JD

 

Because its a Honda and its still fast!!! I have a 1988 hurricane 1000. I call it the silverbird. It has only 10000 miles on it so it should be around awhile!! ive always had hondas. I really liked my 79 cbx, but not as much power and handling as my hurricane but for its day it was nice!

 

10K on an '88 is almost unheard of. That's awesome! Barely broken in.
Yep, I've always been a honda fan, too. Great bikes.

 

When I was kid in the 60's I wanted a minibike but my mother said no. I later wanted a motorcycle but she again said no. The day I turned 18 I bought a bike from a co-worker. It was a Yamaha R5 two stroke, the predecessor of the famous RD350. The day I brought it home it was raining and I just stood there looking out the window at my poor wet bike like some stray dog begging to come in. My mother saw me and said "why don't you just bring it in?". From that day on I was hooked. I rode that bike for several years. Later I upgraded to another Yamaha. A 500cc twin that was unremarkable in every way. During these years I was an auto mechanic at a dealership and about 5 of us had bikes and would regularly go on long rides together. I sold my second bike because I needed the money and missed it immediately.

I also got tired of turning wrenches on boring passenger cars and was able to get a job as a service writer at a local motorcycle dealer. We sold Hondas, Kawasakis, BMWs, and Triumphs. The service mechanics were skeptical of a car mechanic in a bike shop. I decided I not only needed a bike but I needed to prove myself to get a little respect. A customer cam in with a KZ400 completely disassembled an in several boxes. Needless to say the cost of a dealership fixing it and putting it all together was much more than the bike was worth. I bought all the boxes for $50 and proceeded to put the thing back together. After about 4 weeks I had a ridable bike and a bit more respect around the shop.

While working at the dealer I spent time in the showroom coveting those nice new bikes that I could never afford. This was when the GPZ Kawasakis were battling the Yamaha Secas before there were any CBRs. I would have killed for an Eddie Lawson GPZ1100 replica but the bike that captivated me was the Pearl White CBX with the fairing and sleek saddle bags. It was the most beautiful bike I'd ever seen. Of course the bike I could afford was a used 1978 KZ650. It was fast, handled well and it was very reliable. I grew to love that bike but always wanted something more.

Like many here, the bike had to go shortly after getting married. I watched the new sport bikes coming out with envy and I noticed the new CBRs had design elements that reminded me of that white CBX. I always thought the Honda paint schemes were much more attractive than the other bikes even though I was a "Kawasaki" guy. The Ninjas were very cool but the "Hurricane" just had something special about it.

Fast forward 20 years, a divorce, and fifty pounds later. A friend of mine has a Harley and although I don't like his bike I really miss having one of my own. I start scanning Craig's List and E-Bay even though I don't have any money due to alimony and child support. I figure a 600cc sport bike is too small and uncomfortable for any real touring with luggage and hopefully a passenger. There just aren't any bikes that could do that and still deliver lots of excitement, much less that I could afford. I did look at a '91 FJ1200 that looked promising but it was a total disaster when I saw it up close. Then I saw an ad for a 1991 red and black CBR 1000F. The picture looked awesome but I still didn't have any money so I didn't bother looking at it. I did however do some research on it where I found this site and many descriptions of it's ample capabilities. I decided that would be the best bike I could get if I ever got any money together.

Two weeks go by and I can't get the CBR out of my head. Every year about this time I lament having my very large tax refunds confiscated by the government and given to my ex for back support. I sit and think about what I would do if I actually got to keep my own money. It was a Thursday afternoon and I checked my bank account on-line to see how much of my $700 balance was left. I didn't notice at first but something didn't look right. It was $7,000 not $700. That couldn't be right so I checked the individual deposits. The big one was the exact amount of my tax return. I was giddy and anxious at the same time. The first thing I did was e-mail the guy with the two-week old CBR ad. The second thing I did was withdraw all of the money.

There were no other likely candidates in the area and I hadn't heard back from the CBR guy so I figured it was gone. That Saturday morning I get an e-mail saying the bike is still available. WOOHOOO! I make an appointment to see it at 3:00PM. When I get there it has a presence of it's own. It makes me think back to that white CBX those many years ago. It has flaws and 43k miles on it but there's no way I'm NOT going to buy this bike. I do the deal and trailer it home. I'm still fixing some mechanical issues but it should be done by this weekend. Each night I stare at it and can't believe the way it makes me feel.

And that ladies and gentlemen is why I have a Honda Hurricane. That and this song: David Wilcox - Eye of the Hurricane