I'm looking for a 1st bike (will probably be buying later this year, got to take classes and buy gear first). Anyways, I'd like something that isn't too valuable or too powerful, but will still be fun when I take it to the track. My current track toy is a 105rwhp RX-7, so pretty much any bike will be faster.

Would the Hawk NT650 be a good choice? What else is comparable (in terms of cost, power, and fun factor)? I could care less if it has fairings, just as long as it will make me grin (my RX-7 looks like a rolling pile of shiny dog ****, so pretty much any bike will look better).

 

The Hawk GT would make an excellent starter in stock form, and can be easily upgraded as your skills increase. They have a sizeable aftermarket and a fanatical owner base, and also make an excellent track bike if you are inclined that way. There are some insane mods that can be done to these little bikes....

What's comparable: Suzuki SV650, Kawasaki EX500... the SV is much faster stock than the Hawk, but is the current hot ticket in middleweight racing classes and as such is quite in demand. EX500s are also very popular in lightweight race classes, but are generally slower, and have worse brakes and handling.

Some links:

http://www.motomorphic.com/ - Formerly The Hawk Connection, the gurus of racing Hawks
http://www.hawkgt.com/ - Very comprehensive HawkGT site, with links to mailing lists and other goodies

 

Hawks rock I really love em and there really are about 6 million things you can do with em . I have a pretty stock ( Fox shock , resprung front end , motomorphic lefty pipe , Corbin , F2 bars ) one and the one shown below ( fairly built motor , F3 frontend , Marchesini Mg rims , blah blah blah ) The ONLY bad thing I can say about Hawks other than it sucks that I can't buy a new one is that the 100mi tank range gets annoying . They're great little bikes and can really grow along with you - even after you're looking for more go , they're still a riot on track