It's a sickening feeling. Found my bike stolen this past weekend. I got to spend just a few extra minutes of my Easter morning filing a police report. Of course, I hold little hope it will be found, but I do hold a little. Since I have such a large audience ;) , could you please do me a favor and browse through my photobucket.com site. Basically any pics I have of my Hawk are here. Hawks are very rare in Michigan, so if you see one like it, there is a good chance it's mine.

I've already been through all the mods, I'll just let you know the VIN #. It is JH2RC3106JM002450. Like I said, I don't expect to see it again, but I do know there is still a slim chance and I am just trying to get as many eyes to see my bike as possible, using every avenue I can think of. If you think you have seen a bike like mine, or know for sure you've seen a gray Hawk GT, please leave me a reply here, or contact me by e-mail through the link in my profile. Thanks.

It was a dark rainy night. I'm not kidding. Driving down 96 west through Novi, it was a freakin mess out there. Bad enough that we pulled the mini-van (did I just say that out loud) off to grab a bite to eat. We could only hope that mother nature got it all out of her system tonight, because in less than 12 hours, we were supposed to be on the track.

We made it to the Candlestone Inn in Belding with plenty of time to get checked in, unload the van, then find direction to the local entertainment. Well, entertaining it wasn't, but they had pool tables anyway. After a few games and a couple drinks, we made our way back to the hotel and met up with some of the guys from Wide Open Sportbikes that we were setting up with at the track and hung out till the wee morning hours. We finally crashed about 2 A.M. to get up at 6:30.

Waking up way too early, eating the great continental breakfast, i.e. a donut and getting a Code Red into my system, it was off to the track. Everything was somewhat wet but it appeared that the weather just might cooperate, and we weren't disappointed. All riders were divided into 5 classes. With my experience (or lack there of) on a motorcycle not only on a track, but the street even, I opted for group 5, affectionately referred to the Goldwing class.

The day started with a track walk where it is obvious that the track is still wet and that the local wildlife are quite comfortable on the track. Yes, the crayfish was only about 6 inches long, but that might have been messy. After the track walk came some classroom time showing us the track basics that anyone that is a member of any motorcycling message board for a few months would probably know. About 5 different "lessons" that lasted about 5 minutes each. Then we geared up and brought our bikes to our instructors for tech. It wouldn't be long and we'd be riding.

We finally get to head out for our first session. Our class of about 25 people is divided into three groups and sent out on the track in about 10 second intervals, or about the amount of time it took the previous group to get into turn 1. It isn't an exciting ride, but it is exciting to be on the track and learning the track layout. Once I was in 3rd gear, I never shifted out of it, and never needed the brakes. Yeah, it was a little boring.

Our second session out was faster, but still agonizingly slow. Which wasn't a bad thing for some parts, like turn 3 for example. But I was the second bike from the back in our group, and that GSX-R 600 in front of me was just begging to get passed. While passing wasn't allowed during the first session, it was for the second, but only on the main straight, and while I could get a bit of a run on the Suzuki off the last turn onto the straight, the Hawk just doesn't have the cahoney's to pass any SS bike on the straight, if they don't want me to pass them. And since we were at a slow pace, I will admit it was a somewhat weird feeling when two bikes blasted by on either side of me at the exact same time. So I now know what THAT feels like. LOL.

For our third and last session, the instructor wanted to see me and a couple other guys up front. We all were talking about picking up the pace, so we were looking forward to this trip out. Well, hitting turn one I was reminded quickly a lesson in increased speed. The faster you are going, the faster the turn comes up, the quicker and harder you have to brake. Stayed on track, lesson learned. Got a good rhythm going over the next lap and was having some fun. Still not going real fast, but it was definitely a fun pace. Coming off the last little uphill ess onto the straight, I can go wide open on the Hawk and get a good drive onto the straight. By that point we had caught the previous group and they seemed to be going at a snails pace, so I went wide to the right and got my Hawk to and indicated 115 mph as fast as I could. Yeah, it's not that fast and your R1's are doing an easy 160 by that point, but I was passing bikes!

Coming up to turn one I tuck in behind a ZRX from another group and we are slowed into the turn by what I recognize as one of the riders from my group that we caught up to. We slowed to a pace only somewhat faster than a turtle on cocaine and meandered on around the track. It was very frustrating, but no passing in the turns. Then a bike comes flying up inside me somewhere before turn 8, not sure when. I was glad to see it was the my instructor. He then worked his way passed the Z-REX and then to the front of the slower rider. He got her waved to the side just in time to nail the throttle coming onto the straight and while I started near the back tire of the big Kaw, I got to see what a big power deficit can really cost you. And that price was at least a third of the straight, if not more. He didn't walk away from me, he outright ran away from me. On a good note though, nobody passed me on the straight either. I sure would've thought these guys would just go wide f'n open given the chance. I kept listening for the wail to come by, but no one ever did. I didn't see the ZRX again till after turn 3, and that was just because they were waving us off the track for the end of the session and I followed him up the "escape" road.

As far as accidents go, there were few and none were too bad. On Saturday, it appears there were two to go down on just about the last laps of there last sessions. Two chicks, one in group 4 and another in Group 3. From talking so some guys there were a couple more on Sunday, but everyone walked away, some even rode away. This is always good news.

To sum it all up, I didn't fall, I had a blast and am definitely looking forward to going back. It is an awesome experience getting on the track, and I realize how slow I really am, and how much faster I could be. Grattan itself is a sweet track with a lot of variety from slow to fast. I really like what they call the "jump" (even if the only thing I got airborn was my ass off the seat) and the following turn. It can be nerve racking, but there really is room to brake, if you even need to. Trust me. The bowl is cool and the esses did give me some trouble, but I'll be back to master those. The whole experience was refreshing. It was my first ride out on the bike this year, and was fun just hanging out with other riders again.

Ok. My winter mods are pretty much done and I've finally got the pics organized, somewhat. Still lacking the whole bike pic, here are each individual mods. Well, the major ones anyway. Showing you a black stainless steel brake line really wouldn't make a lot of sense would it.

First a few disassembly pics. The Hawk has been grounded.










Then the re-assembly. Few issues and the issues we ran into really were small.

I still don't have my CRG billet bar-end mirrors. As soon as those things finally come (I only ordered them 3 weeks ago!), I will let you guys check 'em out! Riding season is here, so if you are a rider, take it easy till the roads are clean, the motorists are aware, and your own rust is knocked away. Ride Safe!