As naked bikes evolved from the cafe racers of the 1960s and 70s, the Honda Hawk came into existence. Hailed as the first production naked (meaning it lacks the fairings of a modern sportbike) motorcycle, the Hawk has since become a cult collector’s item. Honda design chief Toshiaki Kishi was credited with the beautiful aluminum frame, which has been copied decades after on countless other bikes. With a 4-stroke, 650cc engine, the Hawk wasn’t going to outrun any of the sportbikes of the day, but it looked beautiful getting there. Naked bikes of today have certainly evolved past the NT650 from a technological standpoint, but it’s impossible to argue with the simple design and unique aesthetic of the Honda. A slow seller in its day, there are still a few well kept, unmodified examples out there fetching well over their original price as the demand for the bike has skyrocketed in the last decade.
Correction: this should read 4-stroke, not 4-cylinder.