When Honda introduced the Super Hawk in 1997, this sport motorcycle was considered bold because it had one of the largest carburetors the Japanese manufacturer ever put on a motorcycle: 48 mm. Fast forward to the 2004 model when the Super Hawk is no longer considered exciting, but, instead, a bit boring. Except for color changes, Honda has not made any major revisions to the Super Hawk since its introduction. The Super Hawk, also known as the VTR1000F in the United States and Firestorm in Canada, had a V-twin engine; its makers intended this motorcycle to take on Ducati sport bikes, but wasn't really able to accomplish this because the motorcycle remained static while Ducati was upgrading its sport bikes. The Super Hawk has a sporty look but does not have the aggressive ergonomics that some Italian bikes do. The motorcycle reportedly handles well when ridden as a sport bike, but does not do as well when drivers try to ride it as a super-sport bike.
Honda designed the Super Hawk for ""spirited"" or fast and aggressive street riding, but it was never intended to be a racing bike; Honda left that to the RC 51. The Super Hawk’s speedometer shows it has a top speed of 180 mph, which would make it suitable for racing, but in actual practice, the motorcycle tops out between 140 mph and 150 mph. Official gas mileage estimates are not available, but riders report getting between 32 mpg and 38 mpg. The Super Hawk has a 4.2-gallon gas tank, with riders reporting the fuel warning light going on when it has been driven 100 miles since the last fill-up. Reviewers note it would make a good sport touring bike if it had a bigger gas tank. While earlier models have been offered in red and silver, the 2004 Super Hawk is available only in black with gold wheels.