Hawk Helmets

Yes, the legendary manufacturer of the classic Harley-Davidson motorcycle now long past celebrating it is 100th Anniversary did in truth trade an automobile… well, kind of.

For numerous years in addition to it is Big Twin cruisers and lighter weight Sportsters. Harley-Davidson made three-wheelers in the form of utility and police “trikes,” but they were Barney Rubble lumps equated to the svelte Mirage Fighter looks of the short-lived, but fast-paced Tri-Hawk, circa 1984. Chances are you didn’t ogle one in your local Harley dealer’s showroom for they appeared only briefly, and were chalked up to a syndication miscalculation and rather speedily deselected from the Milwaukee line-up.

The two-passenger Tri-Hawk had already been in fixed production before the Motor Factory decisive to take it on as their own ostensibly to fill some exotic niche which had no name. In the former year, H-D had made a deal with the Austrian Rotax company for engine-gearbox racing units destined for 500 cc short track racing, so perchance it was in this euphoria of internationalism that Milwaukee opted for a three-wheeled machine powered by a French-built Citroen four-banger. And yes, “Citroen” does seem to loosely translate as “lemon.” But this lightweight, knife-edge handling bird-of-prey was no bit of sour citrus.

Decades earlier the fuel-economical, even though quirky German Messerschmidt “car”, a recycled bit of Luftwaffe fighter plane, had carried two passengers around post-WWII Germany. Since then all kinds of other motorcycle engine-powered three-wheeled car/bike hybrids have been born in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, but none ever caught on. In the early ’80s, the Tri-Hawk appeared at a time when experimenters were again looking for substitute designs and better power to weight options. The Tri-Hawk was a product of this enthusiasm, the design conjured up by race car engineer Robert McKee while the deep pockets underwriting the project was millionaire sportsman Lou Richards. The finished product was collected in a little plant located in a beachside town called Dana Point that basks in the SoCal sun betwixt Los Angeles and San Diego. The 1299 cubic inch flat four air-cooled engine rode up front while the frame and suspension echoed McKee’s racecar experience. Again borrowing from French technology, the builders integrated a hydraulic braking scheme fabricated by Renault.

Tipping the scales at 1300 lbs., and powered by 80 horsepower through a 5-speed transaxle transmission, theTri-Hawk has what could be called “exhilarating performance characteristics.” Also it was not timid in the exhaust note department, a snarling Formula One rapture issuing from the pipes.

If you wanted to buy a Tri-Hawk back in the autumn of 1984 at the time of Harley-Davidson’s acquirement of the company, you had to cough up $12,000 which today will buy only regarding two-thirds of a Big Twin. Back then 12K seemed a lot for a vehicle with no top and only three wheels. Yet it had appeal, and substance, both in performance and in the looks department. It coulda, shoulda…but the Factory game plan was missing out in the area of infrastructure to support sales. Milwaukee decisive not to trade them through their dealers, leaving only the factory in Dana Point and three other franchise emplacements to trade the Tri-Hawk… not incisively universal availability nor were there Super Bowl ad spots in the way of promotion. Even then, only with regards to eleven Tri-Hawks were leaving the factory nest on a on a monthly basis basis, again not precisely flying out of the assemblage door into the waiting arms of the motoring public. So like a lot of endangered species, the Tri-Hawk passed away not from intrinsic design flaws, but from neglect.

Bottom line, the Tri-Hawk is an intelligently designed, severely made sports machine that shares much of the adrenaline constructing calibers of the Cobra’s eyeball sucking performance and the Lotus car’s nimble handling, but with motorcycling licensing and insurance perks, plus a bit of jetfighter tossed in. It could carry two in relative comfort, and safety thanks to the integral roll bar and safety belts. And you didn’t need to recognise French to drive one. They weren’t delicate or temperamental, gave good gas mileage, and were easy to park. And in the curvies, they ate big Beemers and Benz’s for breakfast. Today 12 grand seems a bargain, except the last Tri-Hawk this author knows regarding sold for $25,000. You might catch it near Los Angeles flying around the Malibu Canyons piloted by a guy with a huge grin.

Hawk Helmets

The Full Face Modular Flip-Up Helmet by Hawk Helmets has got you covered. A helmet with galore innovative features that meets rigorous DOT regulations. It combines style, ease and extreme protection. With it is one of a kind shell design, innovative venting technology, affect absorbent liner and ease padding this is the perfective helmet for the severe rider. The padding inside is very comfortable and soft with removable and washable ease liner. Advanced DOT certified modular flip up helmet constructed of lightweight Polycarbonate the firmest group of thermoplastic polymers. Polycarbonate material provides a higher degree of shelter and affect absorption.

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Hawk Helmets Photo

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Hawk Helmets Picture

Most helpful client reviews

0 of 0 humans found the following review helpful.
Great Item.-
By Mike
I got this helmet over a year ago. It is very resistible and the fact that is modular makes it very confortable for when you are riding in the city and when you take a trip. it is now showing numerous tear for numerous times that i’ve dropped it on the ground, but still looks amazing!!

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