Yes, yes, and yes.

Probably if there had been another Seca available when I had to return my first ride to its owner, I would have gotten it and been pretty happy, But. . . . . I'm just not that big a fan of the sporty looking bikes. I grew up around Triumphs and Indians of the 60s, and to me a Bonneville is what a bike should look like. No logical reason, just my own taste. While the Nighthawk looks nothing like a Bonny, it does have a more retro look than the Seca. I mostly grew up on horses, so the "pony" look of the Nighthawk (the 82 has Western-saddle-shaped panels) really appeals. Also, the seating position of the Nighthawk is much more like how you sit a horse than on any other bike I've tried.

Basically, the Nighthawk is the closest I could come to a cross between a cruiser and an enduro from which I can still reach all controls and the ground.

Oh, yes, the performance and handling of the Seca are far superior - much newer technology - while I'm moving over about 20 mph. At slow speeds, I find the Nighthawk easier to handle, even though the CoG is higher. I spend a lot of time on squirrley back roads, gravel, mud, etc and do a lot of slow-speed riding. I think the Nighthawk is smoother in the lower gears, with a more even powerband across the gearing. While the Nighthawk comfortably climbs over rocks and small branches and powers through streams with a full load of camping gear, the Seca seemed much happier out on the open road, and happiest on smooth asphalt with a lot of twisties. I can top 80 with the Nighthawk, and he cruises quite comfortably at 70. Considering our fastest roads here have a speed limit of 55, I don't really need a lot of top end. If I am in a situation where I need it, the Nighthawk can kick down and give me a surprising amout of power as long as I don't hold him there too long. When I bought him, the tach was already dead, so I don't know what kind of rpms I'm running, but I can hear and feel the difference between his happy hum, his no-nonsense growl, and his pained scream. 

As my only wheels, my bike has to make grocery runs, carry my guitar and other performance gear (I do get one of the other band members to help when I have to carry amps, speakers, etc), carry my camping gear, make the run to the garbage dump, etc. The Nighthawk set-up accomodates heavy loads better than the Seca, though it would be nice to have those extra ccs to haul the weight around!

A problem with the Seca II is that here it is really difficult to come by parts. The friend from whom I borrowed it keeps a spare Seca for that reason. I can not afford to do that. Honda has great support of all their bikes, even discontinued models. So, a large part of my decision was based on manufacturer and shop support. I knew I wanted a Honda.

A plug for Kaiser Honda, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii - These guys are tops - sold me a really competant bike at a great price, set it up for me, told me everything that was wrong and right with it, and have been highly supportive of me ever since. When I took a nail in the rear tire they slid me right in and had me back on the road in an hour. A plug for CycleSports (the Suzi dealership) in Hilo - even though I bought the bike on the other side of the island, they have been fantastically supportive, done all tune-ups since purchase, given advice and assistance, and been generally wonderful.

When it came time to lay down the cash for my bike, I had narrowed the field to two which were available on my island - the dinged up but highly competant 82 Nighthawk for $995, and a lovely showroom condition 90s Hawk for $3,000. I've been supurbely happy with my Nighthawk ever since.

Sorry this reply is so long, but I thought you might want to see my thought process.

A hui hou,
Hula Rider