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Description
Street Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985. This series was originally planned for the fall of 1984, Mondays at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central. However, ABC executives changed their minds when the summer series Call to Glory did well, and Street Hawk was pushed to mid-season. Street Hawk made its debut on January 4, 1985 on ABC at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central and ran until May 16, 1985.

Plot

The show was about a police officer and former amateur dirt-bike racer named Jesse Mach (Rex Smith) who was secretly chosen to test a top-secret project—an all-terrain attack motorcycle capable of speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour. Backing the motorcycle was a computerized command system that allowed its operator to provide the motorcycle's rider with real-time information from various sources and to autopilot the motorcycle during its high-speed runs after clearing traffic along the intended route. Norman Tuttle, an engineer employed with the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration of the Department of Justice, was the designer of the motorcycle and reluctantly picked Jesse to test it. Mach began to lead a double life, a police public relations officer by day, and crime-fighter by night.

The musical theme was composed by Tangerine Dream and produced by Christopher Franke, and a modified version (which was featured in the pilot episode during the sequence where Jesse takes the bike out for the first time) appeared on their album Le Parc, titled "Le Parc (L.A. - Streethawk)."

The opening-titles narration, voiced by Ernie Anderson, runs:

This is Jesse Mach, an ex-motorcycle cop, injured in the line of duty. Now a police troubleshooter, he's been recruited for a top secret government mission to ride Street Hawk--an all-terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime, capable of incredible speeds up to three hundred miles an hour...and immense firepower. Only one man, federal agent Norman Tuttle, knows Jesse Mach's true identity. The Man...The Machine...Street Hawk.

Episode 2, titled "A Second Self," featured an appearance by a young George Clooney playing the character of Kevin Stark in one of the actor's first TV roles.
The motorcycle

The motorcycle in the pilot episode was based on a 1983 Honda XL500 trailbike. The motorcycles used in the series were based on 1984 Honda XR500s. The motorcycles used for the stunt shots were based on Honda CR250s. Overall, fifteen motorcycles were used in the show.[citation needed] The whereabouts of fourteen of these are unknown, but the fifteenth now resides in the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, England, street hawk bike restored by stuntman, Chris Bromham. The pilot motorcycle was designed by Andrew Probert and the series motorcycles were redesigned by Ron Cobb.

There is also evidence[citation needed] that a second motorcycle survived, but the whereabouts of this motorcycle are now unknown. It is known, however, that a motorcycle was displayed at "Star Cars" in America in the 1980s or 1990s. It is believed that that particular motorcycle is now missing.

Description
Street Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985. This series was originally planned for the fall of 1984, Mondays at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central. However, ABC executives changed their minds when the summer series Call to Glory did well, and Street Hawk was pushed to mid-season. Street Hawk made its debut on January 4, 1985 on ABC at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central and ran until May 16, 1985.

Plot

The show was about a police officer and former amateur dirt-bike racer named Jesse Mach (Rex Smith) who was secretly chosen to test a top-secret project—an all-terrain attack motorcycle capable of speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour. Backing the motorcycle was a computerized command system that allowed its operator to provide the motorcycle's rider with real-time information from various sources and to autopilot the motorcycle during its high-speed runs after clearing traffic along the intended route. Norman Tuttle, an engineer employed with the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration of the Department of Justice, was the designer of the motorcycle and reluctantly picked Jesse to test it. Mach began to lead a double life, a police public relations officer by day, and crime-fighter by night.

The musical theme was composed by Tangerine Dream and produced by Christopher Franke, and a modified version (which was featured in the pilot episode during the sequence where Jesse takes the bike out for the first time) appeared on their album Le Parc, titled "Le Parc (L.A. - Streethawk)."

The opening-titles narration, voiced by Ernie Anderson, runs:

This is Jesse Mach, an ex-motorcycle cop, injured in the line of duty. Now a police troubleshooter, he's been recruited for a top secret government mission to ride Street Hawk--an all-terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime, capable of incredible speeds up to three hundred miles an hour...and immense firepower. Only one man, federal agent Norman Tuttle, knows Jesse Mach's true identity. The Man...The Machine...Street Hawk.

Episode 2, titled "A Second Self," featured an appearance by a young George Clooney playing the character of Kevin Stark in one of the actor's first TV roles.
The motorcycle

The motorcycle in the pilot episode was based on a 1983 Honda XL500 trailbike. The motorcycles used in the series were based on 1984 Honda XR500s. The motorcycles used for the stunt shots were based on Honda CR250s. Overall, fifteen motorcycles were used in the show.[citation needed] The whereabouts of fourteen of these are unknown, but the fifteenth now resides in the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, England, street hawk bike restored by stuntman, Chris Bromham. The pilot motorcycle was designed by Andrew Probert and the series motorcycles were redesigned by Ron Cobb.

There is also evidence[citation needed] that a second motorcycle survived, but the whereabouts of this motorcycle are now unknown. It is known, however, that a motorcycle was displayed at "Star Cars" in America in the 1980s or 1990s. It is believed that that particular motorcycle is now missing.