" Street Hawk felt grounded, to paraphrase Tony Stark - it had a kind of Springsteen-y working class hero vibe that I dig. "

As you may have witnessed recently on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Street Hawk began to trend in the UK after a popular nostalgia account asked their followers which show from the 1980s would they mostly likely choose to delete. With The A- Team, Airwolf and Knight Rider proving the more overridingly popular choices to be given a stay of execution - many commenters appeared completely unaware of Street Hawk's very existence. Yet to those of us who were enamoured by its brief but memorable on screen appearance, Street Hawk remains the greatest, and darn right coolest, super-vehicle show of the '80s.

With its ethereal theme tune composed by Tangerine Dream, black jumpsuit cladded hero, and sleek weaponised motorcycle - Street Hawk left an indelible mark on my 11-year-old self in 1985.

As the show’s opening narration explains, Street Hawk chronicles the story of Jesse Mach ( Rex Smith ) - 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. Aided by federal agent Norman Tuttle ( Joe Regalbuto) , Jesse leads a double life as the masked motorcycle vigilante whilst attempting to conceal this identity from his colleagues in the police force. 

While Michael Knight appeared to rescue the weekly damsel in distress, and Airwolf had its exotic international espionage - Street Hawk felt grounded, to quote Tony Stark, it had a kind of Springsteen-y working class hero vibe that I dig - and seemed more likely to be found facing down a mugger in the local park, or scooping up a minor from a near fatal road accident.

As a child, riding the mean streets of my hometown on a BMX bike with the theme tune reverberating through my walkman, I found it easier to identify with Mach - portrayed by the amiable Rex Smith - than the lead characters in other shows. Jesse was the cooler older brother or friend you either wanted to be like, or hang out with.

With strong overseas TV sales and a copious amount of merchandise - both officially licensed and bootlegged - Street Hawk proved extremely popular with children in the UK and other european countries, but also in Brazil and India - where the show is remembered as Moto Laser.

Crushingly, for those young viewers who were invested in the programme - a second series would not be forthcoming, and the series sadly disappeared into the television wilderness after a mere 13 episodes. In the pre-internet age, your only hope for news of a second series of Street Hawk would be through a children's TV listings magazine, but sadly no matter how hard you wished, no news was forthcoming.

Due to its short life span, the show never truly engrained itself into the television landscape of the 1980s, and because of this we're unlikely to see it immortalised in the worlds of Lego, Playmobil or pop vinyl figures. Yet fans of the show, feel it has similar pop culture significant alongside some of its more illustrious contemporaries.

With assistance from some of those children of the 1980s, I've assembled a crack team of contributors to explain why Street Hawk still occupies a place in their geek hearts - and how an unlikely friendship with the show's leading man - gave birth to a resurrection of sorts for their beloved TV show. They include:

Jon Rowlands from Rhyl, Wales, & David Green, Derby, England in the UK.

Timothy Seth Canterbury, Georgia, & Josh Barber from Warsaw, Indiana, US.

Norman Llorente Oliete from Barcelona, Spain.

Jon has constructed an authentic UK replica of the Street Hawk motorcycle & command centre set for conventions around the UK, and together with David he founded the Street Hawk Command Centre Group on Facebook.

Seth provided Jon with the body kit parts he designed for his original replica of the bike in the US, and these are now used as templates for other replicas popping up across the globe.

Josh created and maintained the website  Street Hawk Online for over 20 years.

While Norman is Spain's very own Street Hawk historian and super-fan, who made a pilgrimage from his country to Comic Con Scotland to witness the unveiling of Jon's replica bike. 

" …the Street Hawk pilot was like a Hollywood movie! I really was amazed and fell in love with that! "

The Pilot Episode.

If you only watch one episode of Street Hawk, make sure it's the pilot episode. I go into the merits of this episode in greater detail here in a 2022 article for Den of Geek, but it is arguably Street Hawk's greatest achievement, and one of the most exciting TV pilots the '80s ever produced. With action scenes pulsating to the Tangerine Dream soundtrack - one particular highlight is a high-speed chase through the tunnels of Los Angeles, where the producers freely admit to taking inspiration from Return of the Jedi's speeder bike chase - it is just as exciting!

Norman Llorente Oliete, " My first contact with Street Hawk was, as a lot of people, renting the pilot video tape. It was in summer 1985 and the Spanish title of the tape was STREET HAWK: LOS JUSTICIEROS DE LA CALLE. As usually happened in the 80s, the VHS cover looked amazing and people just rented the movie because of the cover. In Spain, we were tired of renting Italian video exploitations with a great video tape cover, only to find a boring and cheap movie upon watching. But the Street Hawk pilot was like a Hollywood movie! I really was amazed and fell in love with that! I was 9 - 10 years old and started to draw some scenes and my own adventures of Jesse and the bike. 

Jon Rowlands, " I first saw the pilot feature film on VHS, my Dad hired it from our local video store in 1985. My Dad was a Police Detective and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, so naturally I loved all things police and 80's US action TV. The reveal of the bike, all the dry ice, turntable and  the look on Jesse's face - that mimicked my own!   But it was also the two man team aspect, best mates looking out for each other even in tough times. I loved the fact that this was a clandestine operation hidden behind a façade of a run down warehouse.  It was a real possibility that Street Hawk could be in every police garage in the country. "

Seth Canterbury, " I missed the pilot episode on its airing. I finally saw the pilot on VHS from my local video store. I loved it, and particularly loved that version of the bike. It was sleeker, more polished. "

" I love that episode, because it talks about friendship. "

The Series 

" I fell in love with the movie/pilot, so when in the of summer 86 I noticed the series of Street Hawk on Spanish TV, I really couldn't believe there were more stories and adventures about it, so I decided to record all them in VHS  - and blank video cassettes were not cheap for an 11 old years boy! " Norman Llorente Oliete.

Unfortunately fate conspired against Street Hawk, the show lost its opening slot in the fall season of ‘84 - and when the programme finally made its debut in January ‘85, there were noticeable and jarring differences between the pilot and the first regular series episode -  A Second Self. The producers found their confidence rocked by the delay, and after network intervention demanded a cast change, later admitted to taking a more cautious approach to the series due to these setbacks.  While the series is a more tepid version of the one we were sold in the pilot - it does have many redeeming moments, not least in that first regular episode. Famously featuring a young George Clooney in his first big TV break - as Jesse's ultra-competitive old friend, Kevin Stark - A Second Self, despite the changes, is a strong opener with a genuine message. 

Whilst catching up, Jesse and Kevin attempt to outdo each other at almost every turn, including the motorcycle race track - resulting in, much to Norman Tuttle’s dismay, Kevin deliberately endangering Jesse. All the while, unbeknownst to them, they are duelling on the streets as Street Hawk pursues a phantom driver - who inevitably  turns out to be Kevin. Naturally, the episode does not end well for one of the pair, but the relationship between Jesse and Norman sows the first seeds of a true friendship. 

Norman Llorente Oliete, " I love that episode, because it talks about friendship and has an amazing speech where Norman says to Jesse, "A read friend is a second self. Would you have done to him what he did to you? That sentence made me think a lot about friendship. " 

Seth Canterbury, " My first, and most vivid memory, of the show was watching " Vegas Run," and seeing the scene where the bike vertical lifts up into the air to do a 360 degree sweep of the area. I was hooked, and watched every episode I could after that! " 

As a series, Street Hawk found itself in an unenviable position pitted against one of US TV’s biggest hitters, in the form of the all conquering soap opera, Dallas. Although Street Hawk never finishing lower than second in its time-slot - this was not deemed sufficient enough by network executives to warrant a second season. 

The Music

One aspect of the show which even the most disgruntled television viewer couldn't argue with, was its distinctive soundtrack which rivalled the very best television themes of the 1980s. Perhaps one of the very few moments of luck fate afforded the show, came when a strike by television musicians resulted in the producers flying out to Germany to enlist the services of one of electronic music’s legendary bands - Tangerine Dream. Their track “Le Parc” from the 1985 album of the same name, graces the main opening and closing titles, and many an action sequence.

Josh Barber, “ The Street Hawk soundtrack is still one of my favorites to this day. Hearing a song similar to the theme song is what triggered me to rediscover the show. I don’t remember what song it was, but all of the sudden I had flashbacks of this show I loved as a kid with a motorcycle. After some digging I discovered it was Street Hawk, and thus began my quest to find out more about the show and the birth of my Street Hawk website. “

Norman , “I have the theme as a ringtone in my cell phone. Tangerine Dream created an amazing score with a real futuristic sound. People were not ready for it in the 80s! Nowadays a lot of people recognise my ringtone and when they hear it say, "Wow!! That's the fantastic bike series music, right?"

Merchandise and Memorabilia 

Seeking an iconic musical score was just one of the many grand plans the producers had in place for Street Hawk, with lucrative merchandise tie-ins eyed for the show too. Off the top of my head I can recall, in the UK alone: read-along adventures, a computer game, novels, a comic strip, a replica helmet complete with electronic sounds and an action figure and toy bike. And the ultimate accolade - UK market stall bootleg jumpers!

Norman," When I was a child I tried to collect all the Spanish stuff I could. In Spain there was a tv info magazine - Tele Indiscreta - and they included some posters, info, stickers and reports about the series. I keep all of them with me now as some of the pages include my grandma's name - she wrote for the magazine. So lovely! "

David Green,“The thing to remember about Street Hawk was that although it only ran for 13 episodes it spawned a massive amount of merchandise, with a lot of it sold over here, in the UK. I discovered (using the wonderful world of eBay) that you could buy all sorts of related items from all over the world. I think my next purchase was the annual from a seller in Leicester, followed by the Kenner bike arriving from Australia. Over the years I’ve added a couple of the original scripts and one of the scene boards (like a clapperboard but without the clapper!) used in the show. " 

Jon Rowlands, " I've collected all the books and stationery, Jesse's Mustang model kit, mint in the box ( it's even got its original shrink wrap!). The Kenner friction bike which was distributed by Palitoy in the UK. I also have a Brazilian sticker album, jigsaws, school bag, badges, puffy stickers, original press photographs, magazines, posters and even some Street Hawk fabric.  

My absolute favourite pieces of memorabilia are the series hero bike original tyres and the windscreen. These were salvaged and gifted to me by Chris Bromham who restored the series hero bike now on display in Miami. " 

The holy grail of merchandise for many Street Hawk fans, is the prototype for the command centre playset. After the series cancellation, the set never went into mass production and only a few were made for promotional purposes. Given the sums of money Street Hawk memorabilia can fetch online, if you happen to have one stored away in a garage or basement - it could prove rather lucrative!

While time and television history may have looked upon the show unkindly, thanks to the combined efforts of fans from around the globe and with support from the show’s leading man, Rex Smith - Jon Rowlands and David Green in the UK, have managed to fund a resurrection of sorts  - with a replica Street Hawk bike and command centre now touring the UK convention scene. 

Street Hawk Rises

I first spoke to Jon back in 2017, as he took his first steps constructing a replica bike," It's an expensive hobby, but it will be SO worth it in the end. The mechanics are done, I'm just waiting on the body panels from the USA and it's all systems go! “ 

The body panels were flown all the way over from the US to Jon in Wales, provided by Seth Canterbury, who worked tirelessly to re-create them based on the original, " I must have spent about 10 years in my spare time determining the exact measurements of the pilot movie version of the motorcycle, followed by sculpting the individual masters, molding them, and finally creating parts using epoxy resin and fiberglass." Seth explains the dedication this takes , " To recreate the parts, you just need to have basic math skills (to cross-multiple and determine parts dimensions from pics), decent sculpting abilities, a love of the 80s, and to be a geek who appreciates the ability to be able to see and touch the things from our early memories. "

Fast forward several years later after the initial unveiling of the bike in the UK, and Jon had taken a giant leap further, " I started planning to build a replica of the Street Hawk Command Centre in 2019. It began as a smaller build. I was only ever going to construct the consoles, but then the UK went into lockdown and the Stars & Cars convention was cancelled. I walked into my workshop and powered everything up, yes it looked great, but a little on the small size. I thought to myself, well go big or go home....it was time to complete this project and build the remaining 3 consoles and the L.A. map display. "  With the extra time afforded to him due to lockdown, Jon worked extensively before the full scale set was finally revealed to the public at the rescheduled convention, " When we arrived at the venue, thankfully there were a lot of helping hands to unload and wheel everything in. The organisers had given us a large corner of the floor space with plenty of mains power points. Having never fitted everything together before I was excited but also nervous and hoped everything would fit together properly.   

After 4 hours of hard work and many a cursed word, the command centre was set up and ready with the bike by its side. It looked fantastic and I couldn't have been happier. The doors opened at 10am and the 4000 strong crowd rolled in. There was a lot of interest and many photographs taken of the set. I was very pleased that the fans gave it the thumbs up. "

Jon, Seth, David, Norman and Josh have all connected due to their fondness for this under-appreciated show, which has in turn enhanced all their lives. 

Jon Rowlands, " It's been an amazing journey, meeting new people and making lifelong friends. It has changed my life for the better. Building a replica bike and the Command Centre were mammoth challenges, but these projects have allowed me to realise all my childhood dreams and are a far cry from my black BMX and bedroom desk!  I've become good friends with Rex Smith and we communicate regularly. We've supported him at Edinburgh and Manchester comic cons and always have a pint or two after. David (Green) and I first met at London Comic Con where Rex was a guest, we'd chatted online for a bit but never met. We clicked and have never looked back. The Street Hawk: Command Centre Facebook group was born shortly after London, and as a team we've appeared at many other comic cons all over the UK. The latest being Stars & Cars where over £30,000 was raised for Derian House children's hospice. Long may it continue. "

Seth Canterbury, " A couple years back, Andrew Probert, the designer of the pilot bike (and the Enterprises from the original Star Trek movies and TNG), found me on Instagram and began following me. He really likes my work. I've also been able to meet Gene Winfield, whose shop built the original bike. I showed him pics of my parts and he also was supportive. I got to hang out with Rex Smith in Scotland when Jon's bike was unveiled, which was great. And I met Christopher Lloyd at an Orlando, FL convention and got him to sign an original pilot movie script I have. All were great experiences. 

Also, I was able to buy original molds of the actual series bike from the show years ago, and I'm working to restore them. "

Josh Barber, " Creating the website, Street Hawk online, definitely introduced me to some great people that I would have never gotten to know.  I am still tempted to build a replica bike. I don’t think it will ever be something I get around to, but if I find the time and space to do so, I might take up the challenge! " 

Norman Llorente Oliete, " I travelled from Spain with my wife to Edinburgh in 2018, when the replica bike was first on display, and met Rex Smith. I got his signature on a poster and had a photocall with the man. It was a great (and a fast trip) where I met Jon Rowlands and David Green too. Two really great guys and friends of mine now. "

Thanks to chance meetings and the wonders of the World Wide Web, fans have joined together to reminisce, celebrate and then reinvigorate a brief but memorable television show. With replica bikes now materialising across the globe, this unlikely coming together of fans from England and Wales, to Spain and the USA, is a much finer epitaph for Street Hawk than any TV historian could muster. 

As for bringing Street Hawk back to the screen, surely a dramatisation of this heartwarming tale would be the perfect story to do it. 

Ride on, indeed. 

You can see Jon's amazing bike and command centre set when it graces the Bolton Arena in April 2024 for the Stars & Cars Convention. 

Follow Seth Canterbury and Operation Street Hawk here.

Join the Street Hawk Command Centre Facebook group here.

Visit Josh Barber's Street Hawk Online