If you are over forty and you like motorcycles, Honda’s Hornet nomenclature will surely bring back a good memory. Those who were lucky enough to have one of its versions enjoyed a motorcycle really designed to enjoy, but to do it on a day-to-day basis and even to afford the luxury of a getaway. Versatile and sporty, but far from the tremendous performance of the sports at the turn of the millennium, the CB600F was undoubtedly one of the great successes of the Japanese brand in this first quarter of a century.
Assimilated the return of the Africa Twin and with the Transalp ready to jump into the ring, the winged brand recovers this concept to give, who knows, a second chance to those who did not enjoy it in its day and to repeat the nostalgic.
When Honda launched the CB600F in the late ’90s in the nascent new segment of naked sports that was being born, Hornet was the name chosen, but only in Europe and Brazil. In the US (where it was an unoriginal 599) AMC and its successor Chrysler had the registration of the name AMC Hornet.
That 599cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder bike was originally just a watered-down version of the CBR600 with improved mid-range response, but it became turn-of-the-century. Evolving, curiously, towards more power and sportiness until the 2007 version, it remained on stage until 2013, the year in which Honda decided to discontinue its production. Until today.
Honda is attacking the market at a sweet moment for the naked sport segment, which has two of the best-selling conventional motorcycles (with gears) in Spain in several European countries: the Yamaha MT-07; and the Kawasaki Z 900 that takes advantage of the possibility of its limitation for the A2 license.
It is enough to take some basic variables to be able to sketch and see where this new Hornet is and why Honda has done what it has done. With its 755 cc displacement of its twin-cylinder engine in parallel, it delivers almost 92 CV in the 9,500 laps with a torque delivery of 75 Nm in the 7,250, which ensures its excellent midrange response. With a chassis of only 16.6 kg (almost two less than a CBR 65 R and 3.8 kg than a CB 500 F), its weight in running order is a tight 190 kilos, its seat is 795 mm off the ground and the wheelbase is 1,420 mm.
The three quarters of a liter, a magical displacement for many motorcyclists, the perfect balance between the most rational mounts (in general) in the 500 cc environment and the tremendous power and torque deliveries of the big motorcycles from 900 DC.
Looking at the top of the segment, the Yamaha MT-07 -689 cc and 7,499 euros – delivers 73.4 CV at 8,750 rpm and 48 Nm at 7,750 rpm, weighs 184 kg, the seat is 805 mm and the wheelbase is of 1,400 mm. The Kawasaki Z650 for its part (the Z 900 is out of the average displacement) offers 68 CV with 64 Nm of maximum torque, 187 kg, seat at 790 mm and 1,410 mm between axles for 7,850 euros. In the case of the new Triumph 660 Trident there are 81 CV with 64 Nm of maximum torque, 189 kg and 1,401 mm between axles, and the price is somewhat higher: 8,595 euros. At the top end, the KTM 790 Duke does catch up with its 95 CV and 87 Nm of maximum torque, a weight of 187 kg, with a seat at 825 mm and 1,476 mm between axles… But the price is already is another: 9,329 euros. Thus, the picture is filled with color for Honda that if there is something to know how to do, it is product.
The Hornet is a born provocateur. Around town, even in Rain riding mode – you’ve got another Sport, a Standard, and one customizable for power, retention, and the HSTC (four-level selectable torque control with built-in wheelie control) lives up to its name and tackles it hands down , inviting in each bankruptcy. But on the road, on the road she really tunes in with the sporty pulse of her exhaust inviting the fist to dance… Even in Standard mode.
Its chassis, aided by both Showa’s 130mm of travel fork (41mm SFF-BP with separate functions on each leg) and 150mm of shock with 7 levels of preload, offers incredible feedback at all times, making the piloting very enjoyable. The relaxed position but with sporty nuances (the handlebar is really comfortable) invites you to enjoy the curves at full capacity thanks, of course, to the firmness of the front suspension that allows you to greatly adjust the cornering and the balanced work of the radial calipers and Nissin four-pistons on dual 296mm discs at the front (at the rear is a 256mm disc and single-piston caliper).
The curves are taken at the whim of the pilot. If you want to let her go, she takes control and the turn becomes smooth, effortless… but if you’re looking for the adrenaline rush of really getting her into the turn, she not only won’t avoid it but will go into it with gusto thanks to the excellent balance between its wheelbase, the aforementioned front fork and a good distribution of weights, in addition to a position in which it is enough to sit a little further back to gain attitude.
The five-inch TFT – with 4 display modes – has the contrast against the impact of the Sun on it well adjusted, something that is appreciated. The emergency lighting system in case of sudden braking and the possibility of using voice commands through the Honda Road Sync application round off a very Honda model: fun without fuss at a competitive price.