Fun, cheap, worthy of the name
Best bit of Honda’s new Hornet? The engine. It might not be an inline four or derived from a sportsbike like the original, but this doesn’t matter. There’s nice power all through the rev range – it’s happy pootling using low-rev drive, will pull out of almost any corner in third and so is easy to ride, but if you want to rev it then it really likes to be revved. The throttle can be a bit jerky, but with a claimed 91bhp it’s the most powerful in class, and it’s fun. And exciting – turn the electronics off, give the clutch a flick in third gear and it wheelies.
The 270˚ crank means it feels like a V-twin. Sounds like one as well – at certain parts in its range it’s so meaty you wonder how it passed noise regs.
We love light bikes, and the Hornet is light. It’s also low, thin, small, and doesn’t feel like how you thought a ‘big’ 750 would when you were growing up. But the weird thing is how fast it steers. Geometry is sharper than the CB650R, it has a 160-width rear tyre, and with its low weight it steers really quickly. I think it’s a bit too sensitive; it feels like the front tyre is tucked underneath you, like the bike is up on its tip toes. I think they’ve gone a little too far with the geometry and it can feel like it’s on a knife edge, especially when there’s not a lot of grip. You really need time to acclimatise to how it darts into roundabouts.
Footpegs are slightly rear-set and never touch down, ’bars are in a nice position, and it’s comfortable. That said, while leg room isn’t an issue if you’re tall, the bike’s compactness means you can’t sit far enough back without your bum hitting the rear seat. It can be a little squashed.
The colour dash is neat, has four different layouts, and you can Bluetooth it to your phone and use voice activation. Power maps and modes give the twin even more flexibility and help in poor conditions, and there’s traction control – it works well, but the CB750 has so much mechanical grip and such nice power that you never need it.
So, the Hornet is good. However, it doesn’t feel like it handles as well – or as confidently – as Yamaha’s MT-07, or a Triumph Trident. I also think the Trident’s a more rounded package. KTM’S 790 Duke is also back, and there’s the new Suzuki GSX-8S too. This is tough competition. But the advantage the Honda has is that its costs a rather tempting seven grand.
The Bike verdict
Honda have got the resurrected Hornet pretty much right. This is a fun, simple, honest motorcycle that doesn’t take itself too seriously, has a level of equipment that shames its rivals, and that’s cheap. It’s not perfect but at this price it probably doesn’t matter that much. It’s also got the benefit of a stonking engine and of being a Honda, with all that this entails. And, as we hoped it would be, it’s definitely worthy of the Hornet name.
‘Fun, simple, honest bike that doesn’t take itself too seriously’