‘After an afternoon on the Hornet I am seriously considering trading in my MT-07’
HELEN STEED Age 38
Height 5’8” Owns 2021 Yamaha MT-07
What’s good?
“There’s a lot to like. The handling’s great – it’s very easy to change direction, both at speed and in town. That’s helped by The Hornet’s size and slimness; it’s very manageable. The suspension coped better over bumps than my MT-07, too. I really like the look of it as well; both the colour and angular styling. There’s a simplistic class to it; it’s
clean rather than cluttered and I like that. The performance is punchy, and it feels like it has more go than my Yamaha. I’m not bothered about top speeds, but the acceleration is great.” What’s not?
“My knees started to ache after a while, but that could just be me rather than the bike. The switchgear is more complicated than I’m used to as well. Not sure about the relative positioning of the indicator switch, horn and hazard button, especially when wearing winter gloves. That didn’t feel very intuitive to use. Likewise, the switchgear cluster is quite deep, so it’s a stretch for a small hand to accurately reach the mode and high beam switches. Honestly though, I’m nit-picking. I was too busy enjoying myself to notice anything really bad.” Are you convinced?
“I love my MT-07 but after an afternoon on the Hornet I’m seriously thinking about trading the Yamaha in.
I didn’t know what to expect – I haven’t ridden many bikes other than my MT and a CB125F I had before that – but I’ve come away seriously impressed by the Honda. It’s been fun to ride and I’m sad that I’ve got to give it back.”
Yamaha MT-07 £7500
72bhp 49lb·ft 184kg (kerb)
A class favourite that nailed fun, practicality and affordability right from the start. But the MT is now almost a decade old and is beginning to show its age, especially against the sophistication of the Honda and Triumph. But the Honda is £500 cheaper, has 18bhp more and far more rider aids.