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Buzzin’ about the Honda Hornet

2024 Honda Hornet SP

In 2023 Honda revived a name that anyone who was around in the 1990s and 2000s will be more than familiar with – Hornet. However, if you are relatively new to two wheels, you would be forgiven for not being aware just what an important brand name this was to Honda, and how much success the Hornet model brought to the firm.

The name was first used on the CB250F in 1996. A Japanese domestic market only bike, the Hornet 250 (as most called it) arrived in small numbers in the UK due to the booming parallel import market, although it was never an official Honda UK product, and we had to wait two more years for our first Hornet to land on these shores. And, when it did, it was an instant success...

In 1998 Honda revealed the CB600F Hornet, or Hornet 600 as it quickly became known. Priced at a competitive £4999, Honda managed to keep the Hornet’s cost low by repurposing existing components where it mattered and using cheaper solutions in other areas.

The motor was taken from the 1997 CBR600F, but had 2mm smaller carbs (at 34mm) than the CBR as well as no power boosting ram air system. Its borrowed its 16” front wheel from a FireBlade, while the basic box section steel spine frame, two-piston Nissin calipers, conventional forks and a simple swingarm and shock arrangement all ensured the price remained low.

And it needed to be so because all of its rivals were £5000 and the buying public weren’t prepared to pay a premium, a factor that forced Ducati to price its Monster 600 at the same number. But the Hornet offered more than just a competitive price, it delivered class-leading performance with it.

 

1998 Honda Hornet

 

Against the dated Suzuki Bandit 600, relaxed Monster 600 and do-it-all Fazer 600, the Hornet quickly emerged as the sportiest middleweight option. A reputation that was only enforced in later years through the Hornet Cup and other one-make race series around the world. A major factor in creating this impression was the Hornet’s motor, which had far more spirit and performance than its rivals – if not necessarily as much mid-range. It also had quite a few vibrations, which quickly became known as the ‘Hornet buzz’...

With the sportsbike market exploding into action (the Yamaha YZF-R1 also landed in 1998, as well as the Suzuki TL1000R), the Hornet’s sporty side saw it the most popular middleweight option and it became one of Europe’s best-selling models.

Light-handling, quick to accelerate and heaps of fun to ride, the Hornet delivered far more in terms of fun and handling ability than its bargain price tag suggested and, much like the Triumph Street Triple and Yamaha MT-07 later did, it appealed to a huge range of riders. Young or old, male or female, experienced or new to two-wheels, the Hornet suited anyone. As long as they didn’t mind its somewhat limited tank range...

Encouraged by its success, Honda decided to expand the Hornet model range and in 2000 the Hornet S joined the line-up. Offering more practicality thanks to a small half-fairing (and taking on the Fazer 600 directly), the S model lacked the naked bike’s raw fun factor and, as a result, never replicated the same sales volumes. It was eventually discontinued after just four years. Undeterred, Honda thought even bigger and in 2002 the Hornet 900 emerged.

 

Honda Hornet S

 

Using the same formula as the Hornet 600, the Hornet 900 blended existing parts with cheaper solutions where possible. Powered by a modified version of the 919cc FireBlade engine, with fuel-injection instead of carbs due to emissions regulations, the bigger Hornet used conventional forks and a similar design of box section steel spine frame as the Hornet 600. And it looked identical to the Hornet 600 too, aside from twin underseat exhausts.

But, just like the Hornet S, the Hornet 900 failed to capture anything like the Hornet 600’s sales success due to the simple fact that big-capacity naked bike buyers weren’t swayed simply by a cheap price tag (the Hornet 900 cost just £6345 where the Yamaha Fazer 1000 and Triumph Speed Triple were both £8000), they also wanted a touch of class. Against the wild-looking 2003 Kawasaki Z1000, spirited Aprilia Tuono, beefy Speed Triple and the more versatile Fazer 1000, the Hornet was lost.

Where the Hornet 600 stood out due to its light weight and agile handling, the Hornet 900 was simply the cheap big-capacity naked option. In 2007, after just five years of production, Honda pulled the plug on the Hornet 900. But what of the 600?

With its rivals upping their game through the Kawasaki Z750, Suzuki GSR600 and Yamaha FZ6, Honda knew they needed to respond and after a small mid-term tweak in 2005 when the Hornet gained inverted forks and a 17” front wheel, 2007 saw a new generation of Hornet arrive.

All-new and now powered by a retuned CBR600RR motor, the 2007 Hornet 600 brought with it the option of C-ABS and a contemporary look. And while Honda retained the backbone-style frame, a change of material from steel to aluminium gave it extra rigidity for improved handling. All should have been good for the Hornet and it was easily the pick of the Japanese middleweights, especially in terms of its handling.  The issue was a new arrival from Britain, in the form of Triumph’s Street Triple...

 

2004 Honda Hornet Action

 

Costing less than the Hornet and destroying it in terms of handling and mid-range thanks to its Daytona-derived chassis and triple engine, the Street Triple led the middleweight class and while many still picked the Hornet over the Triumph, the future was not in inline four 599cc middleweights.

Honda soldiered on with the Hornet until 2014 (it remained virtually unchanged during this period) but against the big-capacity Kawasaki Zed models and the Street Triple, the Hornet struggled to woo buyers. A further redesign dropped the Hornet name and Honda’s middleweight naked bike was rebranded the CB650F. It targeted a far less sporty middleweight buyer and was pitched more towards the practical do-it-all city bike side of the segment. So why did Honda choose to revive the Hornet name in 2023?

 

2023 Honda Hornet 750

 

While the Hornet 750 (or CB750 Hornet as it is properly named) is a parallel-twin rather than an inline four as all previous Hornets (including the 250) were, it returned the Hornet brand to its origins. Cheap, lightweight and with a definite focus on sporty riding, the new Hornet remains true to the two factors that were key to the original bike’s success – being fun to ride and carrying an affordable price tag. This recipe worked with the Hornet proving a strong seller in a fiercely competitive segment. And now Honda have further expanded their modern Hornet range...

Last year the Hornet 500 was introduced, although in fairness that proved to be little more than a mild update and rebranding of the venerable CB500F. This year sees a far more significant development with the inline four CB1000 Hornet and CB1000 Hornet SP land.

Will the big capacity Hornet succeed where the old Hornet 900 model failed? It looks like Honda have learnt their lesson as the SP not only packs top-rate kit, it also has an incredibly low price tag of £9999. Where this leaves the base model Hornet 1000 is more up for debate as at £8999 you can’t really see why anyone would pick it over the SP.

We think they’re going to be among the most significant motorcycles of 2025. Time will tell...

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