REVIEW:

In fact it's hardly fair to complain at all, The Hornet simply does what it was intended to do, and delivers its promises extremely well.Honda has done it: put a 'Blade power plant in a Hornet chassis to make the Hornet 900 what riders have been expecting for so long. Naturally it wasn't quite as simple as that, which is Honda's main excuse for why it didn't happen earlier. But essentially this bike is a Hornet with a more powerful sting - and with the performance, agility and potential for outrageous high-speed hooliganism that such a concept suggests. The Hornet simply does what it was intended to do, providing stylish looks, a flexible and reasonably powerful engine, good handling and braking, excellent manoeuvrability, and a fair bit of practicality. Its 19-litre fuel tank should give a sensible range; there's a broad seat and solid grab-rail to keep the pillion happy. Finish and reliability will doubtless be admirable, and the Honda's price of £6299 on the road is very competitive (even though there have been some big discounts available on the Fazer 1000 of late).

MODEL HISTORY

The recent upsurge in the retro naked bikes market has certainly contributed to the success of the Honda Hornet 600. But it has to be said, success in the main part is largely due to the quality of the bike at the budget price and the cult following. From the word go Hornet owners were modifying their bikes with all manner of kit and it wasn’t long before someone worked out that, with a little modification, the Honda 900 Fire blade engine would slip in. Surely Honda could build one for general release? After all, Suzuki had their 1200 version of the Bandit. Soon rumours that the Honda Blackbird was going to appear in a naked form circulated and that it would be called the Hornet 1100. This was then quickly forgotten when Honda released the bike soon after as the X11. It wasn’t the cult bike they’d hoped it to be and Hornet owners were still searching for that extra oomph at a budget price, something the X11 certainly hadn’t managed to pull off. For the most of early 2001 we were graced with artist’s impressions and computer photo fits. Eventually n the summer we were treated to some carefully leaked/released spy shots. The cat was out of the bag. The Hornet 900 debuted at the NEC bike show and was on sale in the shops by the end of 2001. The good news for our friends across the water in the US of A was that they would finally get their paws on a Hornet having been deprived of the 600. The Hornet 900 was also released in the States in 2001, but under the name Honda 919. A name us Hornet owners over here give to the experience of riding the 600. With the bike on both sides of the Atlantic the Hornet scene can only get bigger. You’ve only got to look at the aftermarket spares available to realise that the bike is here to stay. See full review by http://www.hondahornet.co.uk