Honda have taken their covers off the new Hornet 750 and we’re seeing an option that looks to sit somewhere between the 650 class and the extremely value laden 900s.
The Hornet does also look fairly similar to that old CB300R, before it got the neo-retro make-over too, with a tiny bit more flair…
I can’t say the same of the specifications, they aren’t mind blowing by any means, but there’s a TFT display, Honda Torque Control, riding modes, wheelie control, three levels of engine braking and power modes thanks to the inclusion of RbW. Electronics-wise, that’s putting the cat among the pigeons in the 650 class.
There’s Separate Function Big Piston 41 mm forks, but no adjustability, and the monoshock offers five levels of preload adjustment. The ride will really determine whether that’s anything special, but on the adjustability side of things you can’t go any more basic.
Four-pot calipers are a nice inclusion on the front from Nissin mated to 296 mm rotors, so they lack the bling factor of Brembos but realistically should be plenty capable.
Parallel twins also don’t get the best wrap in the motorcycling world, however it’s worth noting this is a short stroke 270 degree crank p-twin, which puts it in good company when it comes to engine character, for parallel twins at least. I love the MT-07 and all iterations of Yamaha’s CP2 parallel twin for that reason so this sounds pretty good in my mind.
Add the fact you’ll be a couple shy of 70 kw, or around the 90 horsepower mark and you’re nicely clear of the 650 competition.
There’s also a slipper clutch, which is nice to see and 75 newton metres of torque peaking at 7250 rpm. A quoted fuel consumption figure of 23km/L is almost 4L per 100 km and a 15.2 litre tank means well over 300 km of range. Very respectable really.
Total weight at the kerb is 190 kg, which is more 900 cc competitive than 650 class competitive in my mind, but you can’t have everything.
A 795 mm seat height is also inviting for shorter riders, with a clearly relaxed nakedbike seating position.
Wheels are a set of five split spoke cast aluminium items, with a fairly standard 120 by 70 front and a 160 by 60 rear.
Lighting is all LED, as I think we’d expect on anything new to the market, and the bike does run the HISS security system for extra peace of mind. Indicators are self cancelling too, with an emergency braking activation system for extra visibility when things get hairy.
Plus Bluetooth connectivity allows the Honda Smartphone Voice Control system, for nav, calls, messages and music through the dash and switchgear, as well as the actual voice control.
Now UK pricing has been released to be £6,999, or 201 pounds cheaper than the MT-07, which is itself a bit less than the Z650. That price does land right on the UK SV650 pricing.
I do personally think this plays into the return to more value driven, simpler – relatively – machines, so hopefully this proves a winner for Honda.