After all the hype the 2023 Honda Hornet has finally arrived. With 150 extra ccs but two less cylinders it now makes 90bhp and 55 ft-lb of torque with a more characterful vibe from its 270-degree crank. The icing on the cake is that it’s undercutting its nearest rival – the Yamaha MT-07 on price. Just £6999 compared to £7299 for the Yamaha.
But the reaction from the public has been mixed with many people disappointed at the styling, which from the teased concept sketches looked like it was going to be a KTM Superduke-inspired affair with radical edges and even possibly a trellis frame for extra style points.
The reality has been compared to a CB500F, which in itself is no bad thing but people were expecting… more. What’s also missing is any link back to the original Hornet, the bike it steals its name from. The round headlight, hi-level exhaust and four-cylinder engine are all missing. Whether it’ll embody any of that fun attitude the original had remains to be seen but if other Honda parallel twins are anything to go by it’ll do just fine in the laughs department.
With all this in mind I thought I’d give the bike a tickle and see if I could infuse some of that old Hornet DNA back into it. In doing so I inadvertantly added another cylinder… well why not, there’s plenty of twins on the market already so…
Let me know what you think! Leave a comment over on my Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube channel
