great bike but stock exhaust sounds just as good and maybe even better as Honda tuned it in a very interesting way having one piece of the baffle for low tones and one part for higher tones, really interesting design and sounds awesome.
The white and red is really growing on me . Biggest issue so far for me is no centre stand option. Hopefully there is an easy way to raise the rear wheel for easy chain maintenance? I’m not rolling a bike back and forth - too much hassle .
My main grief with the hornet and the 8s is, speaking inline twin it is not much more as the f800 like 10 years ago with fancy dash and riding modes. Honda made some steps back... 20 years ago they had the vfr800 with tons of character.
I’ve been to my local Honda dealer to try one on for size. I’m 6’3”. I was blown away by the build quality and the choice of colours and I would have immediately bought one…..but it’s too small for me. Hopefully there will be a bigger (perhaps 1,000cc) version coming soon in which case I will be first in the queue.
Very watchable review. Agile steering, good equipment 190kgs,90 bhp £7k.... Im assuming the 'it's boring' brigade are all base jumpers and tiger wrestlers... Great motorcycle in the most accurate spirit of the word 'motorcycle '.
Nice looking bike. As you said, "a lot of bike for your money" and considering i paid over £7000 for my Street Twin six years ago....that's absolutely true!
So glad to hear it's a good handler, a trait I value the most. I had a CB300R and was disappointed in the handling for such a light bike, 143kg, 317lbs. I liked your pleasant interaction with the bicyclist, I ride bicycles as well.
Good honest review. I saw the Hornet at my local dealer - it looked awful in yellow. The standard exhaust and headlight don't look good but it looks great in white with the red frame. A great possible second bike for me in a few months and a lot of bike for the money.
Good to see the Hornet back. Honda quality, and under £7k? Bargain! I hope this will revive the Hornet Cup racing series. That was such a great way to make racing affordable with a level playing field.Looking forward to the longer review.
Whenever I talk to people wanting a motorcycle but never ridden before I always tell to them get a Japanese small or middle weight bike first learn on it and then move onto to your Harley-Davidson-BMW or big bike. Personally after 40 something years of riding and having owned a few Harleys and other brands I come to the point I want a middleweight and it's usually a Honda. They may not be the fastest or latest and greatest but they run and are usually good value for the money. I do like all types and makes of Motorcycles but I'am at the age I want to ride more and wrench less. 😆
I've had contact with my dealer and I'm thinking of swapping my 3 yr old CB650R for the, stupidly named, Hornet - my bike is totally a Hornet, this is a twin. But, I don't care. My 2 concerns are: No rear hugger and front mudguard an afterthought. So filthy in rain and, what appears to be overly sensitive steering. Both of which could put me off trading my, excellent (but faffing MOT) bike in for it. I look forward to your next vid. Excellent as ever. Thank you..
@@Sinister_fartbox that’s the glory of subjectivity. I love the old school look of the Trident just like I love the look at the cb650r and cb1000r but I’m not a fan of how sharp the Hornet looks. To each their own!
7K for the bike, 1K for an end can? It seems to have a lot of low-down punch which is important for me. 7:15 Superb dash. The fly screen protects the TFT. I find the styling a little bland. A bit like the CB500F. Overall, though, I am impressed with it. This engine in a CL750?
No one ever seems to mention the mudguard. The front one is too small to protect the radiator and the rear...well it doesn’t have one! Neither does it have a hugger. I expect the rear suspension will suffer very quickly because of this.
@@teneretraveller8980 Can't see them doing the Transalp & the X. I'm with you on the idea though, I've got a 500X which I love but could just do with a bit more power.
Hi Tony, for your long test review I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on Honda’s choice for the rear tyre size. Positives and negatives and why you think they chose it in the first place. Thanks in advance.
IMHO the CB650R should be called the Hornet as it actually looks quite similar to the original Hornet and its also 600ish inline 4. Why they decided to call this thing Hornet instead, I dont know...
good question. it might be worth checking into cb650 headlight and bracket sizes. It's worth making custom bracket. I would do the same for the triumph street triple. that headlight is hideous.
Great review thank you, Like you, I would not change an already great exhaust costing £900 in the bargain. would like a touring windscreen though? any thoughts?
I arrived quite late at this review. Fabulous, thanks. I've just bought a grey Hornet- I'm not a fan of the looks of the bike at all, grey was the least offensive. The headlight is a crime against good taste, IMO. I have the same Shoei helmet as you. Have you found that the inside support has diminished, at all? It was very tight on my head when I got it. Now, after about 2 years, it seems to me to be, quite precariously, loose.......
Seems like a sweet bike at a very very good price!! I place it halfway between the MT07 and 790/890 Duke (standard non R model) .... it offers more than the MT07 in performance and electronics etc etc but not quite as much as the KTMs (which have more performance and more comprehensive electronics suite). The real killer is the price ... cheaper than the Yam and considerably cheaper than the 790/890. Honda have gotta be on a winner with this bike 😉
Thats a great way to position it. I was out riding on it today and its a hell of a lot of fun! it can easily turn into a wheelie machine oif you want it. A bit of a wolf in sheeps clothing...
It's a nice bike and for 7 grand stock it's a good deal. Not sure about the £900 slipon can though! Sheesh! Still doesn't sound good. Always nice to bump into a fan though eh? Hehehe! Nice one.
Good initial review, MCM; thanks. Looks to be great value with what Honda are offering in respect of riding dynamics, electronic suite, fit & finish and performance. But….can’t agree with you on the looks - far to generic and bland imho - but not butt ugly. You can’t have everything for nothing so the rear suspension unit is budget (the chassis is too good for it) and cruise control could have been offered. But lovely for the money. The grey with black frame looks the best.
Great value bike. Looks are a bit Marmite - not sure about the side fairing in front of the tank. Maybe I need to see one in the flesh. But otherwise, a good all round package from Honda.
....the headlight is truly horrible. But it is improved, a little , by the screen. The exhaust is clearly a waste of money. £600 for quickshifter and heated grips a better option, IMO.
I prefer the look of the Hornet when compared with the MT-07 or the Suzuki GSX-8S, especially at the front. It seems to be a winner for the money. That exhaust looks and sounds better and is lighter = probably worth it!
Great 1st review, looking to get one of these, but how do you think it compares to KTM790 Duke i know you have ridden the 2023 model yet. But still may spoil Honda s party at 7999. Your thoughts would be a great help Thanks Ian
hi tony i,ve got an MT07 and i am surprised that the main stream bike press seem to have ignored the fact that the yam has inspired all the copies that are coming out now, the hornet [why did,nt they call it the hawk?] seems a good bike but i would put money on it not having the same soul as the MT, good vid as always.
Considering the large chunk of the motorcycle market Royal Enfield and Triumph have , it makes you wonder why Honda don't build a classic range of bikes with analog speedo and metal mudguards. Honda should make a classic 650cc 750cc along with their sports bikes, for people like me who believe rider modes are all in the right hand.
Maybe it’s because Triumph and Royal Enfield have such a presence? With a 20% share of global motorcycle sales as it stands, perhaps they don’t the value in the development costs needed? 🤷♂️
Great first thoughts Tony! It’ll be a cracking bike for the cost but I just think it looks bland like Honda are styling their cars. Cardigan styling made up with cost & performance. This damn colour reminds me of the Suzuki Gladius. I just can’t get that out of my memories…🤦♂️
Beginning and end of video show how useless the front mudguard looks (much too short). It's a pity you didn't use the overtaking of the low loader truck to demonstrate the grunt of the engine, i.e. quickshift to 4th or 5th gear, same as when you were stuck behind the mini. Also, is there a usb socket on the bike, I think there is but none of the many reviews mention where it is?
I think Honda should have offered a dct version as well and by not doing so have missed a trick ,other than that and not having a flatter seat I think it's a winner .
The bars on these are short. Your hands are much nearer the middle of the bike than my duke or most bikes,so the steering feels quick.That was the only bad side for me. Oh no golden cera coated engine. The engine looks Chinese cos it’s got cheap black paint coating. I love the Honda gold engines. Every thing else was awesome the dash Is epic. The new mt07 better be very good cos this is better than the current one.
So basically the bike you are riding is like £1400 more than stock bike, Looks different and sounds different, These reviews really are misleading as it is not a true representation of the stock bike, If you add those extras to the price of stock bike you are up around £8400 kicking around, I think Honda have been a bit crafty in sending out demo bikes with all extras on and hardly any stock machine reviews, Sorry but find these reviews very misleading.
I can only ride what I get obviously. So yes as I mentioned in the video the bike I’m riding is more like £8.5k. But it’s also largely cosmetic, so it’s not going to ride any differently to the stock bike. I’m that sense I don’t see how it can be misleading. If it was presented as a stock bike that would be misleading, but it clearly isn’t
@@mancavemoto When I clicked onto this video I read the introduction you wrote up saying "So what exactly do you get for your hard-earned £6999?" then I proceeded to watch the video which has all extras on it, This bit I thought was misleading, I just wish Honda didn't add the extras so we can actually see what you get for that money, I wouldn't say the £900 exhaust is just cosmetic as it does change the sound and bhp, I didn't mean to offend you as this is a good review but just wish it was stock.
@@golfpartner1 I’m not offended, I was obviously referring to the bike in general rather than the one I had to ride. Noise would be different, but I suspect as with many of these exhausts, the bhp would be unchanged. Maybe 2-3hp at most? I get where you’re coming from, but again only misleading if that £8.5k bike is represented as what you get for £7k
Oh Honda Hornet! Really Honda 😂, it was a stupid name 20 years ago Just call it CB 750 for Christ sake. And why is it so bland? It's no doubt a good bike but bugger me it's dull looking
Red frame looks ugly, lets not fool ourselves. Welding on the frame looks also questionable. Engine power, sound, unstylish and boring screen, overall not an attractive bike. Boring.
This WILL be my next bike.... hopefully they release it soon in America
Sounds like a cracking bike! I saw a couple in local dealer yesterday and as you said, they look nicer in flesh. Look forward to watching full review
If this bike was styled more like the CB650R, I'd pick one up as a commuter instantly
great bike but stock exhaust sounds just as good and maybe even better as Honda tuned it in a very interesting way having one piece of the baffle for low tones and one part for higher tones, really interesting design and sounds awesome.
The white and red is really growing on me . Biggest issue so far for me is no centre stand option. Hopefully there is an easy way to raise the rear wheel for easy chain maintenance? I’m not rolling a bike back and forth - too much hassle .
My main grief with the hornet and the 8s is, speaking inline twin it is not much more as the f800 like 10 years ago with fancy dash and riding modes. Honda made some steps back... 20 years ago they had the vfr800 with tons of character.
Great video I have just bought the legacy version just done under a 100 miles so far love it
I’ve been to my local Honda dealer to try one on for size. I’m 6’3”. I was blown away by the build quality and the choice of colours and I would have immediately bought one…..but it’s too small for me. Hopefully there will be a bigger (perhaps 1,000cc) version coming soon in which case I will be first in the queue.
Very watchable review. Agile steering, good equipment 190kgs,90 bhp £7k.... Im assuming the 'it's boring' brigade are all base jumpers and tiger wrestlers... Great motorcycle in the most accurate spirit of the word 'motorcycle '.
Always a sensible, level headed and honest review. Thank you.
Nice looking bike. As you said, "a lot of bike for your money" and considering i paid over £7000 for my Street Twin six years ago....that's absolutely true!
So glad to hear it's a good handler, a trait I value the most. I had a CB300R and was disappointed in the handling for such a light bike, 143kg, 317lbs. I liked your pleasant interaction with the bicyclist, I ride bicycles as well.
Good honest review. I saw the Hornet at my local dealer - it looked awful in yellow. The standard exhaust and headlight don't look good but it looks great in white with the red frame. A great possible second bike for me in a few months and a lot of bike for the money.
Good to see the Hornet back. Honda quality, and under £7k? Bargain! I hope this will revive the Hornet Cup racing series. That was such a great way to make racing affordable with a level playing field.Looking forward to the longer review.
Superb wheels. Honda has really nailed it with the new Hornet - it's a lot of bike for the money at 7 grand
Punchy and playful what else for afternoon fun, nice little machine! Thank you Tony!
Great, honest and humble review. Thanks Tony. 👍👍
Whenever I talk to people wanting a motorcycle but never ridden before I always tell to them get a Japanese small or middle weight bike first learn on it and then move onto to your Harley-Davidson-BMW or big bike.
Personally after 40 something years of riding and having owned a few Harleys and other brands I come to the point I want a middleweight and it's usually a Honda.
They may not be the fastest or latest and greatest but they run and are usually good value for the money.
I do like all types and makes of Motorcycles but I'am at the age I want to ride more and wrench less. 😆
I've had contact with my dealer and I'm thinking of swapping my 3 yr old CB650R for the, stupidly named, Hornet - my bike is totally a Hornet, this is a twin. But, I don't care. My 2 concerns are: No rear hugger and front mudguard an afterthought. So filthy in rain and, what appears to be overly sensitive steering. Both of which could put me off trading my, excellent (but faffing MOT) bike in for it. I look forward to your next vid. Excellent as ever. Thank you..
great review look forward to the nextone
I bought my Trident 660 last month and while I’d love an extra 10-15hps, to me, my bike looks 100x better.
Agree about the Trident. This Honda has no style
The Trident 🔱 looks cheap from a build perspective. For example the welds on the exhaust are poor, same for the rear brake lever as just two examples.
It looks better than honda and the trident is super ugly
@@marcusgeorge1825 I ride mine everyday and I disagree but I’m also not delusional and realize it’s a mid-range bike at Triumphs lowest price point.
@@Sinister_fartbox that’s the glory of subjectivity. I love the old school look of the Trident just like I love the look at the cb650r and cb1000r but I’m not a fan of how sharp the Hornet looks. To each their own!
Seems to be a well made naked and Honda did a great job to price it adequately. The seat it is a bit low, but all other... is just OK. Great review.
7K for the bike, 1K for an end can? It seems to have a lot of low-down punch which is important for me. 7:15 Superb dash. The fly screen protects the TFT. I find the styling a little bland. A bit like the CB500F. Overall, though, I am impressed with it. This engine in a CL750?
Is that the original tail tidy Tony? Looks not bad really. Priced well, we need more well priced bikes like these to open up the younger market. 👍
No one ever seems to mention the mudguard. The front one is too small to protect the radiator and the rear...well it doesn’t have one! Neither does it have a hugger. I expect the rear suspension will suffer very quickly because of this.
If I had the cash ,this would be at the top of my list.
don't worry, dealers might not even have them in stock anyways...
Top bike.
But cb750x, please. Half fairing, flat seat, 19 inch front on tubeless alloys..
Good one.
Safe, happy travels 👍
The transalp comes close to that I guess?
@@mancavemoto spokes and tubes. Cb500x either a bit more, por favor.
@@teneretraveller8980 Can't see them doing the Transalp & the X. I'm with you on the idea though, I've got a 500X which I love but could just do with a bit more power.
Does it have helmet hooks?
Hi Tony, for your long test review I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on Honda’s choice for the rear tyre size. Positives and negatives and why you think they chose it in the first place. Thanks in advance.
IMHO the CB650R should be called the Hornet as it actually looks quite similar to the original Hornet and its also 600ish inline 4. Why they decided to call this thing Hornet instead, I dont know...
Nice bike but why call it the Hornet - should have rebranded their inline four middleweight
Good vlog,would be tempted if it came in dct.
CB650 much better looking bike!!
You mentioned touring that bike is a 750 so it will do lots of long distance touring.
I have one question. Is there a aftermarket round led headlight for it, that fits like a gem? Does anybody knows?
good question. it might be worth checking into cb650 headlight and bracket sizes. It's worth making custom bracket. I would do the same for the triumph street triple. that headlight is hideous.
@@bushy9780 thank you.
Great review thank you, Like you, I would not change an already great exhaust costing £900 in the bargain. would like a touring windscreen though? any thoughts?
I arrived quite late at this review. Fabulous, thanks. I've just bought a grey Hornet- I'm not a fan of the looks of the bike at all, grey was the least offensive. The headlight is a crime against good taste, IMO. I have the same Shoei helmet as you. Have you found that the inside support has diminished, at all? It was very tight on my head when I got it. Now, after about 2 years, it seems to me to be, quite precariously, loose.......
Thanks, yes I put a new headliner in a while ago and its like brand new again, but the helmet is starting to come to the end of its life now.
Seems like a sweet bike at a very very good price!! I place it halfway between the MT07 and 790/890 Duke (standard non R model) .... it offers more than the MT07 in performance and electronics etc etc but not quite as much as the KTMs (which have more performance and more comprehensive electronics suite). The real killer is the price ... cheaper than the Yam and considerably cheaper than the 790/890. Honda have gotta be on a winner with this bike 😉
Thats a great way to position it. I was out riding on it today and its a hell of a lot of fun! it can easily turn into a wheelie machine oif you want it. A bit of a wolf in sheeps clothing...
It's a nice bike and for 7 grand stock it's a good deal. Not sure about the £900 slipon can though! Sheesh! Still doesn't sound good.
Always nice to bump into a fan though eh? Hehehe! Nice one.
I agree, and sadly Paul had never heard of me 😂
@@mancavemoto Hehehehe, but he HAS now! 👍new recruit.
Good initial review, MCM; thanks. Looks to be great value with what Honda are offering in respect of riding dynamics, electronic suite, fit & finish and performance. But….can’t agree with you on the looks - far to generic and bland imho - but not butt ugly. You can’t have everything for nothing so the rear suspension unit is budget (the chassis is too good for it) and cruise control could have been offered. But lovely for the money. The grey with black frame looks the best.
What is the rpm at 80 miles per hour
Great value bike. Looks are a bit Marmite - not sure about the side fairing in front of the tank. Maybe I need to see one in the flesh. But otherwise, a good all round package from Honda.
It definitely is. I think it looks much nicer in reality than in pictures
....the headlight is truly horrible. But it is improved, a little , by the screen. The exhaust is clearly a waste of money. £600 for quickshifter and heated grips a better option, IMO.
I prefer the look of the Hornet when compared with the MT-07 or the Suzuki GSX-8S, especially at the front. It seems to be a winner for the money. That exhaust looks and sounds better and is lighter = probably worth it!
😁
Great 1st review, looking to get one of these, but how do you think it compares to KTM790 Duke i know you have ridden the 2023 model yet. But still may spoil Honda s party at 7999. Your thoughts would be a great help
Thanks Ian
I should have written "haven't" redden the 2023 KTM
hi tony i,ve got an MT07 and i am surprised that the main stream bike press seem to have ignored the fact that the yam has inspired all the copies that are coming out now, the hornet [why did,nt they call it the hawk?] seems a good bike but i would put money on it not having the same soul as the MT, good vid as always.
Wasn't Hawk a name just for the US market?
@@1990-t1j yes but it was always a twin [in the 60s and 80s]
@@lingoreb I get you, John.
i guess ya can say that Yam was ahead of the time
What's interesting is that Phil Irving suggested this layout to the British bike industry in the 1930s and they turned it down! Ah if only.
Considering the large chunk of the motorcycle market Royal Enfield and Triumph have , it makes you wonder why Honda don't build a classic range of bikes with analog speedo and metal mudguards.
Honda should make a classic 650cc 750cc along with their sports bikes, for people like me who believe rider modes are all in the right hand.
Maybe it’s because Triumph and Royal Enfield have such a presence? With a 20% share of global motorcycle sales as it stands, perhaps they don’t the value in the development costs needed? 🤷♂️
What tyres and sizes does it have Tony?
160/60-17 rear & 120/70-17 front running Dunlop roadsmart 2 tyres
Great first thoughts Tony! It’ll be a cracking bike for the cost but I just think it looks bland like Honda are styling their cars. Cardigan styling made up with cost & performance. This damn colour reminds me of the Suzuki Gladius. I just can’t get that out of my memories…🤦♂️
Probably my next bike , especially with the weight and seat height !. £900 for a silencer , one seventh of the price of the bloody bike , 😕
Beginning and end of video show how useless the front mudguard looks (much too short). It's a pity you didn't use the overtaking of the low loader truck to demonstrate the grunt of the engine, i.e. quickshift to 4th or 5th gear, same as when you were stuck behind the mini. Also, is there a usb socket on the bike, I think there is but none of the many reviews mention where it is?
There is a usb port under the pillion seat.
I think Honda should have offered a dct version as well and by not doing so have missed a trick ,other than that and not having a flatter seat I think it's a winner .
What in the world
Dct on this would be a disaster. But a long single seat is more flexible
The bike looks very KTM from my phone. The anodized bits are they red or orange? Also in person does it still look like Honda copied KTM's homework?
They are definitely red. Not so much to my eyes no, but I can see where you’re coming from
It almost has some SV650 in it. thanks
The bars on these are short. Your hands are much nearer the middle of the bike than my duke or most bikes,so the steering feels quick.That was the only bad side for me. Oh no golden cera coated engine. The engine looks Chinese cos it’s got cheap black paint coating. I love the Honda gold engines. Every thing else was awesome the dash Is epic. The new mt07 better be very good cos this is better than the current one.
I dont love the somewhat generic Honda looks, but would I have one? Yep, sure would.
The more I ride it, the more fund it gets. Its a fantastic motor
The fuel tank is too small
Ditch angular headlight and fairing it might look okay. I would not be seen on that hideous thing
So basically the bike you are riding is like £1400 more than stock bike, Looks different and sounds different, These reviews really are misleading as it is not a true representation of the stock bike, If you add those extras to the price of stock bike you are up around £8400 kicking around, I think Honda have been a bit crafty in sending out demo bikes with all extras on and hardly any stock machine reviews, Sorry but find these reviews very misleading.
I can only ride what I get obviously. So yes as I mentioned in the video the bike I’m riding is more like £8.5k. But it’s also largely cosmetic, so it’s not going to ride any differently to the stock bike. I’m that sense I don’t see how it can be misleading. If it was presented as a stock bike that would be misleading, but it clearly isn’t
@@mancavemoto When I clicked onto this video I read the introduction you wrote up saying "So what exactly do you get for your hard-earned £6999?" then I proceeded to watch the video which has all extras on it, This bit I thought was misleading, I just wish Honda didn't add the extras so we can actually see what you get for that money, I wouldn't say the £900 exhaust is just cosmetic as it does change the sound and bhp, I didn't mean to offend you as this is a good review but just wish it was stock.
@@golfpartner1 I’m not offended, I was obviously referring to the bike in general rather than the one I had to ride. Noise would be different, but I suspect as with many of these exhausts, the bhp would be unchanged. Maybe 2-3hp at most? I get where you’re coming from, but again only misleading if that £8.5k bike is represented as what you get for £7k
Oh Honda Hornet! Really Honda 😂, it was a stupid name 20 years ago Just call it CB 750 for Christ sake. And why is it so bland? It's no doubt a good bike but bugger me it's dull looking
Red frame looks ugly, lets not fool ourselves. Welding on the frame looks also questionable. Engine power, sound, unstylish and boring screen, overall not an attractive bike. Boring.
Disagree.