Test Ride Launch Honda Hornet 750
Thanks to the positive feedback from the 250 Hornet, it wasn’t long before Honda released a 600 version, using an older CBR600 powerplant, and then a 900 which, in turn, used a detuned FireBlade engine. But while these bikes were bigger, more powerful and higher spec’d, the payback was that the styling became less aggressive and more mainstream.
So, when the factory announced that it would be bringing in a new Hornet, of a 750cc capacity, there were some confused thoughts about exactly what engine it would use? After all, the Hornet always used an engine that had been developed for an earlier bike, and what in the recent range was of a ¾-litre capacity?
A new breed
Simply put, Honda has reinvented the Hornet, using a brand-new, twin-cylinder powerplant of 755cc capacity. As is common with 21st Century parallel twins, the crank configuration is set at 270°, giving a power delivery (and sound) closer to that of a 90° vee twin, but Honda hasn’t simply gone down the same road as other manufacturers as the new motor has made some significant steps away from convention, including a very over-square
