Honda’s just unveiled the hotly anticipated 2023 version of its much loved Hornet at the Intermot Show in Cologne.
It feels like we’ve been talking about the potential return of one of Honda’s best loved bikes for years – and with the factory releasing a whole host of design drawings early in the year, there’s been plenty of anticipation building about what exactly the finished bike would be like. And the wait’s finally over, because the Japanese firm has just shared all the need-to-know information about its CB750 Hornet.
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The big news is that it’s powered by a newly designed lightweight 755cc parallel motor. It’s a bit of a departure from the old inline-four setup, but Honda reckons that the much-loved top end Hornet ‘sting’ is still there. With peak power of 90bhp arriving up at 9,500rpm, we’re sure it’ll be plenty of fun chasing those revs to get the most out of the engine. Its 55lb-ft of peak torque is available at slightly lower 7,250pm, which should help to give the Hornet enough lower and mid-range grunt to be usable and fun even if you’re not pressing on. There’s more clever stuff to try and replicate the Hornet’s of old, with its 270° crank and uneven firing order working together to create (what Honda’s calling…) a ‘V-twin-like’ pulse feeling.
The frame of the Hornet is a brand-new steel-diamond number, which tips the scales at an impressively light 16.6kg. Suspension comes in the form of a set of Showa 41mm Separate Function Fork Big Piston (SFF-BPTM) USD forks up front, while the rear shock (with adjustable pre-load) works in partnership with a Pro-Link setup and newly developed steel swingarm.
There’s a 5-inch TFT colour display (which offers connectivity to the Honda Smartphone Voice Control system for both Android and IOS devices), LED lighting across the board, auto-cancelling indicators and Honda’s flashing Emergency Stop System too. There’s also four riding modes to choose from, with three of them offering pre-set combinations of Engine Power, Engine Brake and Honda Selectable Torque Control (with integrated Wheelie Control) – and the fourth ‘User’ mode allows you to dial in settings as they see fit.
It’s available in either Pearl Glare White and Graphite Black (which feature a Metallic Red Flame frame and anodised Red forks), Matte Iridium Gray Metallic and Mat Goldfinch Yellow – and there’s a whole host of official accessories available for the CB750 Hornet too, including three unique packs to make it easy to tweak the bike to best suit.
It was always going to be exciting to see what Honda came up with for the latest incarnation of its Hornet – and looking at the facts, figures and the actual style of the thing (never mind the fact that it’s priced at a super competitive £6,999), it certainly seems like the factory has delivered. Although there’s been no specific confirmation on availability, Honda UK has said that we can expect bikes to land in dealers during the early part of 2023 (though that’s not exactly set in stone as a result of ongoing supply issues). Before that, we’ve been offered the chance to put one through its paces and we’ll be bringing you our first thoughts on the bike here on MoreBikes.
For more information on the new Hornet, click HERE.
