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Honda CB900F Hornet is not too civilised
By Dave Abrahams The power tails off sharply above nine so there's little point in revving it to the redline at 10 000 - keep it wound hard on, short-shift at around seven and it'll deliver all the street cred you can handle.
There's no wheelspin, no wheelies, just solid, growling, instantly available, somewhat vibratious, real-world muscle that'll have you grinning inside your helmet every time you grab a gap in the gridlock. Honda designed this bike as an inner-city warrior so it doesn't matter that it runs out of steam at around 230km/h; all the power is accessible and very usable. The company claims that its studies of rider preferences show that street riders are generally most comfortable on bikes with a power output of between 65 and 88kW. That's entirely relative, however; when I started riding in the late 1960s only GP bikes could claim 65kW – now any decent 600cc street bike can top that.
In my (entirely subjective) opinion it's more about rider feel; a broad spread of torque and a linear power delivery are more fun and less intimidating than a light-switch power band at stratospheric revs. To this end Honda has used its own PGM-FI fuel-injection system with relatively small throttle bodies rather than the big CV carbs of the original Blade to deliver a precisely modulated response – and it works. In every gear except top the twist rip seems to be directly connected to the rear wheel; the more you turn your right hand the quicker the bike goes. The downside, of course, is that the response is just as sudden going the other way, making the throttle action very choppy at small openings. It's typical of first-generation motorcycle fuel-njection systems but on this one it's underlined by the bike's strong low-end power delivery. You quickly learn to compensate for it, gauging your throttle movements for accurate results and powering the bike through heavy traffic in a series of "point and squirt" manoeuvres – an immensely satisfying mix of muscle and finesse with a huge Grin Factor. On this bike being late for work is fun. Over the years Honda's Fireblade has earned a reputation for robustness; this version is definitely slicker than the original 893cc 1992 edition but the slightly unpredictable clutch and notchy gearbox, especially on downshifts, are still there. With only 81kW to stress the components (the 1998 Blade had 95), the drive train should last for ever. Mono-backbone chassis The motor is directly bolted into an unusual steel frame derived from the earlier 600 Hornet, suitably beefed up for the bigger lump. It consists basically of two hefty rectangular steel tubes, one of which is the bike's backbone running back from the steering head and curving gently over the gearbox to the rear engine mount. A second box-section is welded to the outside of the bend in a Y-shape to form a sub-frame – and that's about it. The motor is, of course, a stressed member with the radiator on an A-frame behind the steering head. The extruded alloy swing-arm is pivoted on both the crankcases, a la Ducati, and on the cast aluminium engine mounts for maximum stiffness; it's controlled by a Showa monoshock adjustable only for preload while a pair of 43mm conventional dampers from the same maker take responsibility for the front wheel. Braking is entrusted to a couple of Nissin's definitive four-pot callipers on 296mm semi-floating discs. Only a decade ago this was state-of-the-art equipment and it's still world class, easily overwhelming the non-adjustable front suspension if you get silly with the lever. Used sensibly, however, they deliver superbly modulated retardation, hard enough for controlled and enjoyable stoppies on the right surface. The rear brake is pretty basic - a single piston calliper on a dinky little 240mm platter. It has little power and less feel but it's just right for hill-starts and steadying the bike on wet roads. Modern styling Honda has resisted the temptation to turn this naked street bike into another 1970s retro-clone. With the frame hidden, the motor dominates the centre section of the bike; a little cleaning up on the castings and a new cam cover have made the sturdy liquid-cooled motor, devoid of finning, into an industrial sculpture. The angular, crisp-edged tank, vestigial black side-covers and pointed tailpiece complete a body suite where less is definitely more, while the all-stainless exhaust system is the most elegant I've seen on a four-cylinder bike. The four headers are gathered into a collector under the middle line of the motor, then split into twin secondaries which run on either side of the rear suspension to a pair of long thin tailpipes tucked high up on either side of the box-section sub-frame. A nod to tradition is provided by the classic large round headlight and separately podded instruments with separate panel of warning icons between them. There's nothing wrong with that – it was the standard layout for more than three decades because it works. The back of the 19-litre fuel tank and the centre section of the seat and frame are slimmed to give a comfortably relaxed seating position. The narrow handlebars, which are higher than they look for a relaxed, nearly upright seating position, are ideal for round-towning but less so for swift cruising. For that reason a previous owner had fitted the test bike with a small aftermarket screen (which worked surprisingly well), enabling me to cruise at a steady 180km/h without significant upper-body stress. The footpegs, mounted on long cast outrigger brackets, are lower and further forward than on the majority of race-replicas; predictably they're the first things to touch down, but not until you're a long way over and close to the limits of the suspension. Edgy handling If the bike has a weakness, it’s the front end. It tracks well in a straight line, right up to top speed and turns in with creditable alacrity for a 194kg street bike but it becomes very nervous when heavily loaded, especially on fast, bumpy downhill bends. The rear suspension, by contrast, dealt with everything I threw at it without losing its composure even though it has no rising-rate linkage. The bike coped more than adequately with most of our standard test circuit, including the bumpy suspension test, but a distinct feeling that the front wheel wasn't really "planted" on the tar made me back off a little on the fast sweeps. It never misbehaved but its feedback and accuracy of line were not up to the standards of the class leaders. With its relaxed seating position and superb power delivery, Honda's bigger Hornet is the most user-friendly of the big streetsters; up to just this side of insanity its handling is predictable and it gives you plenty of warning before it starts to get out of hand. It's a superb commuter in a remarkably slim package, with enough off-the-line power to hold its own in the Stoplight GP. The styling is right up to date and the fit and finish, as always from Soichiro's Cycles*, are world class. It's been deliberately engineered with a distinct intake roar in the mid-range and the motor is bolted straight into the frame so that the 'bars and pegs vibrate quite harshly at high revs. The Hornet is a very competent but not altogether civilized town bike, with not so much an attitude as an edge, friendly but never boring. Specifications Motor: Liquid-cooled four-stroke transverse four. Capacity: 919cc. Bore x stroke: 71 x 58mm. Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder. Compression ratio: 10.8:1. Power: 81.3kW at 9000rpm. Torque: 92Nm at 6500rpm. Induction: Keihin electronic fuel injection. Ignition: Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance. Starting: Electric. Clutch: Cable-operated multi-plate wet clutch. Transmission: Six-speed constant-mesh gearbox with chain final drive. Suspension: 43mm Showa conventional cartridge forks at front, Showa monoshock adjustable for preload at rear. Brakes: Twin 296mm discs with four-pot opposed piston callipers at front, 240mm disc with single-piston floating calliper at rear. Tyres: Front: 120/70 - ZR17 tubeless. Rear: 180/55 - ZR17 tubeless. Wheelbase: 1460mm. Seat height: 795mm. Dry weight: 194kg. Fuel capacity: 19 litres. |
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