Honda CB900 Hornet

To tell the truth, I've always been slightly underwhelmed by the CB900 Hornet. There's nothing wrong with it mind you, but at the same time it didn't have the 'aggro' to set my pants on fire.

The problem is all to do with expectation: like many people, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a nakedbike with a FireBlade engine. The Blade engine is one of the defining units of the modern era - small, light and plenty powerful enough to entertain and scare in equal meaure.

But in retrospect, the warning signs were there. Words to the effect of "re-tuned to suit the naked style" were bandied about at the world launch, while constant references to the bike's inner-city potential were another giveaway it'd been softened.

The 1998-model engine used in the Hornet was treated to fuel injection. That sounded promising, but it wasn't done with a monster power-hike in mind. Rather, it was to keep the exhaust emissions clean and give the engine a new lease of life in a world of ever-tightening emissions control.

The upshot was a bike that has a stack of useable power, plenty of torque and the ability to carry a pillion without suffering much. It handles well, very much in the vein of its little brother, the Hornet 600. But to be honest, it doesn't offer a lot as a city bike to recommend it over its smaller, cheaper sibling, unless you regularly carry a pillion. It's a bike that makes me offer the most feared opinion in the biking world - it's 'nice'.

BAD BEHAVIOUR
Nice? A FireBlade-engined anything should never be that. It should be bad, evil and scary. But there's something odd with the Hornet. The more I've ridden them the more I like them. They can be provoked into bad behaviour, but unlike goading dangerous animals with a stick, the big Hornet never looks likely to sting.

The thing is, that's perfect around town. You don't need unprovoked badness when you're wending your way through lines of traffic or U-turning in a narrow side road. You need nice manners. But out on the open road you know the chassis could stand a little more aggro.

Which is where this bike comes in. It's not the work of a madman, not a big-bore, fire-breathing monster. In fact it's come from Honda Australia which is keen to show the out-of-town capability of the bike.

To do that, as the eagle-eyed of you will already have spotted, Honda's added a few extras. Small things, mainly, and some even from the Honda accessory catalogue, so they won't spoil your warranty, but they add up to a fair change in the bike's attitude.

The biggest change - and sadly not one that Honda feels able to officially sanction - is the swap to a set of Staintune end cans and collector box.

Sound, as GP bosses realised when they raised the noise limit, is a big part of the bike world. More of it makes it sound like you're going faster, trying harder, and the Staintune cans make a world of difference to the Hornet. As stock, the bike's exhaust note is only likely to raise an eyebrow at a sewing machine convention. It may be legislation-friendly, but everyone likes to hear an engine breathe, don't they? The Staintune pipes let the Hornet clear its throat.

The rasp at start-up is enough to let you know it's not stock, yet not enough to raise too much un-wanted interest. As the revs rise, so the howl gets more noticeable, and it's those caning-it-to-the-redline moments where you get the full effect. At tickover, it's drowned out by other traffic - a stock Harley-Davidson, a V-eight Holden Ute, a truck ... all these things make more noise. None sounds as good at full chat.

DYNAMIC DIFFERENCE
Interestingly, the Harley in question, a Dyna Superglide Sport also on test at AMCN, wasn't left floundering hundreds of metres behind off the line at the traffic lights despite the Hornet sounding like it was travelling into instant loss of licence territory. That's a bonus with cops breathing down your neck everywhere you go, and one I was especially aware of - I didn't want my debut test of a bike at AMCN to end in forced retirement.

Dynamically, the pipes have made a difference. This still isn't a frighteningly powerful bike, but the set-up has smoothed everything out a little more. Run on the dyno at Phil Tainton Racing, the resulting graphs were impressively progressive. The practical effect is a engine that lets you drive away, from tickover to redline, without a stutter. You still have to wonder though why Honda fitted fuel-injection to the 'old' carbed 919 engine for the Hornet when it already had fuel-injected 929 or 954 versions that could have slotted straight in.

SCREEN TEST
The other extras make themselves felt in different ways. The screen is an official Honda part and it does make a noticeable difference. Like so many other nakedbikes, the standard Hornet has a speed limiter - the wind in your face. While you can go crazy, to ride for any length of time above about 130khm gets uncomfortable. It's not just the force of the wind spilling over the clocks and the drone of the noise, it's the knowledge that there's no respite until you stop. It makes you count the kilometres until you can reasonably hit a servo, get a coffee and fill the tank.

The screen eases that pain. We're not talking full-fairing, not even bikini fairing, in fact, but if you ride to your dealer without one and ride home with it, you'll notice.

I've done a 240km single hit on a Hornet in the past, and at speed on the freeway there's a bit of buffeting. That's smoothed right out with the shield, and that may be the key difference. For my 175cm stature at least, the effect was that I could ride without feeling the strain of trying to keep my head still. Open your visor and you feel the blast as it hits you in the eyes, but most of the time it's less noticeable and that's always a bonus.

EXTRA INSURANCE
Some spares you'd be wise to fit even though you'll be praying never to use them are the crash mushrooms on the Honda extras list. At $286 they ain't cheap, but then how much for a new endcase on the engine? It's a form of extra insurance that might not stop you toppling off the bike in the first place, but could keep the resulting damage to a minimum. That can spell the difference between kicking it straight and riding home or an expensive call to a recovery firm to come and collect your damaged pride and joy.

Under the bike, there lurks a centrestand. Okay, so not all extras are sexy, but there's something to be said for practical, and a centrestand is certainly that. Some may argue it should be standard anyway, while Honda will doubtless point to the low $13,990 price. That compares favourably with Yamaha's $15,799 FZ1, Suzuki's $14,390 GSX1400 and Kawasaki's $14,390 ZRX1200R, although Suzuki's Bandit comes in at $12,990 and Yamaha's XJR1300 at $13,699.

The stand however isn't the easiest to use. The technique needs a bit of speed in the haul, and the bike lacks the sort of grab handle bikes with centrestands commonly have.

Aside from making chain lubing a doddle of a job, riders who really want to look after the engine will know that a bike parked on a centrestand overnight doesn't suffer as much engine wear. Why? Because the oil isn't slopped to one side so it works its way round the engine faster when you start it.

If you've paid attention to the pics, you'll have spotted a few other non-standard parts. They aren't official spares for the Hornet, yet they are Honda parts - that might work your dealer into a frenzy as he tries to decide whether it invalidates your warranty. The mirrors are from the VT250C, while the indicators are off the CBR600, so neither should be a problem.

FASTER CORNERS
Sticking the whole plot to the road is a pair of Pirelli Dragon Evo tyres. These aren't stock fitment (it comes on Bridgestones) but Honda Australia seems keen to build a stronger relationship with Pirelli, which sponsors Honda's off-road team.

The Evos suit the bike well. The turn into corners is pretty fast, and with the width of the bars, that let me apex late without having to fight the front end. The tyres accentuate how short the bike feels.

Even on an early spring day, the rubber heated up pretty well, though diving in too eagerly didn't feel that sure-footed. A quick inspection of the rear tyre revealed why - it was virtually brand new and a good 25mm on each side hadn't been touched. Remember - always run your tyres in before trying too ride hard.

After that, there wasn't a hint of a problem. The Hornet is a nimble yet sure-footed beast in standard trim and nothing has been done to this one to upset that.

Even the shiny wheels serve more than a superficial purpose. The Electromold plating may not be cheap, but the payback is the ease of cleaning - just a wipe gets rid of any grime - and a long-lasting finish.

The result of these few mods is a bike that feels a bit more complete. That would fit with Honda's view of the Hornet. There's been talk of it becoming a "design your own" kind of bike, with one frame that can take a range of engines, from small twins to big fours.

For the time being, however, you'll have to make do with working around the choice of 600cc or 900cc. But this particular bike isn't finished yet. Next up it's due to get a set of braided hoses to sharpen the brakes, while forks mods are being debated. It might even have a front end swap and sprout a set of CBR600 forks, otherwise it'll get the internal parts to stiffen it up a little.

Ridden hard it could use both mods, but this is a definite step in the right direction. Get out on the open road.