Honda Hornet 600S 2000

You see there are myriad options for photographing a motorsickle and we do try to give them the treatment they deserve. "Urban terrorist," was the inevitable reply. Which might be doing the Hornet, now in its second incarnation, a disservice - as it's capable of venturing well beyond the city limits. But fighting the peak-hour dingbat race is its forte - narrow, light (179kg claimed dry weight), with a touch over 97 horses on the spec sheet.

I first hopped aboard the original naked version in July 1998, and really liked it. Quick steering, adequate brakes, oodles of power, sharp looks and a package that could be flung around with abandon. And it cost just under 10 gees. The nearest competitor was the Yamaha Fazer, with more conservative clothes (including a frame-mounted bikini fairing) and set-up, which is no longer listed as a local model.

Move up to 2000, and Honda has produced two versions of the Hornet: a naked which is no longer imported here, plus the local S model that includes a Fazer-style fairing. I reckon its looks have suffered with the fairing, though there have been some worthwhile changes in other areas.

For a start the front brakes have been improved noticably. They're still two-piston items, however a suspected change of pad material (and perhaps a change of piston internals) has greatly improved their feel. More bite, earlier, and entirely controllable.

There's a dearth of info on the upgrades to the bike - brakes being one mystery and suspension another. The first model was okay in the suspenders, but nothing to write home about. You could say the same about the current version, though performance has been raised a notch. As it stands, the front fork has no adjustment available, while the rear gets away with preload only. It's still a bargain-basement bike, at $10,500 (plus ORC), so I have no problem with that.

Much of the set-up has gone more conservative. For example the handlebar height has been raised significantly - try it out for yourself. It's a little too high for my taste, but many folk will like it. Steering geometry has been slowed with a five mil increase in fork offset that gives more trail. Add in a switch from 16-inch front wheel to 17 and you get a quite different package. The rim change is sensible, as there's a lot more choice in rubber out there for the bigger wheel.

Honda reckons some tweaking with the powerplant has raised an extra five percent in torque - concentrated in the midrange - and around 1.5 horses. Hornet MkI owner Rod Chapman, a staffer on sister mag AMCN, says the performance gain seems greater than the claimed figures. Which makes a refreshing change.

ON THE ROAD

This is as low-aggro as motorcycling gets - hit the starter and off you go. While the Hornet has lost some of its original flickability, it has become more stable. That's a loss in my book, but anyone looking for a long-term relationship with a 600 that is not a full-house sports bike will vehemently disagree.

The VTR/VFR-replica headlight theme looks alright, and works well enough. It's a step or two behind Honda's premium headlights, fitted to the current Fireblade. Location of the rider footpegs could be improved. They're positioned for the more aggressive stance of the Hornet MkI (with the lower handlebars) and feel out of place with the current set-up, which requires more forward-set pegs.

The fairing provides a useful amount of protection, making 130-plus sustained speeds comfortable thanks to the lower air pressure on your chest, and there's some relief for the rider's hands in cold conditions.

Fuel consumption is identical to the previous model - about 15km/litre, which works out to 270km. There's no low fuel warning light, or gauge, so you need to watch the trip meter and keep in mind that you'll be reaching for reserve at 12 litres.

The high-mounted zorst will make life much too interesting for anyone hoping to fit panniers or saddlebags.

A couple of weeks on the second-gen Hornet felt good. Sharp in the city, with more than enough horses to make life interesting (and enjoyable) on the outskirts when the road goes snaky. It will tour, though not brilliantly thanks to a limited fuel range and ordinary luggage-carrying ability - blame the muffler for the latter.

Of the many enhancements to the Hornet, the most worthwhile is the feel of the brakes. The old chap was more fun in the twisties, while the new version is a better general purpose mount. In any case, the brakes and fairing cost $500 over the old model, which seems like value for money.

The current one is a very capable motorcycle with a price that places it right beside the Suzuki SV650 and Kawasaki ZR-7. Now that would make an interesting comparo. Honda's second-gen Hornet is a good package and has ample performance to keep an owner interested for a long time.