Honda CB900F Hornet (2001-current)

Recently purchased a 2008 model. The MCN review says the front forks non-adjustable. This is not the case on the 2008 model. A search of the web suggests they changed the specification of the front forks to adjustable in 2004. So far my experience concurs with the other reviews by owners, rather than MCN. This is a great bike to ride, neutral handling, refined engine and well planted cornering. My bike is 4 years old and had covered 10k miles when I recently purchased it; it is literally like new, no corrosion at all. This may be a fastidious previous owner, but even so the build quality seems excellent. So far so good :-)

I got this bike brand new from Dobles at Christmas. It was a bike I'd always fancied owning but I always thought that at 6k it was a little expensive compared to the obvious choice of a 1200 Bandit, which I knew was a great bike as I owned one for over 3 years (2001 - 2004). As it was hevily discounted I thought what the hell and chopped in my XT 660 R which was not the bike for me, see submitted review for details. When the bike arrived I was glad I had ordered the orange as I think it looks great and I also had the optional fly screen fitted to provide at least some protection from the wind blast. As soon as I rode the bike I was impressed by how easy it was to ride and I felt completely at home on it within about 50 miles. My short commute is a joy and weekend blasts are always fun. I have recently given the bike a good test as I did 1900 miles in 4 days riding from my home in Oxfordshire up to John o Groats then down to Lands End and home again. The bike performed brilliantly and returned an average of about 56 MPG for the whole trip. As you can imagine wind blast was a bit of an issue on the motorways but the fly screen kept it bearable at a steady 80. The engine is absolutely superb as it just pumps out turbine smooth power from 2000 RPM right up to the red line and the mid range pull is very strong. How MCN could only get a top speed of 135 is a mystery to me as I weigh nearly 20 stone and have seen an indicated 155, they must have had some seriously fat dude doing their performance testing that day. The ride and handling are great for someone like me who rides in a spirited way rather trying to immitate James Toseland at every bend. The bad bits, I'm struggling here and nit picking really but I would say that the seat is definitely not all day comfortable and the front mudguard is too short as it is on most modern bikes, easily fixed with a fender extender. To be honest I love the bike though and I can't even begin to imagine what I will replace it with when it's 3 years old.

Bought her in 2003,sold her in 2008.I had 49975 miles of trouble free riding.The engine never missed a beat and the suspension held the bike perfectly.The only thing that needed replacing at 49000 mls was the steering head bearing.These are excellent bikes and if your on a tight budget and want a super reliable fast paced blaster i can definitely recommend the 900 hornet.

Bought this bike new partly because of the Honda finish on their bikes. I have really enjoyed riding the bike and have found it's power to be friendly. It is also easy to blast around on B roads although the suspension is a bit soft for some of the bumps. I experienced some cutting out problems at first, start up when cold. Have also suffered from corrosion on the down pipes, top Yoke, foot peg and pillion plates which were all replaced under warrenty at the 1st service. Strengths: Ease of use. Riding position and friendly for pillions. Weaknesses: Corrosion and cutting out on cold mornings.

Chopped in my 1998 fireblade for this brand new hornet and never looked back.  Had it 3 years now and probably always will. Previous bikes - z250 seca750 import vt500 cb550 four cb500s hornet 600 busa fireblade hornet 900. Strengths: Performance, looks, reliability, easy to ride and feel confident on it. Weaknesses: I suppose I'll have to write something so I'll go for windblast, although I rode from Essex to the other side of Wales and back covering 550 miles in one trip (averaging 120-130 mph on motorway) and my shoulder hurt from twisting the throttle so long, knots in my neck and shoulder area.

Yes, it is a detuned fireblade...which clips the screaming rev monster, but adds instead a thousand pounds of torquey g-force off of the lights...whoa! It does appear to be standing start screamer...I've now added another 5000 miles, an ermax bellypan, a set of conti's, r&g crash-bungs and a set of renthals to lean me forward more (just slightly)...ideal city attack vehicle...ambush machine with wheelie appeal and solid nissin 4-pot braking... Strengths: Total Reliability. Total grunt from nowhere upto 8000 rpm. Mean enough looks, but nimble, feel decent tank range (approx 120). Pillion friendly (not with the wheelie though). Rust proof except foot rest plate on pillion. Weaknesses: Should have twin spots ;-) (only jokin'). Wind blast and protection from the elements...but who wants 2 b a nancy!

Just a quickie for now. I bought this Hornet 2nd hand 2 days ago after a 7 year bikeless period. Mileage was around 18.5k and it has a few scratches etc but for £2850 - a lotta bike for not a lotta money! First impressions are very good. I love the look and it's even better now I've taken off the small screen. I don't mind the wind blast too much as I need to keep my speed down anyway. (Had a bit of a bad smash in 98 due to riding like a prat!). It came with a baglux tank cover which really looks great and has padded sides for gripping. First tankful returned 150 before reserve and seems to be giving 49.4mpg!! Is this usual?? The review said average mpg is 28... I'll be using it mainly for commuting A roads into London. Strengths:
Position, looks, grunt. Weaknesses: At the moment I'm feeling a bit of a numb bum after an hour or so, but I think it's probably more me than the bike.