We know that Honda is about the release a naked bike called the Honda Hornet, which is rumored to feature a 750cc parallel twin engine. These are official sketches released by Honda earlier this year.
As it has done with the bigger displacement engine found in the Africa Twin, it is expected that Honda will use the new 750cc engine in several models. Rumors suggest an adventure bike (perhaps reviving the Transalp name), and perhaps even a cafe racer similar to the Africa Twin-based Hawk 11 announced earlier this year.
The Hornet revives the name used in the 60’s by Honda for other standard-style models. The new 750cc twin is expected to be a higher revving, higher performance twin than the one currently found in the mildly tuned NC750X.
The NC750X has an engine designed for fuel efficiency and commuting. It gets smoked by the verses 650. I hope the tune the hell out of that engine, otherwise it will be a very lackluster motor. With Honda focusing on Mini-Motor and Neo Retros, i am doubtful they will create an invigorating engine that will spark excitement and get the blood flowing again.
It’s been described as “half a Honda Fit” engine (though it isn’t really). Based on what I’ve read about it, the only way to extract more power from it would be through forced induction.
Without knowing much more than I’ve read here, I am confident that this bike will have a completely different engine.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
Honda has had a problem with moving bikes to production. Remember the CB-F from April of 2020? Vapor bike. Look I get it, if bikes aren’t selling, then you don’t invest in development. Just stop with the Vapor bikes, it is annoying.
Release it as-is and call it the Honda Sketch 750
There’s no way this engine is not going in an AT.
I am not so thrilled by this, but that is never the intent of Honda. Deescalate, relax, enjoy the ride, have some fun but not too much. Designed for nice people. Why not just put that engine in a CTX cruiserish bike with a DCT. Or even in a Silverwing scooter? I predict that it will have 60 horsepower and 50 pounds of torque. And the gas tank will be too small to escalate my excitement.
Please Honda, prove me wrong.
If it’s a 750 then, yep, it will have about 50 lb-ft of torque just like every 750 before it and yet to come except for the GSXR750 that had a bit more at 57. However, it would have to have a rev limiter set to 6200 rpm for it to only produce 60 hp.
You’re comparing a twin to an I4? Very different animals.
I don’t think he is drawing any comparisons, just stating that 750s tend to make 50 lbft. He in fact made an exception for the performance-oriented Suzuki I4.
So not even as powerful as an SV650? I hope you’re wrong.
Since it’s a 750, it would only need to be able to rev to 8,000 rpm to be more powerful than a SV650. Yamaha’s 700 p-twin revs to 8-9k depending on the model so it is not too difficult seeing Honda calling this a 75hp bike and squaring it directly against the hugely successful MT-07 and T7. Honda knows the sales of its Africa Twin and CB650 are really low because of the two Yamahas and it is painfully obvious why this engine is being developed.
Honda’s other twins make a bit less than 100hp per liter. I think that it would be silly of them to make an engine that makes about the same amount of power as the seven year old Yamaha from slightly more displacement.
But you don’t get Honda’s reputation by doing things that make sense. Given these bikes are still sketches by the time they hit the ground Yamaha might have already given their 700 the inevitable displacement and power bump.
Meanwhile KTM is rumored to be working on a 490. KTM tends to make overachievers. Their bike might make similar power and weigh quite a bit less. Particularly the adventure bike. You know they aren’t happy about T7 sales compared to their 850. If they make 490 twin that splits the difference between their 500 EXC single and their 850 twin, Honda and Yamaha won’t be very happy about it.
But you never know. If it’s not a single and it’s not a dirt bike, it is almost sure to weigh over 400 pounds. That would be a disappointment.
I dunno Mick, KTM do seem to push the envelope in performance (and styling!) but there is a persistent smell of unreliability about them. I bet that is contributing in a big way to T7 sales – and the price difference.
I haven’t heard anything about unreliability. What I have heard a lot about is frustrations with the electronics package.
Apparently there is a default setting. If you want another setting you have to dive in a set it every time you start the bike. Even then it might change back unexpectedly. The ABS likes to turn itself back on if you shut it off. It’s not a rider aids package as much as it is a rider plague package. The Yamaha has one button on the dash to shut the ABS off.
Keep it simple stupid. It seems that nearly all the bikes with more than 100hp now have these “aids” packages so you can turn them down. The Yamaha has a decent tractable engine that just works as delivered.
For my part, if I was riding off road and my ABS turned itself back on I would be seriously offended. I would be looking for a fuse to pull. And if I can’t select the default engine mode, then I wouldn’t consider myself the owner of the bike. So you wouldn’t see me buying one in the first place.
My front line dirt bike is a KTM 300XC. It has two engine modes. On and off. And no ABS. It needs nothing more.
Hinda makes great bikes. Not sure where you come up with this stuff.
I don’t know if the bike will look anything like these renderings, but I personally like that look.
Now are we talking all new 750 P2, or are they shoeing in the commuter mill from the NC750X?
I see it does mention “new” in the article.
The design would be wasted with the mild mannered mill from the NC 750x
It’s like an ugly woman with a great personality.
Good concept, though I hope Honda gives it 85-90 hp so it has some get up and go.
Hey Honda! How about putting this 750 engine into a proper sport touring bike? You know, one with good weather protection, usably sized panniers, even shaft drive would be nice! Something akin to the gone, but not forgotten best sport tourer ever, the ST1100. Old farts that want to stay riding, but would rather not push a 700 pound bike around in the garage, like me, would jump at it!
Looks totally uninspired.
THE understatement of this year.
Once again a total lack of imagination and complete ignorance of human interface machine design. A machine is an extension of human functional capabilities, if one thought it out just – a – little bit. Sharp edges, flat planes and pointy things do not promote a warm feeling with any one except cone heads. Writing about the looks only, cause that is all we have with this tease. Vertical twins are almost as good as inline triples.
My guess is that the artist spent his high school years drawing F-16 Eagles flying across the sky, probably shooting at Godzilla or Mothra. Unfortunately, he carried his ingrained style to his job at Honda.
On the other hand, maybe it’s a throwback to the 1920’s and 30’s Art Deco look, when everything was styled (even locomotives) to appear as if they were speeding along at velocities far in excess of what they were actually capable. Kind of like having rear spoilers on the ricer cars of the 90’s. But who doesn’t like a video dose of Vin Diesel every now and again?
F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15 Eagle. Just sayin’.
Thanks for the correction, I guess nobody is going to accuse me of having an “Infallible” memory (or even a good one). At least I didn’t post that to a military history site, LOL.
Gosh – makes you wonder how KTM became the fastest growing manufacturer in the biz.
If true, NOT because of its looks, and have you noticed KTM has softened its styling a wee little bit lately ?
* BFT ! ! !
The renderings indicate that passengers are no longer a priority in motorcycle design. No human sized passenger could fix on the bike as rendered. Why is this a thing that so many designers are stuck on?
Have you ever driven a sports car, with no back seats? Say, a little Mazda Miata? I just dont see the negative comments about a sport bike, having sporting intentions. No saddlebags, no back seat, sporting performance, its a sport bike. Then, when a bike is shown with saddlebags and box, there are those that comment its not sporting? There are different kinds of motorcycles. this in not in the catagory you are thinking about. I’m just curious, what bike do you ride?
I didn’t know that the Miata had no passenger seat.
So nobody is supposed to sit in that very seat looking thing to the right, left in island nations, of the driver?
Fascinating.
Sorry, I don’t like the abbreviated tail sections and I never will. My front line bike and several that I have had in the past had no pillion. But they all have had proper tail sections that keep the rear tire from pumping water and road grim all over the rider in the wet.
Every sport bike I’ve owned has had room for my wife. Every single one; including the liter bikes. Suzukis, Ducatis, Triumphs. They have all had room for a passenger. Yes, it was high up and not as comfortable as a touring bike for the passenger, but it was there.
Comparing it to a sports car, IMO, would be like saying a sports car only had one seat. We’ve also owned several two-seat sports cars.
For me, a bike needs a back seat (and a rear fender) if only for looks, but that’s just me. It also helps to have a place to strap a travelling bag onto.
My wife’s new Mustang is supposed to be a 4 seater, but you’d better have stick drawing legs if you are going to sit in the back. For all intents and purposes it’s a large 2 seater that a couple of 70 year olds can get in and out of without too much effort.
Mike, we all envy you with your slender wife.
I owned 2003 900 Hornet for ten long years. It was a bike of “old school” with excellent engine, if you do no seek fits of madness. Not particularly great at anything, but good bike overall. Whatever comes next will be FAR away from it. Hawk 11 is around that line of thinking, but will likely be a flop.
I suggest they change the name to something else. This is what slowly dying moto market demands, I guess.
Might look like a KTM, but it’s a HONDA. That alone will bring the buyers in that are skeptical of KTM’s build quality. HONDA has a great reputation, KTM not so much.
In defense of KTM they have improved by leaps and bounds over the years.
Agreed. While KTM has raised their quality, it seems Honda is slipping. I’m assuming they will meet somewhere in the middle.
I really hope that the final design is quite different because this rendering looks waaaaay too much like the the KTM 890 Duke to the point that I would be worried about a lawsuit. It seems that design in general has gotten to be very unoriginal. Every cruiser looks like every other cruiser. Every SUV looks like every other SUV. Every sedan looks like every other sedan. Every Naked bike is starting to look like every other naked bike. A little originality would really be a breath of fresh air. At least the adventure bikes, for the most part, look different.
The “Big Four” have been ripping off Harley’s styling for decades so I wouldn’t concern my self with Honda stealing styling cues (or the entire looks of) from KTM and getting sued for blatantly doing so. Besides, KTM’s “looks” aren’t exactly the stuff dreams (or bags of money) are made of.
KTM is making bags of money.
I often wonder about that. It’s almost like all these manufacturers are colluding to create a fashion that is bound to go out of style.
What odd now is that so many bikes have zero practicality. I think some manufacturer would be rewarded for making a really practical bike. Something that at least has lots of hard points to mount racks or guards or whatever and functions just as well as the rest of the bikes in its category. Something that could be fitted out as the perfect commuter for the work week and be deballasted for weekend romps. Or up blasted for weekend getaways. A lot of bicycles are still built that way.
I think the CB500 series is much like you suggest.
I think most males are answering the need for multi-purpose bikes with the adventure category.
I think there are a lot of bikes out there that meet the “really practical” criteria.
I’m fine with bikes that hold nothing but a rider and gasoline.
Moto Guzzi V850TT (…or whichever is the proper name for their middy AT)
RE Himalayan
Yamaha FJsomethingsomething
Whichever really practical bike Honda sells in every market except the US because USers buy Priuses, minivans, Tahoes and use delivery apps instead of buying practical motorcycles.
Did this come to you in a dream?
All of those things you listed are more practical for US buyers than even the most practical motorcycle unless all you ever want to do is transport yourself and a little bit of stuff in nice weather or split lanes during your commute in the few places that allow such a thing. In other words, if you live anywhere in the US besides southern California.
If you want practicality a scooter is calling you name.
https://www.bikesrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/0c3da9148ab5235d2cc61023aef375ce7678ef1d_xlarge.jpeg
The engine looks pretty big for a 750 doesn’t it? Looks like there’s a new internet guy making renders.
Honda’s funny. Hey look! We have some new sketches!
Makes you kinda wonder if Harley will start creating buzz with a parts list and maybe a sketch of the one actual bespoke part on some upcoming new model. We’re gonna mate an FLH frame with a big twin, a Fat Bob tank, yadda yadda, and behold! A sketch of a new handlebar mount!
I hope that’s close to where they land. Be nice if they did a 1/2 faired version, ala’ Superhawk though I know that’s probably not going to be popular enough these days. One can wish…
I don’t know if that is a Honda image or computer generated graphic…but whatever it is I like it…a lot.
This looks really good. It seems to clean up the design aspects of the CB500F that were a little questionable, like the exhaust and the headlight. I hope this is where Honda is going with this.
Looks like someone might be getting back into Flat Track.
Especially if AFT imposes a production rule.
The Hornet name was not used by Honda in the 1960s. The name appeared in North America for a 600cc inline 4 in the 1990s. There was a BSA Hornet in the 1960s.
DEJA VU? No, wait, this 750 is a twin. Not the old UJM 4. OK, we will see when the drawings become manifest.