This title might seem like a misnomer, because all Hondas feel comfortable and easy to live with. But they can sometimes err too much on the side of caution and lose the sense of excitement. Make no mistake; this doesn’t mean that they’re bad products, or slow ones; they just miss that ‘X’ factor that makes us love an engine with two wheels.
However, Honda is the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, so there is a wide selection of models to choose from. That means it isn’t too difficult to find the Honda that feels sporty, comfortable, and easy to live with. It isn’t the fastest or most exciting in its segment, but it has such a great mix of these characteristics. This is coupled with great pricing.
The CB750 Hornet E-Clutch Is The Honda That Feels Sporty, Comfortable, And Easy To Live With
The CB750 Hornet E-Clutch doesn’t get enough credit because it tends to get overshadowed by the other naked bikes in Honda’s portfolio. The CB650R E-Clutch has two more cylinders and Honda’s neo-retro styling, which makes it stand out. For a few thousand dollars more, the CB1000 Hornet SP with its premium suspension and front brakes makes for a very tempting option.
The CB750 Hornet is a great motorcycle in its own right, though, with its light weight and eager engine. Honda has recently bestowed the E-Clutch system on it, and with the semi-automatic gearbox, it is now even more usable than before. There is little doubt that it is the Honda that feels sporty, comfortable, and easy to live with.
Honda CB750 Hornet Price: $7,999
One of the highlights of the CB750 Hornet is its price. The addition of the E-Clutch system raised the price by… nothing. It remains a sub-$8,000 middleweight naked, but with much more value than before. It is priced extremely well, given the competition and the features it offers. In fact, it is the cheapest among the competition.
The Honda CB750 Hornet Has Enthusiastic Performance
Honda has used parts sharing extensively across its range to keep prices and ownership costs down. We see the same thing with the CB750 Hornet: it shares its engine with the XL750 Transalp. This 270-degree parallel twin displaces 755 cc, has an 11.0:1 compression ratio, and generates 90.5 horsepower at 9,500 RPM and 55.3 pound-feet at 7,250 RPM.
The output puts it near the top of the pile of middleweight budget nakeds in terms of power output. There is a by-wire throttle, so you get three ride modes plus one user mode, HSTC, wheelie control, engine power, and engine braking customization.
Honda CB750 Hornet Transmission And Final Drive
The CB750 Hornet has a manual six-speed close-ratio gearbox, and it is currently available with the E-Clutch system as standard. This is an electronic system that operates the clutch automatically, so you still need to change gears yourself, but the system will do the rest for you. In combination with the by-wire throttle, it operates like a two-way quickshifter, plus the fact that you don’t need to pull the clutch lever in when you come to a halt.
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Honda CB750 Hornet Chassis
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Honda’s steel diamond chassis forms the backbone of the CB750 Hornet. It uses the engine as a stressed member. A 41 mm SFF-BP inverted fork is at the front, and a preload-adjustable Pro-link single shock is at the rear. The travel available is 4.7 inches and 5.1 inches at the front and rear, respectively.
Braking is via twin 296 mm petal discs at the front, gripped by radial four-piston fixed Nissin calipers. At the rear, a 240 mm disc is paired with a single piston caliper. 17-inch alloy wheels and tubeless tires round off things, with a narrower-than-usual 160 mm wide rear tire chosen for the smaller Hornet.
Honda CB750 Hornet Dimensions
This is a small, light middleweight. The wheelbase stands at 55.9 inches, with a seat height of 31.3 inches. The curb weight figure is 432 pounds ready to ride, with a full tank of fuel. It has a slightly large 4.0-gallon fuel tank, which, coupled with the frugal engine, should make the CB750 Hornet usable as a light tourer as well.
Honda CB750 Hornet Features
Considering its bargain-basement price, the CB750 Hornet has a very good feature set. A familiar 5-inch TFT display is used for instrumentation, and it is equipped with Bluetooth and navigation via apps through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It also has all-LED lighting.
The accessories list is short, but it has some practical items. They include rearset footpegs, rear seat cowls in different colors, a tiny flyscreen, heated grips, a custom seat, soft luggage, and panniers. Overall, this won’t match up to the level of the premium middleweights, but that’s alright, its audience doesn’t overlap with the audience for those products.
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Honda CB750 Hornet Competition
The middleweight naked segment is a crowded one, and with good reason: these motorcycles can be docile enough to learn on, and they will keep you entertained a long way into your riding career. They also have an extremely wide appeal because of how flexible they are. Listing the competition results in a veritable who’s who of the segment. It includes the Kawasaki Z900 ($9,999), Suzuki GSX-8S ($9,249), Triumph Trident 660 ($9,145), Honda’s own CB650R E-Clutch ($8,699), and the CFMoto 800NK ($8,699).
We usually expect to talk about a CFMoto product when it comes to value and great pricing, but for once, the Chinese manufacturer has been outbid by not just one but two Japanese manufacturers. To give the 800NK its due, it has more performance and better components overall, but we’re looking at pricing as well.
Which is why the CB750 Hornet’s natural enemy is the Yamaha MT-07. It costs $500 more than the Honda, and it recently got an update that gives it an almost identical feature set to the Honda. There are a few differences: the KYB suspension on the Yamaha has adjustable rebound damping at the rear as well, and the Yam is nearly 20 pounds lighter, but it is also 20 horsepower down on the Honda.
Honda CB750 Hornet Vs Yamaha MT-07
|
Model |
Honda CB750 Hornet |
Yamaha MT-07 |
|
Price |
$7,999 |
$8,599 |
|
Displacement |
755 cc |
689 cc |
|
Power |
83 HP |
74 HP @ 8,750 RPM |
|
Torque |
55.31 LB-FT @ 7,250 RPM |
49.4 LB-FT @ 6,500 RPM |
|
Curb Weight |
422 LBs (wet) |
403 LBs (wet) |
Source: Honda Powersports