Hornet 900 - I don't get what all the fuss is about?

[Riknos]

I test rode a Hornet 900 last night - 2003, only 13k miles - and I was very underwhelmed!

I hear everyone raves on about them - but I was very underwhelmed by it. Maybe it was the example I rode or the fact I haven't ridden a bike in almost 3 years... but it just didn't feel very fun at all.

It felt heavy and wobbly, and the power delivery, while torquey, seemed to run out of revs too quickly. They redline at what, 11k?

My last R6 was about 25kg lighter but was older and had more mileage and it felt a lot more stable and planted.

It has a power commander and is overdue a service, so maybe sorting those out might make it run a bit smoother?

Is it a duff model I rode? It's a 2003 with 13k miles, so I would have thought the suspension isn't too nackered. Or is it the budget standard suspension that I felt? Maybe the tyre pressures are out?

The thing is - I'm only entertaining it as it's cheap (few hundred less than other examples on the market) so I could always make my money back/ a profit when I come to sell, and I may commute from Hampshire > central London once a week on it to save some money.

Thoughts? What I REALLY want is a ZX6R C1H or a Daytona 675 but both are over £2k more to buy!

But I also want something a bit cheaper, as having a nicer bike I'll be too afraid to let it get wet or park it anywhere so it will spend most of it's life in the garage! I recently bought a 2nd car to use to keep the miles off my nicer car, and I'm actually enjoying driving the £500 shed around as it means I don't worry about it when it gets a scratch - would be nice to have a bike like that too I guess?

Thoughts? I like the idea of owning a naked bike as I want to blow lots of money on mods to customize it and repaint the thing!

[Matt B]

[pinkyfloyd]

I have not tried the 900 but I have ridden both the old (round headlight) and newer shaped 600cc bikes. Fantastic little things, as agile as an agile thing on an agile day. My XJ6 is very agile and I found the old shape every bit as agile as that. The newer shape is very frisky. Reminds me of a jack russel puppy. Always wants to play. I would not want to live with the newer version full time. We have one as a mod 1 bike and as much fun as she is it is just too frisky.

The older version. I Would happily trade my XJ6N in for one when I fancy a change of bike. The one I had a play on had after market rearsets and wider bars making the riding position aggressive. I loved it.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Reg Tidy]

Only rode the 600 too. Nice bike.

I think your problem though is you bit into an apple expecting it to taste of orange. You were only going to be disappointed.

HTH

[Alex A]

What fuss?

The 900 has always been a bit of an oddball, not especially popular and (consequently) quite rare.

It's easier if you just buy what you want, otherwise you'll keep wanting it.

[Rogerborg]

[Slacker24seve...]

[G]

[stevo as b4]

I've always quite liked the look of the 900's and the fact that they are rare and not really rated much either.

I think if you uprated the suspension at both ends with some big beefy looking RWU adjustable forks and a fancy shock, Wide MX bars etc, and were prepared to bin the EFI set up and throw in a full fat carbed 918cc blade engine, then it would get quite interesting.

They are only 194kg dry, and 128bhp would be enough for it to get exciting would it not, especially with the delivery from carbs instead of often mediocre or snatchy EFI systems.

It would then be a better bike than an MK1 Z1000, as the 4piped Orange or Green Kwak never really had the looks or the handling to be a hooligan street bike IMO, despite the excellent bored out ZX9 engine.

or there's the CBR1100XX transplant if 162bhp sounds more reasonable?

[bikertomm]

[Slacker24seve...]

[G]

- a lot of the KTM singles are boring too .
Of the modern ones I've ridden only the 200EXCs have an engine with 'character' - the non-powervalve 87 350 did too. I'd love to try a modern 250SX sometime, as they're supposed to have a big 'hit'.

An early R6 is a good example of a bike I'd find entertaining to ride. Favourite fun road bike(s) I've owned is the Aprilia RS250 - suspension was lacking a little, but fine for the road.

I quite liked the TRX850, which is a low revving v-twin-esque bike where the power came in at 4k rpm. As it red-lined at 8k rpm, that actually meant you had to make some effort to keep it on song.

[MarJay]

The Hornet 900 is a well known old man bike. I don't think anyone is saying they are better than an R6...
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Alex A]

[monkeybiker]