Honda’s Hornet range of naked street bikes was very famous back in the day. Now, the iconic Hornet badge will soon return. This time, finding its way onto a new middleweight naked motorcycle. Honda first released a concept for the upcoming motorcycle at EICMA 2021. The concept did not reveal much, but we got to know the production version of that bike will revive the Hornet name tag. Since then, Honda released a teaser video showing glimpses of the design sketches. And now, Honda has revealed the design sketch. Thus, giving us an idea of what the Hornet could look like.
The new design sketches released by Honda closely resemble the concept from EICMA 2021. The naked motorcycle features sharp and edgy styling. Furthermore, also enhancing the look are the tank extensions. The headlight is also mounted lower than other Hondas on sale. Other visible bits from the design sketch are a tubular frame, upside-down forks and a monoshock. The tail design is short and sharp. On the side, one can also see the stubby side-slung exhaust.
Powering the last Honda Hornet was a 600cc inline-four engine. However, Honda released a teaser video in which one can listen to the bike. The bike sounds unlike an inline-four motor and more like a parallel-twin one. Since it is carrying the Hornet name, which Honda used for middleweight bikes, it will likely get similar displacement. It is likely Honda will use a 650cc to 750cc parallel-twin motor.
If Honda uses a new engine for the Hornet, it is also likely the engine and platform will spawn more motorcycles. Honda could also make a fully-faired version to take on the Yamaha YZF-R7. As for the Hornet, when it arrives, it will find itself in a segment with multiple models. Honda will likely position it between the CB500F and the CB650R. Currently, the other bikes in the segment are the Kawasaki Z650, Aprilia Tuono 660 and the Yamaha MT-07.
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