Meanwhile in India, there’s a new, 184cc Honda Hornet

THE Hornet name returned to the Honda range with great fanfare this year, but in some parts of the world, it’s been kicking around for ages.



In India, you’ve been able to buy a Hornet 2.0 for good while. It’s just been updated for 2024, so we thought it would be a good chance to have a closer look at the thing, as it’ll seem a curious proposition to us in Europe. 

It uses not a 755cc, liquid-cooled parallel twin like ‘our’ CB750 Hornet, but a 184cc, air-cooled single. The 200cc market is massive in India, which is why you’ll find a CB200X in Honda’s range plus bikes like the KTM Duke 200 and the Suzuki Gixxer (yep, that really is the official model name of that one) on sale, aimed at commuters.



As for the Hornet 2.0, it develops 17bhp - a smidge more than we’d expect from a CBT-friendly 125 in the UK - and 11lb ft of torque. For 2024, it gets a slip-and-assist clutch, and various other upgrades to fit in with India’s new BS6.2 standards, including OBD-2 emissions compliance.

The Honda Hornet 2.0 is a smart-looking thing - helped by those natty golden anodised upside-down forks - that does bear some resemblance to its partial namesake. It also has full LED lighting, and ABS front and rear. It rolls on 17-inch wheels and has a preload-adjustable rear monoshock.



Impressively, it’s covered by a 10-year extended warranty, something which Honda Motorcycle’s Indian arm has been gradually increasing across its range. Take into account some of the roads this thing will have to navigate in its native home, and those 10 years could include some very hard miles!

For all that, Honda is charging 139,000 rupees (which works out to about £1,300), significantly undercutting various rivals including the aforementioned Duke 200, which is Rs 196,801 or just under £1,900.