Is twin-pot Honda Hornet 750 being primed for a revival?
Excuse us while we go a bit Miss Marple and speculate over whether the Honda Hornet namepleate could return on a 750cc twin-cylinder roadster
It would appear Honda has been getting all misty-eyed and nostalgic as it takes a retrospective through its back catalogue amid talk it could be preparing to revive the Honda Hornet nameplate in Europe.
Now, there is a bit of educated sleuthing going on here to reach the conclusion that the Hornet is coming back as a 750cc roadster offering, but stick with us.
According to GPOne, documents have emerged that it says has seen Honda trademark the Hornet name globally. You may think that this isn’t terribly conclusive, not least because the Honda Hornet is actually alive and well buzzing around the streets of India as a 200cc small urban runaround.
However, it’s not a model that is likely to make the trip over here and this Hornet nameplate has been trademarked in all territories but the USA - perhaps because Hornet doesn’t exactly conjure pleasant thoughts if it’s not attached to anything of nostalgic value. Instead, a trademark for the 2023 Honda CB750 Hornet has been filed.
Do you see where we’re going here? So yes, there is a stretch to the outcome but it would stand to reason that Honda would be considering a 750cc roadster that would wear the Hornet name.
The Hornet was last offered in 2006 having been offered in 600 and 900cc trim, under the more formal name CB600F, but it has focused much of its naked ambitions on sportsbike-derived CB650R and CB1000R ever since.
However, they are four-pot offerings, with a CB750S (F?) Hornet set to get a new twin-cylinder unit derived from the 1100cc Africa Twin that is being developed for the much rumoured mid-weight adventure motorcycle. That model, the Transalp, is expected to make its debut at EICMA in November.
A lightweight twin cylinder CB750F Hornet would thus fill a nice gap in the range and pitch it against models like the Suzuki GSX-S750, Kawasaki Z900 and Yamaha MT-09.
The Hornet and the Transalp wouldn’t be the only historic names being reportedly revived by Honda in the coming months with a return to the NT line expected with a sports tourer using the 1100cc engine from the Africa Twin also expected.
