z750 vs FZ6 vs CB900 vs GSR600

[Gremlin]

he reported that the gearbox was pretty clunky between 1st and 2nd, and would sometimes pop out of gear under power in 2nd (I think he said).

Most of the time, the gear box is pretty smooth, on rare occasions its a little rough, but compared to other boxes, definitely one of the smoother ones.

He also said that the brakes weren't that great. I was of the opinion that they had really good breaks, being 4 pot up front.

brakes are not harsh sharp, but pull them on hard enough, and it will stop. Must remember that to a degree, honda didn't want it to have super sharp brakes. The hornet I ride has just over 50k on it, but its an 05.

He aslo felt that the chasis wasn't that stiff and you had to be quite careful abot any change to your line through a corner as you could easily upset it.

Wide bars help with changing direction (which mine has) but no, chassis is not stiff, sometimes you can feel you are riding a front and a rear, not one bike. It does weigh over 200kg dry, so its not a sportsbike. I find cornering really easy actually, and find its very easy to be smooth. Ohlins rear shock does help tho.

That help? oh, a courier has done 160,000km on his, still using it. I assume if he didn't like it, he wouldn't still be riding it

[AllanB]

The best $ I have spent on mine was lower and wider bars plus very recently fitting a new set of Pilot Road2's. The 2's have truly transformed the bike well beyond what I remember the original tyres being like almost a year ago.

Oh and 6 weeks ago I stuffed my lower back - motorcycling became 'harsh' so I softened up my settings a fraction (I had them set a bit stiffer than stock) - oddly enough I got a better ride and handling. So don't be afraid to play with the suspension. Small steps.

GO THE HORNET

[vifferman]

I've just been talking to a guy that owned an 02 Hornet, and he reported that the gearbox was pretty clunky between 1st and 2nd, and would sometimes pop out of gear under power in 2nd (I think he said). He also said that the brakes weren't that great.

Honda gearboxes are typically not very smooth compared to Suzukis, f'rexample, particularly if the bike has been thrashed (gear-changing-wise), or if the drive chain is too tight/loose/dirty.
When I bought the VFR the gearchange was better'n any other Honda I'd ridden, but I fitted a Factory Pro Evo Start shifter kit anyway. I still miss the occasional 1-2 shift if I'm clumsy, which is partly due to the gearshifter position being slightly too high, but overall the gearchange is much improved.

As for the brakes, different pads may help performance, and braided lines may help feel. The Firestorm I used to own had crappy brakes until I overhauled the calipers and fitted braided lines.

[Gizzit]

I went in to the local Honda shop today and had a talk to the head mechanic. His opinion was that Honda's do generally have a bit of a clunky gear box, but fairly bullet proof. He said that if a gear box was jumping out of gear it was probably because it had been given a lot of hard work, pulling wheelies, and clutchless gear changes. In other words heavy abuse will cause the problem, but in his opinion that was even rare to have an issue with the gear box. He said that the engine is also pretty much bullet proof as well. The consensus from the workshop was that the Hornet 900 was a very popular and reliable bike, so that was reassuring to hear.
By the sounds of it, the person I spoke to about his 02 Hornet, must have bought a bit of a lemon / thrashed bike, but in spite of that, he still loved the bike!
For me they sound like a good idea, but do want to see what the Z750 and ER6's go like. New, the ER6F and the Hornet are similar in price, around $10,495 - $10,990, where the ER6N is $9995, and the Z750 is $11995. A couple of K between them, so for me, it will be what feels right on the day.
I'm looking forward to Saturday/Sunday, to try some !

[2wheeljunkie]

the last few post have been right gizzit. honda have really clunky gearbox's. When i asked abt this a while back abt 90% of the honda riders i asked said it was normal..soo dont panic. Honda makes pretty much bullet proof engines and when you ride the hornet you immediately know it has a STRONG motor..soo good luck with wateva you choose bud.im sure yall make the right choice.


GO the MIGHTY HORNETTTOOOO..!!!!

[Gremlin]

Either me not riding suzukis shows right through, or you last few people haven't ridden kawasakis...

[nallac]

yip. basically i'm in same situation.

after further research, i narrowed my choice of bikes to 3 models - sv1000, sv650 or hornet. z1000 new model is too expensive for me to consider.
I can stretch my budget to 10k max, but i want late model with reasonable milage.

anyways, i checked on svportal forums, and the guys have nothing but good things to say about sv.

i could not fins any decent hornet message boards. by decent i mean with alot of members/topics/etc.

i havent test rode neither sv nor hornet, but i sat on sv 1000 and 650 today and sv1000 feels quite heavy. and i'm a reasonably big guy (~100kg), while sv650 felt nice and light. i'll have to test ride them.... i'm not sure whether i'll like v-twin sound.... I'm concerned about vibrations, particularly when cruising long distances....

the search continues...

www.wristtwisters.com
has a shet load of hornet cb900/cb919 info in the naked section
was originally a hornet section..

a mate has a sv1000n it feels weird to ride after riding the hornet
still alot of fun,it would take me a while to get used to the vtwin throb
again .Had a sporty before the hornet.

and the vtwin sound aahhhhh theres nothing quite like it.

[Gizzit]

Got a new Hornet 900 today !!!!!
I test rode an ER6F, SV650, GSXF650, and a second hand Hornet. Overall .... the Hornet suited me best. So ... I bought a new red one (cos they are the fastest colour ! lol). I picked it up from Cyclespot this arvo and rode it home.

Earlier I had sold my DR650SE, and delivered it to Auckland airport. I then did the test rides at Mt Eden Motorcycles, Holeshot Takapuna, then purchased the Hornet from Cyclespot as they were closing the doors this afternoon!
Had a really good ride back to Whg with dry roads and the sun out.
Will put a photo up soon.
Thanks for info chaps and chapets
Grant.

[JeremyW]

Good to hear Grant! Another hornet rider!

Well I just did 600km on mine today. Auckland-Paero-Waihi-Tauranga-Waihi-Whitianga-Coro-Thames-Auckland.

What an awesome bike, for the money there is nothing like it. I was a bit intimidated by the spec weight before I bought it as I am on 66kg but I was amazed at how well it did on the coro loop, I even had it bouncing off the limiter in 2nd over the top and if you have done the loop you know how much confidence it takes to do that!! Love it, best decision I have ever made!

GO THE HORNET!!!!

[Zapf]

He also said that the brakes weren't that great.

Apply front brake, then rear brake and then change down.

He aslo felt that the chasis wasn't that stiff and you had to be quite careful abot any change to your line through a corner as you could easily upset it.

True, but put your weight over the front and just ride it (The rear will follow). Put wide bars on it and then if you have $ put an ohlins rear on it. The rear shock is probly the cheapest bit on the bike. It will transform it massively. Pretty much turns it into a 900cc I4 motard. Great for strifing the unsuspecting / poorly ridden sports bike in the twisties.


BTW what tires did your new Hornet came with? The BT's or the Pilot Sports?

[Gizzit]

BTW what tires did your new Hornet came with? The BT's or the Pilot Sports?

It came with Mitchelin Hi Sport tires ? I've never heard of them before ?? As soon as they wear down .. they will be gone. I was talking to my local Honda dealer, and he quite rates the Avon Storm which had on his bike I seem to remember. He said they were pretty good wearing and stuck like the proverbial in wet and dry conditions. They are dual compound tires from memory, like the Pilot's .. ?

How much for an Ohlin's shock fitted ?

In the future, I am looking at replacing the bars to get a little more height and closer to me. Fitting a small clear screen so that it takes a little pressure off my body and leaves my arms still in their sockets !! I will probably do the seat (I have put a 'Rider Seat' on all my bikes, and I really like them), and eventually replace the cans to get a little more burble !!

[2wheeljunkie]

Congratz Gizzit..u have made a wise choice..wait till u do the coro and find out that the hornet loooovvvesss twistiess...

[Zapf]

It came with Mitchelin Hi Sport tires ? I've never heard of them before ?? As soon as they wear down .. they will be gone. I was talking to my local Honda dealer, and he quite rates the Avon Storm which had on his bike I seem to remember. He said they were pretty good wearing and stuck like the proverbial in wet and dry conditions. They are dual compound tires from memory, like the Pilot's .. ?

How much for an Ohlin's shock fitted ?

In the future, I am looking at replacing the bars to get a little more height and closer to me. Fitting a small clear screen so that it takes a little pressure off my body and leaves my arms still in their sockets !! I will probably do the seat (I have put a 'Rider Seat' on all my bikes, and I really like them), and eventually replace the cans to get a little more burble !!

Those Hi Sport tires are the older generation of Pilot power / sports I believe. They are quite sticky when warmed up. Personally I would get the Metzeler M3 for sporty riding, or the Pirellie Strada's (sports touring) if you want something a bit longer lasting. With the M3's the bike pratically sticks to the the road, and it says stuff the cheap suspension let me (tire) take care of it and I found I was reving out in 2nd / 3rd around the coro on those tires. Around 1600~1700 for an ohlins rear from memory, and then you pay your dealer for fitting.

Re screen, I have custom made / desigend some screen brackets to fit the small clear GIVI screens. (cause none of their fitting kit works properly) Shouldn't be too hard to get you a trace of the design. (Go hassle Gremlin for it)

And another thing, get some aftermarket pipes. The bike will rev much better.