Honda revived its out-of-production “Hornet” platform with the new-for-2023 CB750. This is a thoroughly modern ride with a new frame and new bodywork, all pushed down the road by an also-new powerplant and buoyed by new suspension. The electronics suite is robust with a surprising level of protection given the “750 bracket” in which the new Hornet finds itself.

2023 Honda CB750 Hornet Performance and Capability

The factory built a spankin'-new engine for the resurrected Hornet platform. It's a parallel-twin plant with liquid cooling for the thermal stability a water cooler can provide. This benefits both engine stamina and emissions controls.

Bore and stroke mic out at 87 mm and 63.5 mm respectively, with an 11-to-1 compression ratio that will prefer mid-grade at least. The 2023 CB750 Hornet produces 90.48 horsepower and 55.3 pound-feet of torque.

Electronic fuel-injection meters the fuel delivery. Honda's proprietary Air Flow Ducts ensure efficient induction through the downdraft intake tracts. It rocks a CRF-inspired Unicam up top that actuates all eight valves in the head, which is a great weight-saving exercise

There's a bit of a lope at idle due to the 270-degree offset in the crank. That long pause between power pulses gives the rear tire a chance to get a grip, particularly in inclement weather and on loose surfaces such as sand or gravel.

A Ride-by-wire throttle works with a number of rider aids for full electronic control. It starts with a trio of Riding Modes that bundle the other features together for quick personality changes. There's also a Wheelie Control and three-level Engine Power Control with a three-level Torque Control feature that helps you safely nail your holeshots. Significant electronic rider support lets you push the performance envelope without fear.

Power flows through a slipper clutch for another layer of security, then a six-speed transmission, and finally to the rear wheel via a tough chain-type final drive. The overall drive ratio turns out a CB750 Hornet top speed of 127 mph at redline in top gear.

For our friends across the pond who are in the tiered licensing system, an A2-compliant version is perfect for you. An ECU remapping gives a 35kW conversion for tiered licenses.

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Design

Riders outside the U.S. will recognize this model as the successor to the CB600F that sold as the Hornet across the pond but carried the “Honda 599” moniker here in the States. Folks, this here is an exercise in minimalism. It's a true testament to the less-is-more philosophy.

Lean as a snake, the Hornet carries only a small flourish in the spiky cheek accents. There is nothing left to the imagination, but that's not a bad thing. It speaks to the design team's effort to trim the fat wherever possible, in keeping with its designed purpose.

A duplex headlight splits the night with front blinkers mounted high, thus will probably survive a drop or slide. Around behind the light, a set of low handlebar risers clamp a short-rise handlebar to set up the rider's triangle. This makes for a relaxed upper line enabling an upright riding position while leaving open the option of going into a racing tuck.

A five-inch color TFT screen handles all the mundane instrumentation. It acts as an interface, along with the switchgear on the left side, for the higher electronic functions. The system networks with your device through the Honda Smartphone Voice Control system for entertainment, communication, and navigation support, providing you use either an Android- or IOS-based device.

A smart taillight communicates your state of braking through varied flashing when a hard braking event occurs. The drivers behind you may not understand the message, but at least it draws their eye; so they're, hopefully, paying attention.

The rest of the gear in the rear mounts to a bare-bones mudguard boom. This includes the license plate holder that doubles as part of the fling control out back. All lighting comes with LED projectors for their high lumens output and concurrent safety.

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Chassis

The frame on the CB750 Hornet is super light at only 36.59 pounds (16.6 kg). This contributes heavily to the Hornet's responsive feeling when flicking over into a turn or reversal. Tube-thinning in the main structure contributes to that, though not at the expense of strength.

The steering head sets the tone with its 25-degree rake angle and 3.89-inch (99 mm) trail. These are both at the nimble end of the spectrum and also contribute to the overall agility.

Lightweight, cast-alloy, Y-spoke wheels round out the rolling chassis and come shod in a 120/70 ahead of a 160/60 for decent contact-patch coverage. Naturally, they rock a “Z” speed rating that'll hold it together, even at top speed.

Dual, four-bore Nissin calipers bite 296 mm discs up front, while out back, a single-pot binder bites a 240 mm rear disc. ABS protection comes stock for one final guardrail.

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2023 Honda CB750 Hornet Price and Availability

The 2023 CB750 Hornet costs $7,900. This is a ballpark number, as I don't know if it's destined for the North American market yet, or if Honda decided to not send any over here. Our British cousins can expect to pay £6,999 MSRP. Look for the new Hornet in dealer showrooms in early 2023.

Competitors

There's no shortage of competition for the CB750 Hornet in this field. However, I can narrow it down to one of Yamaha's bikes, the MT-07, as an analog for the rest of this particular market in general.

Yamaha MT-07

Yamaha strips away all superfluous bodywork to leave only a set of spiked fuel-tank extensions that look suspiciously similar to the Honda's own little accents there. I'm not making accusations, just observations.

Clean and trim, the MT-07 cuts a similar figure. However, it has side-by-side headlights to light the way instead of stacked beams as with the Hornet, same with the all-around LED lighting.

Yamaha powers its entry with a 689 cc twin. That cedes a considerable advantage to the Red Riders with a paltry 75 horsepower output against Honda's 90 ponies.

The pain continues for Yamaha. Honda's Hornet carries a pretty sweet, and unusually thorough, electronics suite, while the Yammie has bupkis on that front.

To make matters even worse, Yamaha wants $7,899 for its entry. There's no price break for the lack of tech on the Master of Torque.

He Said

"In comparison, Honda really spanks the competition. It's pretty strong for its size, no giggity, and the electronics are top-shelf goodies by anyone's standards. Sure, they could be of the lean-sensitive sort, but I guess they have to hold something in reserve for the more noble variations."

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The new Hornet was hyped by Honda for too long a time, I think. Like the Tenere 700 that Yamaha teased us with for so long, by the time it gets here, we were expecting so much more. Yeah, both are nice bikes, but I can't help but feel a little let down. The Hornet engine shares a similar Unicam setup as with the Africa Twin, so you have dual-overhead-cam performance with fewer moving parts.”