The new Hornet is up for testing and we were glad to do it. We wanted to get a better impression so we've came up with a comparison against the in-line four CB650R. This made things a lot more interesting. Let us know what do you think.
Apparently has a bony seat. The Hornet seat is said to be not good either. They don't seem to be able to design seats for the new style bikes. How ridiculous is that?
@@greenbow7888 Hornet seat is very comfortable compared to cb's. Cb's seat is pretty hard but still comfortable. Both seats are very well designed to find your own place on it
I love the CB650R. Never ridden one but I just love it. I hope Honda revamp it with the new electronics but retain the cool styling. Also I hope they bring the full power version to New Zealand because currently they only sell the learner restricted version :(
I own a CB650r and test drove the Hornet couple days ago. I prefer the riding position of the Hornet as it’s more comfortable. But that where the benefits end. Feels gutless compared to the 650. Quality of the bike feels way below the 650 which is solid and higher quality. The 650 engine feels superior and altogether a better bike. Hornet is good but feels a bit cheap, hence the price. I’m sticking with the 650 but the hornets still a good bike. I prefer the neo cafe style of the 650 as well.
Had they retained the cable throttle (they can keep their modes and auto blipper!) that engine would have felt a LOT better, and it would have made people like you and me think harder. But the only thing that matters is that the professional opinion-havers on the interwebs love it, so whatever.
Yeh was definitely the opposite for me. I owned a cbr650r for a month, actually hated it. It was heavy, vibrated heeps, way too small in the cockpit. Own a hornet now and I love it so much, power wheelies, pulls hard, same torque as the 636 and way lighter compared to the 650r. The snatchy throttle feels just like an mt09 in A mode.
@@silversurfer4326 Sounds like you were too scared to rev the inline 4, but it sounds like you are the kind of guy who take a nice display over a good engine so whatever...
@@DavidSmith-hn5gg my opinion and I’m sticking to it. 650r has a better engine, sounds better, and is higher quality. 750 hornet is more comfortable but don’t see many other benefits. If you choose a bike based on the display or tech then you have very different views to me. If you disagree that’s fine but I’m sticking to my opinion.
I chose the GSX-S 750. But if I had to choose between the Hondas it would be the 650R which to me is the spiritual successor to the Hornet and should be called Hornet. The new 2cylinder they should call a Bumble Bee or something... Btw. Its funny that you chose the "Hornet" because of the dash and riding modes, that's ridiculous :D But I guess that that's what todays riders are after, connectivity and big screens, who cares about riding >D
Exactly, i had a ktm with bluetooth connectivity and i never used it. I prefer enjoy riding instead of caring who calls me or being distracted by a message on the dash. That is why i like the dash on cb650r. Simple and enough. Regarding the riding modes: do not pull the throttle in rain and it is no use riding mode.
Have driven both, and decided on the the CB650R. The handling is more solid and it’s engine feels better built and higher quality. It’s super smooth like a sewing machine. It’s power builds with the revs, as a racing engine should. The hornet’s torque is slightly more apparent in lower revs, but the torque on the Cb650 is plenty. For riding thrills and excitement, nothing beats the powerful top end and amazing sound of the inline 4.
parallel twins are so good these days, but when youre looking into your first big bike, its hard not to be persuaded by the inline 4. theres a reason why its the quintessential big bike engine. it sounds, and feels like a big bike.
IMHO inline 4's are great in 1000cc format - you have torque in all the rev range. 650cc inline 4 is quite bland unless you revs it constantly - funny but tiresome in everyday traffic. They are kind of show off machines - beautifull but not very punchy. Nothing wrong with it, just that is less practical.
@@hex_surfer4588 I dont't know buddy. I have the inline 4 750cc in GSX-S and it has pretty much equal torque and power in around 5-7000rpm just like the twin, with the benefit of being able to go all over the 11500 where the peak power is to leave all the P twins behind. I think that people whining about the I4 are just too scared to rev the engine...
@@KapitanPisoar1 Ahh, GSX750 is a different thing, it has almost 25% more torque than FZ6 and CB650R. I have GSXS1000 for the same reason - it has more usable range, you can rev it if you want but you can also just cruise along on 6th. On bikes like FZ6 it's difficult to ride without changing gears constantly.
CB - proven 4 cylinder. Super quality looking. Hornet cheap looking and not into parallel twins. Looked at both, bought a super smooth Z900. Love torquey 4 bangers. Very happy.
Looks way too similar to the CB500F, just with a larger engine. Engines aside, I would go for the CB650R just on looks alone. But I'm also going with the Z900 instead. Love the looks of it and that 948 engine is a beast!
@@andrewaavik - I think the "looks similar to the CB500" is such a bizarre double standard. I mean the MT's all look similar. The Ninja's all look similar. The Yamaha R series all look similar. Yet the Hornet now all of a sudden needs to look drastically different despite the typical manufacturing trend of making similar looking bikes.
@@ThermicLight Maybe so, but my point is simply that they have brought back an iconic bike as a modern version, so to speak. But rather than making it look distinct, it just looks like they stuffed a bigger engine into a CB500. I'm not saying it looks bad by any means. My first bike was a CB500. I simply prefer the styling of the CB650R better.
CB650R all the way. Screaming 4 cylinder in a field where nearly everyone else is offering some mild variation on a parallel twin. The CB looks like a Honda. The Hornet? Paint it green and it's a Kawasaki. Paint it blue and it's a Suzuki. Paint it orange and it's a KTM. The very definition of mindless, derivative styling.
I owned the CB650 and the midrange is garbage. It's fun when you're screaming it but it gets old fast. If you come out the corner with less than 8k rpm you get nothing. I wished I'd bought the MT07. I agree the R looks better than the Hornet, but I'd never buy another bike with that 650 i4.
@@ewganhoff is the cb tuned different than the cbr? I haven't experienced any of this personally, linear power with a slight dip at about 6k but no one sits at 6k usually I'm well below or well above
great review ,, the cb is great for city the hornet is a great basic bike, looks great with a rider in side view as well,, still think i like the new suzuki on looks , but id take an older gsxs750 perhaps or even the original fazer600. if i was able to get a second bike
Cool, good to see the comparison. Where I live the 650 is cheaper. Looking at the spec sheet they both have the same brand suspension but the Hornet has longer travel. I test rode the 650 and thought the suspension was a little under damped and felt cheap. Fixed on the 705?
I guess I’m different from most. I like that the Hornet is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It looks and feels small. But will carve many bikes when it comes to the business end. Basically a spiced up the 500. But I understand it has the Hornet name which confuses it. 4 cylinder sound is very nice, but I’m very happy with this parallel twin sound of this bike. Honda has made something special. Even thought it may be the Vstrom of the naked bike world.
I have the 2021 cb650r and it's true what they say about the throttle, although it's fairly simple to mitigate using the rear brake to stabilize and the clutch to smooth the throttle. After some time it comes naturally
how's the vibration on the cb650r ? compared to a single cylinder engine like the CB300R, i wonder how much of a difference in terms of vibration. I'm riding the cb300r and it vibrates like hell when i'm going 120km/h
@@X-cript today I was paying attention and doing 140 km/h I noticed a subtle buzz. But again, I was paying attention and usually I don't feel it. But this is such an unimportant thing in this bike compared to so many others, it's just dumb to evaluate the bike this way
just block the pair valve and the throttle will be smooth as butter. I had the same issue on my 2019 and put a metal ball in the tube to avoid the hassle of blocking the valve and getting any error codes. But then you dont get the exhaust noise when releasing gas.
had a serious accident through no fault of my own with my new cb650r 4 years ago. so I would take the Hornet this time. that was my first bike too. I will test drive the Hornet.
I think both of them look sick just depends on what you like. If you ride a lot in want a more simple machine I would go with the parallel twin hornet but then again a lot of people like that look of the CB650R
Salut fratilor ! I have one question, I`m currently doing my MC drivers license, and we are riding on a CB650F . How is the cb650r compared to its predecessor ? I always loved the look/stats of the cb650f/r and would consider getting one after I finish school. Any information is welcomed, thanks ! Also, great vid ! I`m not a big fan of the new hornet, it looks quite bad, and its a 2 cylinder, so no thanks for me :D
The jumpier throttle of the 650 in town would annoy me, as described. I already have a bike with that characteristic. It does look better, especially with those 4 pipes that fit snug. The Hornet I understand, it's a grown-up Grom apparently. I'm not fully wanting my gas tank to be chest-high however. There are ADV bikes for that, and the overall vertical styling of the Hornet will look dated eventually.
I was like why they are comparing the hornet with the mighty CB650R. Watching the video I got to know that hornet is not the daily commuter we get in India which is powered by a 185cc engine single cylinder churning out just 17bhp. This hornet is a beast sad to know about it as HONDA India doesn't bring such good bikes to our market.
Still waiting to see if Honda will bring the Hornet to the US market. Can't think of a good reason not to, its a license to print money. Good price, lots of power, good looks, Honda reliability. And yet we're still sitting here in limbo.
Excuse me, you two are doing a review on two Honda motorcycles that I own, I've been riding since 1992 and you're telling people that the CB650R produces more vibration from the engine A 4 CYLINDER engine??? You have no basic concept of what riding is. The CB650R gives you a stable throttle response and a suave smooth ride. The Hornet being a 270 degree twin crank vibrates a lot and not only that, the throttle response on the Hornet is not sufficiently linear, it's fidgety. Thirdly at about 190 to 220 kph the Hornet becomes very unstable and is barely able to sustain lateral and front wind pressure whereas the 650R is very smooth at 200 or 220. Fourth the brakes on the Hornet are not sufficient. They are the same brakes you have on the CB500F - a motorcycle with HALF the power of the Hornet. Look I love my Hornet, Honda did an amazing job on the engine but forgot about better brake discs, a 180 rear tyre, weight ratio and aesthetics. These things make a big difference because when it comes to speed and acceleration the CB650R and the Hornet are very, very similar. And it's for these reasons I listed that the Hornet is not selling, mostly because it's ugly. My Honda dealer sells about every Honda model and for the last 4 months it still had FOUR Hornets, one in each colour on the dealership floor that Nobody is buying. I think that in a way the Hornet is more fun to ride but that's it.
La Hornet en comparación con la cb650r es más ágil , más ligera , tiene más par , consume menos y un motor más aprovechable en cuidad y carretera . Además tiene mucha más tecnología y un display actualizado con diferentes mapas de motor ..
@@RacingandAdventure i’m in Italy and wanting to buy a used bike around the 750-800cc engine but i’m afraid of getting a non reliable , lasting not too long bike..kinda
How is it that a 2-cylinder is less viby than an inline-4? more power on demand and on the entire rev range, I'll take the hornet all day. Go for the cb650r if you like posting pictures not riding bikes.
Because in global market the MT-07 is the best-selling bike in the segment. Naturally manufacturers want a piece of that pie, and so they follow the same principles that made the MT so popular.
You refer to the CB650 as "old". What year is it, because the 2023 model has all the electronics you say are missing from the 650. Would have been better to compare both as 2023 models.
I tried the new Hornet. The engine is very fun to ride, very lively. The bike does its job. But. It's unispiring. It's cheaply built, the CB500 looks more expensive parked next to it. The CB650r feels more well built. The 4cyl is revvy, but the twin is more useful in real life. They should make a CB750r with classic styling and round headlamp, and better overall package. If i had to choose between the two, i would choose neither one. I would rather get a Triumph Street Twin, or a second hand Kawasaki Z900RS.
My only gripes with the new Hornet are the electronics and looks. It looks like the 125 I started on had a baby with an older MT-07. I get "playing it safe", but no. More importantly though, the throttle is electronic. Hard pass. Bike doesn't need it. It has a bit more torque than the MT-07 and revs out higher. The MT-07 is mild enough to train riders on without electronic crutches and rider modes - the Hornet would have been just fine. But i stead they ruin what would have been an awesome-feeling engine by adding a few layers of electronics between your right hand and the throttle body, and that I cannot abide. Paid the premium for my 650R (over an MT-07, for other reasons) last year, still would now even with the Hornet as an option.
The hornet is the better bike. The cb650r has better styling. I trust rode the cb650r and found the engine flat and gutless. Even when reved out it was tame.
Sorry but you are wrong , the hornet is built down to the price, i looked at one last week its flimsy not honda quality , cheap parts looks like parts bin , front taken off a 500 , the switch gear feels cheap sitting on the bike the plastic creaked and the engine looks ugly not a buitfull pieace of work as of the cb650r ,and every thing is around the modes which will infulance punters , i have come back to the 4cyl due to anoying lowspeed feel of twins, i have a cb650r and love it it feels quality and put together to last, the hornet for flip sake has no rear hugger and its thows up all ver the spring not good , i am going to wait for the cb1000r next year but for now sticking to my cb650r and even triumph or kawasaki or the new suzuki which feels better quality than the hornet will change my mind, wishhonda made a 800cc cb cafe racer
Hey Honda I a crazy idea, put the damn passenger seat back on motorcycles so girlfriends and wives can have decent sized seat to ride on when we go on an all day ride 😡
MY CB650R had a crappy gear box, and crappy suspension and developed an oil leak after 2k Miles. Both are cheap bikes. They are cheap for a reason. The 650 does look better though
9:14 - But they did, Honda did come up with something really cool and really new. I had the CB650R, then I bought the Hornet and though I love the look of the CB650R, the Hornet is better. It's faster up to 200 KMH. The CB650R is only faster at top speed, the Hornet reaches 225 KMH and the CB650R reaches 237 KMH. But Honda decided to invest in and create the best engine possible and they did. The Hornet destroys the MT-07. But Honda wanted to sell the Hornet for a lower price so they created a completely new engine, gave you a great TFT and other great features but they did not invest in the look. If they had the Hornet would not cost 7950 euros it would cost 8950 euros or more, so they used the look of the CB500F.
@No_Name - lol you need to calm down a little. Personally if I had to pick, even though the 650 both looks and sounds better, I'd rather jump on the hornet because it has better street performance. Performance > aesthetics.
@No_Name - Did you even read my comment? I prefer I4 engines but I like performance even better. That means the whole package. Which means I might rather buy a ZX-6R and hoping to see the 6/6/23 update.
@No_Name - lol flat out. Calm down Rossi this is the streets for goodness sake and not a race track. Your perverse comment is especially funny. Cherry picking paper specs only as it suits you haha! Besides if you want a good I4 naked then I wouldn't even look at Honda when the GSXS750 is so much better.
@No_Name - Who told you it was twice the cost? Are you really so smooth brain that you couldn't even do your own research? The GSXS750 is very comparable in cost and even actually cheaper than the 650R depending on where you live.
You guys are way too quick, can you slow down by 5% maybe I can understand you people. The introduction started way too quick and I didn't understand a bit
@@mickleblade 100%. If you look up the story behind the original development of this 650 for the F model preceding the R you will find it was designed purposefully buy a younger generation of engineers at Honda. The only similarities with the CBR600R is both have 4 cylinders. That’s it. It’s not a modified version of the 600. The previous Hornet however was. A free tip for anyone interested in buying the new Hornet is to do it sooner rather than later as Honda has deliberately chosen to sell it well below the competition. In 12 months time it will cost much more to buy. Very smart by Honda.
@@marcusgeorge1825 my wife had a cbr600f4i (2004?) it was excellent, way better road manners than the R6 before. Great torquey midrange. Curiously the F's were the biggest sellers over the years but we're discontinued, and that was before all the euro emissions wiffle waffle
@@mickleblade You need to look further towards today. Those old 600F’s were returned 600’s. Look for the first 650F from Honda as the 650R is a progression from that bike. First R was the MY19, current one is MY21, and fully Euro5 so whist peak power is the same it produces 1 NM less and higher in the rev range. This model also received several upgrades most noticeably is the front suspension.
