HONDA HORNET SP

On one hand, you have to feel a bit sorry for the Hornet after we threw it into a fight it really can’t win, mainly because Honda is playing a different game with it.

- WORDS: BIG MAC

On the other hand, you must admire it for even being considered to take part in the test, albeit as a wildcard. On that front, the Hornet absolutely hits its brief by providing a real division of opinion... which is exactly what a wildcard should do - act as a spoiler to upset the status quo.

Let’s get one thing straight right at the beginning. The Hornet is hopelessly outclassed and outgunned on the road by all the other bikes in this test, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad bike. Not at all. When you stop and think about what group test the Hornet should be in, you end up with bikes in mind that are similar in price point, or bikes that are similar in spec, and in both of those group tests, the Hornet makes a very, very strong bid for glory - but just not in this group test against these bikes.

Jumping off a £26,000 BMW or a £19,000 Triumph onto a £9999 bike is always going to feel exactly what it is - a giant step back on the evolutionary scale, which is another way of saying that the Hornet feels dated and much less refined and polished than all the other bikes here. However, there is a ‘but’ – because even though with the exception of comfort, the Hornet pretty much scored bottom points in most other criteria, the fact remains that what it does have is a very playful and accurate chassis and punchy engine with a bucket-load of midrange power, coupled to a usefully fizzy top end. It is a simple bike without any frills or pretences to be anything else, and what that does, if you let it, is to tap into the part of you that originally fell in love with motorcycling – the part that loved the simplicity and freedom of just riding with a smile on your face. This may sound like I’m finding ways to be kind to the Hornet, and I'm really not; I rated the Hornet only behind the BMW and KTM for fun because it’s so easy and uncomplicated to enjoy.