The Hornet hasn't been around for as long as a lot of Honda's other bikes, but in the few short years since it's introduction it has become a very popular motorcycle.

Honda originally released the Hornet in Japan in 1996. This version used a 250cc engine based on the older 1986 CBR250Four, and the wheels from the 1992 CBR900RR Fireblade. Combined with the aggressive body styling (high level exhaust, fat rear tyre, etc) it quickly became very popular in the Japanese market. Unfortunately Honda never made it available (officially) outside Japan, but it can now be found in the UK as a grey import.

The popularity of the 250 Hornet lead to the development of the CB600F which was officially introduced to the UK in 1998, and it rapidly became as popular here as the 250 version was in Japan.

The CB600F model Hornet is a naked (no fairing) 599cc machine which uses a version of the CBR600 sports bike engine combined with a mono-backbone frame that uses the engine as a stressed component. This means that the engine is not mounted in a rigid frame (like on most other motorcycles) but is actually suspended below the frame with the engine casing providing a lot of the structural strength to the bike.

The engine itself has been re-tuned to produce less high-rev power but more low-rev torque than the sports bike it has been borrowed from. Obviously this makes the Hornet slower than the CBR, but this is no great loss when there is no fairing to protect the rider from the wind blast. The increased torque also makes the Hornet more drivable around town, which more than makes up for the loss of top-end power.

Honda updated the Hornet's specification in November 1999 to include a larger front wheel, slightly better brakes and some cosmetic changes. A new half-faired version, the CB600FS, was also introduced at the same time. On this model the clocks, mirrors, and the headlight were redesigned to allow them to be built into the fairing, but most of the mechanical bits are exactly the same as the unfaired Hornet.

The Hornet has always been a popular bike for modifying (the most common additions being items like huggers, belly pans, scottoilers and windscreens), but people soon started talking about replacing the engine with the larger motor from Honda's Fireblade. I think a few people even managed to do it. Honda obviously realised that this was a popular idea, because in December 2001 they introduced the CB900F. At the same time this model was introduced to the American market, where it was simply called the 919.

Physically the CB900F looks very similar to the CB600F, but is a little bit bigger. It has a twin exhaust system, one on each side of the seat, and does indeed use the 919cc engine from the Fireblade, again re-tuned to produce less high-rev power but more low-rev torque.

In 2003 the naked CB600F model was updated again. Cosmetic changes included a new flush mounted rear light, a new headlight, different side panels and a restyled exhaust. There are also some mechanical changes, including the addition of a catalytic converter and a slightly larger 17 litre fuel tank (Earlier models used a 16 litre tank).

Unfortunately Honda removed the half-faired CB600SF model from the Hornet range at the same time, but on a brighter note, the unfaired CB600F Hornet was introduced to the American market in 2004, where it was called the 599.