For many, the Honda Hornet was the first real bike, at least for those who were starting to get serious in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was the period of maximum success of the medium naked, those of 600 cc, and the Hornet has been the best-selling bike in our country several times since it debuted in 1998.. From the start it was a successful mix of performance, price and design. It was very popular in the first two series with a round headlight, but also the third with the hint of a fairing and it was also very popular in the new 2007 edition with a characteristic front that recalled the head of an insect.
It is quite normal, therefore, that just hearing the name pronounced in view of an imminent re-release ignites the curiosity of many fans.. During the last EICMA 2021, Honda confirmed the Hornet’s return to the range by surprisingly dedicating a corner of the stand to this project and it was immediately… crawl space! Also because of the shapes that the new “hornet” would have had on that occasion not much leaked out. At least until the beginning of June, when the Japanese manufacturer released some sketches accompanied by a concise press release, a signal that the arrival of his naked could be much more imminent than we had imagined. These drawings indeed already reveal a lot of the design, while still remaining rather vague: it is clear that by the time we look at them and evaluate them, the development of the bike has already gone way beyond and the design is defined. So here is that in the editorial office we got the itch to try to imagine the final version. To put it on paper, or rather on bit, we asked for the help of our collaborators at Graphicar and the result is what you see in the opening image.
HONDA, WILL THE NEW HORNET CLEAR THE WAY FOR TRANSALP?
We imagine it like this
We started from the sketches made by Honda R&D department in Romealready responsible for the design of some of the most successful models such as CRF1100L Africa Twin, CB650R and X? ADV. The style of the new Hornet, in fact, once again speaks Italian. To sign the concept is Giovanni Dovis28-year-old designer already author of the ADV350 who commented: “Honda’s design philosophy aims to create something pure and functional in the simplest way possible, a philosophy that is reflected in the creation of exciting models with ‘genuine’ beauty. The sketches show how the design of the Hornet Concept is based on the values of agility, dynamism and lightness, thanks to the compact and elegant proportions, the pointed tail and the sharp lines. The result is a bike with a taut and aggressive look that underlines its sporting attitude, which has always been in the DNA of all Hornet generations.“.
Of one thing we can be sure: the new Hornet will completely abandon the soft organic lines of the first series of twenty-five years ago to marry more current styles that include more multifaceted surfaces and more pointed edges.
Who will live will see, but in the meantime …
The headlight will be more set between the fork stays but we have foreseen that it will have its own personality: in our vision it is more present and important than some competitors who have made it very minimal. The front end is further loaded by the protruding downward side surfaces of the tank that descend as if they were the hornet’s wings. Like the insect, the hips must be tight. Here is that the tank tightens a lot in the joint area of the saddle to allow the insertion of the rider. Such a narrow section also makes us think that the engine is not an in-line four-cylinder as in the past but a more modern forward-facing twin.
The pintail rises sharply but, as for our hornet friend, it is not a tiny codon. Here too we are far from the volumes of the first series whose name Hornet (apparently) derived precisely from the shapes of the abundant rear end complete with a high exhaust terminal. Here, too, we have therefore imagined a sculptural presence. Finally, we spiced it all up with what we believe to be more likely elements, such as the squat and low tailpipe and the license plate holder on the wheel. Are we getting close to the real next Hornet? Posterity will judge.
Rendering by Graphicart