Honda Hornet 750 parallel twin
Honda has been teasing its new Hornet project since last year, but the company has finally revealed some genuine photographic evidence along with the first specifications.
There's already a 745 cc twin in Honda's range, powering the NC750 line of bikes, but the new 755 cc twin for the Hornet (and the upcoming Transalp 750) is a very different proposition, despite sharing some characteristics. Like the NC engine and the Africa Twin's 1,084 cc twin, the Hornet's 755 cc unit uses the Unicam cylinder head arrangement, with a single camshaft acting directly on the intake valves and opening the exhausts via rockers. It's a compact layout that helps reduce both the size of the engine and its parts count.
In terms of performance, the new Hornet engine is superior to the NC750 engine. Despite only a 10 cc capacity advantage, it offers a peak of 90.5 hp at 9,500 rpm, much more than the lazy 57 hp at 6,750 rpm of the NC. Torque is also up, from 50.9 lb-ft to 55.3 lb-ft, coming at 7,250 rpm. This new Hornet engine uses a 270-degree firing interval to replicate the throb of a 90-degree V-twin, and it will benefit from electronic throttles and the usual array of traction control and riding mode software.
The Hornet Test Project Leader is Fuyuki Hosokawa, who led the development of the current Fireblade. He said: "Before starting this project, we thought long and hard about what kind of performance we wanted to give to the rider. We knew that it was essential to keep the classic Hornet top end power 'hit' and at the same time, as a new generation Hornet for modern times, we wanted the engine to have a really strong torquey feel and 'throbbing' sensation at low to mid rpm.
"To get the kind of performance and lightweight handling we wanted, we knew we had to develop an all-new, short-stroke, twin-cylinder engine with a 270° crankshaft. This would not only deliver that top-end rush, but also the sporty lowdown torque, ideal for riding in urban environments and powering out of corners on the open road."
