Hi guys,

I was getting my tyre changed on my Varadero 125 the other day and the gentleman fitting the new one told me about this site. I've had a look round, and think its fantastic as I am currently planning a European tour.

Basically I will be doing my DAS at the end of May, having ridden my 125 for 3 months.

I'll be moving to central London in July and am therefore planning on getting a hornet 600 as its style suits that environment.

Will I be realistically able to do a 2 week tour of Europe on a brand new hornet 600? I've searched the site and haven't really found any info on it. Does anyone know where I can get panniers that will fit to it, etc?

Hi Garthunkle

I considered doing all my trips on a Hornet 900 but decided to go for a lighter more versatile bike. I did one 10 day trip on the bike and found it quite heavy.

There is a seperate site for the hornets - I think it goes by the name of hornetsnest. I had a Giviv box fitted to my Hornet and I almost think you can get brackets for Givi panniers as well. Check with your local Honda dealer - they fitted my top box & bracket.

Cheers

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Peter

http://peter-onamission.blogspot.com

My thinking was that because it was a 600 and a naked it should be fairly light and maneuverable compared to a big tourer? Correct me if I'm wrong.

You're not wrong!

here BTW.

Yes, there are specialist websites for just about every make and model of bike, but this one is about travelling by bike, especially long(ish) distances: have a read into here for your European trip - there is a load of good information.

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Dave

There's absolutely no reason why you can't tour nice, tarmac european roads on a Hornet 600 :-)
The only thing i'd be concerned about with you is lack of experience of long distance riding on a 600. You say you've only been riding a 125 for 3 months and then plan on this road trip shortly after getting your full licence which means about 5 months riding experience before your trip. Riding round London is nothing like riding 250miles a day on the 'wrong' side of the road! I'd suggest getting some decent weekend day trips under your belt first - you'll get a better feel for the bike over distance.
I'm more into street bikes too and they're great fun BUT they aren't really designed for long distances so you might need to find out what adjustments you need to make (seat cushioning for example).

Good luck with the DAS!

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Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.

Cheers for the advice. I just think iot isn't worth buying or renting a tourer style bike for a few weeks riding in Europe. I definately think that lack of experience will be one of the biggest problems that I will face on the tour. I huess it might be worthwhile doing a mini trip around the UK before I go and do Europe. would let me ride in the Bike before hitting the continent as well.

Does anyone know how easy it will be for me to tour Europe having just passed my DAS, in terms of regulation? I presume if I have my full licence it doesn't matter how experienced I am before I can go and ride in a different country?

Good bikes but the underseat/off to one side exhaust may prove a problem for soft luggage (and ali boxes just wouldn't look right). Looked at a few last year and didn't buy one last year for this reason alone.

Have you considered the Honda CBR600F? Same engine, a little more power but makes a great tourer. Much more practical than the current race rep 600's too. Yamaha's YZF600 Thundercat is also worth a look, as is the Fazer 600/FZ6 if you really want a (half) naked bike.

Luckily the new hornet has a moto gp style stubby exhaust so I think I could fit panniers without a problem, if they do them.

Whilst the CBF would be better suited for touring, I don't particularly like the styling and the hornet will be much better for city use.

I'm only really considering hondas which are brand new as I can get a 12% discount on them.

The Hornet will do a trip around Europe no problem at all. I went around Europe for months on my FireBlade and that was hardly any more suitable than the hornet. Just go for it and take some soft throwover panniers and you'll be fine. You will have to make a lot of fuel stops as the tank on the hornet is not much bigger than a thimble but once you accept that then there's no problem at all. Hornet will be a great bike to have after the trip too. Have fun!

You need to consider that some (odd) individuals tour the kind of distances you have mentioned on such things as Honda C50 stepthru's and suchlike... In fact a few have even done a full blown "Round the World" on the things!

So the answer to your question is YES, of course you can do that on a modern Honda 600 Hornet.

Anyone with even a small degree of knowledge about bikes will tell you that the Hornet is a fantastic "all round bike". Plenty of power, reliable and put together well.

I'm not sure about the CBR thing though. Bearing in mind you're a relatively new rider (I'm still learning and I'm an ex bike cop with 28 years riding experience). I would imagine you would be better off keeping away from a more sports orientated bike. The 600 Hornet is a much better idea, it's easy to ride and is forgiving...

Remember, the step from a 125 to a 600 middleweight is enormous! Its obviously a lot more powerful, heavier, and generally handles completely differently from a small bike.

We all made the same switch...

Stay safe.

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

Cheers for the advice Neil and everyone else!

Like you say if people can do massive tours on C50's I should have no problem.

To think I was actually thinking of getting an R6 as my first proper bike!

I've done a couple of small trips around Europe on my 600 Hornet.
Around 7 - 10 days each and 1200 or so miles on each one.
I travelled light and managed with a tank bag and a rucksack and kept the rucksack very light. I'm not a big fan of rucksacks but it worked.
Stayed in hotels as there was certainly nowhere to carry a tent.
I even resorted to hand washing some clothes as that meant less to carry around and staying in a hotel they dried overnight.
Biggest problem, although not a problem as such, was the small tank on the bike so you're always on the lookout for fuel.
But it got me around without a hitch.

I thought we would be talking about used bikes so I was talking about the CBR600F, not the current RR. The RR isn't as track focused as the R6 or '03 onwards ZX6-R though the riding position is still too compromised for most people to make a good tourer. The F isn't really a sports bike at all compared to the current 600's. It's slower steering and more stable, closer to being a sports tourer like the VFR really.

The Hornet uses the same engine as the CBR but in a different state of tune to give more mid-range at the expense of top end power, which is appropriate for an unfaired bike really. No 600, sports or naked, has much kick until at least 8000rpm so you should be OK unless you're really cack handed or start taking liberties with it.

The R6 is a great bike but very track focused and therefore compromised in it's road manners. Great for a sunny sunday afternoon thrash though. If you're committed enough, you can use anything. I'm thinking about replacing my ZX6-R this summer, possibly with a GSXR750, or maybe an R1 or an Aprilia RSV-R or a Fireblade or..... you get the picture.

As for new vs used, is it really worth buying a brand new bike if you're intending to put huge miles on it? I'd let someone else take the big hit of depreciation. If you're insisting on new, there's some good deals around on the Kawasaki Z750 at present and they look very tasty in Gulf racing colours. The last of the ZZR600's are being sold off at knock down prices but the depreciation will be expensive. My pick would be the current Yamaha FZ6 but there's also the new Triumph Street Triple to think about if you're prepared to wait 6 months for one. My local Suzuki dealer had some offers of interest free finance with free insurance so that may be worth looking into. The SV650 is a cracking bike for a new rider even if it does lack the top end power of the Hornet.

I did a few trips to Europe (mainly Spain, via France) on unfaired bikes (1200 Bandits) and they were great Especially when you get to the warm areas.
It's only these last few years that I have had a fairing on a bike (age thing!) to make it more bearable on my aching bones
Go for it, where there's a will....................




Trophymick

Hi garthunkle, I recently finished a 3k mile tour of Europe on a 1998 Hornet 600. Here is what I noted. Firstly the bike has NO wind protection, there will be a constant flow of air over every part of your body. This strains the neck, legs, arms and stomach. If you are not willing to put up with that discomfort then it is the wrong bike to be spending 4-5 hours on a day. Again with the wind... Pick your time of year carefully. I went in December and I can promise you this is the wrong bike to be riding around Europe on in the winter. There were points when I was close to tears from the cold and I had electric hand and feet warmers, mittens and very good winter riding gear. The only other thing that lets the bike down is range. Realistically you can only do 100 miles before starting to panic about where the next petrol station is. Now, the most out of the way I got was Hungary and there they only label their petrol stations when you are about 3k away from them.

Apart from that the Hornet is a very good bike. You are obviously not picking it for its touring capabilities but it can tour as well as plenty of other bikes if you don't mind a bit of discomfort. The main thing to note is that it is hugely reliable. I am reasonably competent with a spanner and packed a toolkit just in case. I used it once to adjust the chain!

Send me a PM if you have any particular questions about the hornet, I think I bonded with that bike about as much as a person can in 3k miles

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